- In 1916 he was the first athlete to star in a commercial motion picture, Somewhere in Georgia.
- Was well known for his hot-headed temper on and off the baseball field.
- An authority on the Civil War.
- An early investor in Coca-Cola, he was worth over $12 million when he died.
- In 1906, Cobb had a nervous breakdown and entered a sanitarium.
- Named after the Phoenician city of Tyre, which withstood Alexander the Great's army.
- Former teammate Dutch Leonard claimed that he, Cobb, Smokey Joe Wood and Tris Speaker fixed a 1919 Detroit Tigers - Cleveland Indians game. Kenesaw M. Landis later exonerated the players. However, many believed Leonard and thought Landis ruled as he did because he didn't want another gambling scandal to taint baseball.
- When he retired in 1928, he had set 90 MLB records.
- William Cobb was opposed to Ty playing baseball, fearing it would turn him into a "ruffian." He finally relented, assuming that once Ty got it out of his system, he would return home to lead a "respectable" life.
- 1909 American League Triple Crown Winner.
- Member of 1907-1909 American League Champion Detroit Tigers teams.
- 1911 American League MVP. Finished 7th in voting for same award in 1912.
- Batted at least .320 for 23 consecutive seaons (1906-1928); a major league record.
- Holds the major league record for stealing home during a career. Stole home 54 times.
- Won 12 batting titles in 13 seasons, including nine in a row (1907-1915; 1917-1919); both are major league records.
- The first player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. (1939)
- On 8 August 1905, William Cobb told his wife Amanda he was going on a 3 day trip, but returned that night, and climbed up a ladder to their bedroom window. Believing him an intruder, she killed him with the shotgun he gave her for her protection. Although he initally supported her (she was acquitted at trial), Ty idolized William, and came to believe the rumors that Amanda was unfaithful and William was trying to catch her with her lover. Ty never got over the incident nor forgave her. Eight days after his father's funeral, Cobb was called up to the Detroit Tigers.
- Has been the author of three books: 1914 Busting 'Em 1925 Memoirs of Twenty Years in Baseball 1961 My Life in Baseball
- Cobb is interred at Rose Hill Cemetary in Hart County, Georgia in a family mausoleum. During the later years of his life he would visit the vault frequently and, according to his biographer, during long drinking binges would sleep there.
- Soundgarden wrote and released a song on the Down On The Upside album, named "Ty Cobb".
- Made major league debut on 30 August 1905.
- Pete Rose named his son after Cobb; the child was born months before Rose broke the all-time hit record set by Cobb.
- In 1905, he was sold to the Detroit Tigers for $700 and a $200 early contract fee. By 1909, he was earning enough money playing baseball to begin a responsible investment program that steadily increased his wealth.
- In 1918, he borrowed $10,800 to purchase 300 shares of Coca-Cola stock. He acquired additional shares of Coca-Cola over the years, eventually owning 24,000 shares. During his lifetime, he earned over $4 million from his investment in Coca-Cola. His initial investment would be worth over $1.6 billion in today's terms.
- In 1909, he used his earnings from that year's World Series to invest in a copper mine in Bisbee, Arizona. He bought stock in the mine for $3 per share, and later sold his interest for $1,000 per share. In an era when the best players were earning $6,000 per year, he was worth in excess of $300,000.
- In 1924, he lent his name to endorse General Motors Automobiles for a fee of $25,000 per year.
- Could not stand Babe Ruth's power at the plate, maintaining that "any fool with a stick could hit it over the fence." He finally decided to prove this in 1925, at the age of 39, when the Tigers met the Yankees in Detroit. "Just this once, I'm swinging for the fences. No science." Ruth went 3 for 4 with one home run. Cobb went 6 for 6 with three home runs, two doubles, and a single, plus 3 stolen bases.
- Member of the inaugural class voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Induction ceremony was held in 1939 for the first four classes.
- Played for the American League's Detroit Tigers (1905-1926) and Philadelphia Athletics (1927-1928).
- As a kid, Cobb would take his homemade bat to bed with him.
- Eldest of three children.
- Ended his friendship with Ted Williams when the latter suggested that Rogers Hornsby was a greater hitter than Cobb.
- Was instrumental in helping Joe DiMaggio negotiate his rookie contract with the New York Yankees.
- Detroit Tigers All-Time Leader in at-bats (10,586), runs (2,087), hits (3,902), doubles (664), triples (286), RBIs (1,805), total bases (5,471), stolen bases (865), on-base percentage (.424), and batting average (.369).
- In 1922 he appeared in a "See-How Movie Viewer" which was a movie in a box. The viewer showed an image of Cobb sliding into base. The plastic baseball-shaped viewer shows a 16mm film of Major Leagues instructing viewers on all aspects of the game. The film was complied and produced by Leslie Mann.
- One of his early investments was in Cotton Futures on the NYSE. He speculated in cotton futures for a gain of $7,500. When World War I ended, demand for cotton soared, and he sold his shares for $155,000.
- His income as a baseball player hit its highest while playing for the Philadelphia Athletics, earning $85,000 per season. By this time, his investments in stocks and real estate far out-paced his earnings from Baseball.
- When he died in 1961, his estate was worth approximately $12 million, $10 million in General Motors Stock, and nearly $2 million in Coca-Cola stock. He left 25% of his estate to the Ty Cobb Educational Foundation, with the remainder divided among his children and grandchildren.
- After he hit a fan in 1912, his fellow team members went on strike, and the Tigers' owner had to bring in nine fans from out of the crowd to replace them; the volunteers lost 24-2 in seven innings. One of them had a name so long that the scorekeeper abbreviated it to "L'n'h'sr." This man's true identity remains unknown to this day, and thus Cobb is responsible for one of the all-time great baseball mysteries.
- Saw a pitcher deliberately try to bean a fellow batter. Cobb then went to the plate and drag-bunted the ball down the first-baseline so the pitcher would have to go after it, and Cobb then drop-kicked him cleats-up right in the face.
- One of his attorneys was the father of Claire Merritt Hodgson, second wife of Babe Ruth.
- He was an early supporter for the integration of Major League Baseball.
- Children: Tyrus, Jr., Shirley Marion, Herschel, Howell, Beverly.
- His funeral was a private affair attended only by his family. Many former teammates and friends wished to attend, even offering to serve as pallbearers, but were turned away.
- It is generally agreed upon by Baseball historians that, while Cobb did have a temper and instances of bad behavior, his reputation as a violent and angry man has been considerably exaggerated due to the largely discredited biography written by Al Stump.
- Inducted into the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content