Jake Outwin was Muskegon’s “Grand Old Man” of baseball at the time of his death in 1954.  His contributions, especially in later life, in giving local fans entertaining and quality baseball at Marsh Field for many seasons cannot be overlooked.  Numerous legendary stars of the game, as well as the “cream” of local talent were showcased for Muskegon fans during the 1940’s when Mr. Outwin organized his own semi-professional teams and later a class A level of fully professional baseball with the Muskegon Clippers of the Central League.

Jake came to Muskegon around WWI and participated in local factory leagues as player and manager for several years.  He later had a brief fling in the front office of Muskegon’s MINT League club as secretary and business manager in the 1920’s.  When WWII put the Muskegon Reds of the Michigan State League on the shelf, Outwin filled the void by assembling the best of local players into a semi-pro team called the Outwin Zephyrs.  From 1942 to 1947, the Zephyrs attracted an interesting variety of first-rate opponents at Marsh Field, including visits by the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox.   Many of the great Negro League teams made stops in Muskegon, as did the Great Lakes Navy team, made up of big league stars serving their wartime obligations in the military.

The post-war boom of minor league baseball gave rise to the rebirth of the class A Central League in 1948.  Mr. Outwin was among the organizers of this new circuit and was instrumental in gaining a franchise for Muskegon.  Jake was president and principal stockholder in the Muskegon Clippers, a Chicago White Sox farm team.  Many future major leaguers appeared at Marsh Field during the Central League years.  Thanks to the dedication of Jake Outwin, Muskegon was on the baseball map once again in his lifetime.