Six Degrees of White Sox Connection

 A few years ago, Michele and I watched the documentary “Harvard Beats Yale 29-29,” about the 1968 football game that saw Harvard score 16 points in the final minute against an unbeaten Yale team.  Among the film’s pleasures was listening to one of the Harvard offensive lineman, a guy by the name of Tommy Lee Jones, yes, that Tommy Lee Jones.

Harvard scored as the clock expired to pull within two points; the rules allowed for them to try for the extra point(s).  Harvard got the two points—and, with it, the tie—with a pass to the tight end, a guy by the name of Pete Varney, yes, that Pete Varney.

Varney had a few call-ups with the White Sox in the mid-70s.  I always remembered him as being pretty decent, but the ’70s were a dark cloud for Sox prospects—infielder Lee “Bee-Bee” Richard was a bust; outfielder Nyls Nyman broke his leg (I think); pitcher Bart Johnson hurt his arm and Varney just faded away after being traded to Atlanta in 1976 for John “Blue Moon” Odom.

Up until that night watching the movie, I had no idea Varney also played football or that he went to Harvard.  Regardless, he was good enough to get drafted six times in high school and college before the Sox picked him in 1971.  Like I said, the ’70s were a dark cloud for many Sox prospects.  .  At least this one managed to go on to a 34-year career as baseball coach at Brandeis University.

I was reminded of Varney again last week when Carmen Cozza, the coach of that Yale team, died at the age of 87.  Cozza may even have his own White Sox connection, or not.  Obituaries mentioned that he played in the Sox minor-league system in the early ’50s, but I couldn’t verify that with baseball-reference.com.  The Superior Blues were a Sox affiliate a year before Cozza arrived, but are listed as unaffiliated for the season—1953—that Cozza played with them.

But he played baseball, and Pete Varney played baseball, and maybe Tommy Lee Jones should have, too.