Born in Waverly, West Virginia, Hoblitzell excelled in football at Parkersburg High School in Parkersburg, West Virginia; he was the team\'s halfback and kicker. He played minor-league baseball at the age of 16, taking an assumed name so that he would not lose his collegiate eligibility. He played football at Marietta College and the University of Pittsburgh. He played football in the days preceding professional football, so he decided to pursue a career in baseball. He later became the first Pitt alumnus to enter major-league baseball.\n', '

Hoblitzell signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1908, playing with the team through 1914 and studying dentistry in the offseasons. He was the National League at-bats leader in 1910 and 1911 and Cincinnati\'s Most Valuable Player in 1911. In the middle of the 1914 season, he was waived by the Reds and claimed by the Boston Red Sox. With Boston, Hoblitzell won two consecutive World Series (1915 and 1916). Hoblitzell was often assigned to room with Babe Ruth when the team traveled, as the team\'s management hoped that Hoblitzell would be a good influence on the rowdy superstar.\n', '

Hoblitzell\'s baseball career was interrupted by his induction into the U.S. Army Dental Corps in 1918, and he never returned to the major leagues. He finished his career with 1,318 games played, 1,310 hits, 27 home runs, 593 RBIs and a .278 batting average.\n', '

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