English was born on March 2, 1906, on a farm in Licking County, Ohio. He went to Newark High School, where he played second base on the baseball team. In English\'s senior season, the team went undefeated. After high school, English worked for Pure Oil and Firestone Rubber. During breaks, he would play baseball with Pure Oil\'s local team. In 1924, English played for the Zanesville Greys, a semi-pro. The league that the Greys played in had other Major League players, including Al Schweitzer.\n', '

In the following year of 1925, English signed a contract with the Toledo Mud Hens, a Double-A team apart of the American Association, for $300 a month. Being the youngest player on his team, 18, English played 131 games at shortstop and batted .220 and a .946 fielding percentage. The following year played a team-high 162 games and batted a .301 average, a team-high 15 triples and a .948 fielding percentage.\n', '

After playing for the Mud Hens, English was purchased for $50,000 by the Chicago Cubs. He made his Major League debut on April 26, 1927, a 5-8 losing game against the Cincinnati Reds. English went 0-2 with one strikeout. The Cubs finished fourth place, finishing 8.5 games from first place.\n', '

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