Background
Secory was born in Mason City, Iowa, and moved in his youth to Michigan. He graduated from Western Michigan College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1936.
Secory was born in Mason City, Iowa, and moved in his youth to Michigan. He graduated from Western Michigan College with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1936.
His best season was 1944, when he batted.321 in 22 games for the Cubs, the team for which he played nearly his entire career. After making his debut with the Tigers, having one at bat in 1940, he was waived by the team and selected by the Reds. His promising career was sidetracked, however, when he fractured his leg sliding into home on May 10 of the following year while with the Syracuse Chiefs.
He had been expected to shortly be promoted to the Reds.
Despite missing three months, he ended the season with a.329 batting average and 15 runs batted in in 31 games. After his major league career ended with the Cubs in 1946, he became an umpire in the West Texas–New Mexico League in 1948 and the Texas League from 1949 to 1951.
Secory became a National League umpire from 1952 to 1970, and worked in the World Series in 1957, 1959, 1964 and 1969, serving as crew chief in 1964. He also officiated in the All-Star Game in 1955, 1958, 1961 (second game), 1964, 1967 and 1970.
He was the second base umpire on May 26, 1959 when Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched a perfect game for 12 innings before allowing a baserunner and eventually losing in the 13th.
He was again at second base on June 21, 1964 when Jim Bunning pitched a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies, the first official regular-season perfect game since 1922. In all, Secory umpired in nine official no-hitters in his career, which set a National League record for umpires and was then one short of the major league record held by Silk O"Loughlin. After Secory"s retirement, Donatelli tied his record in 1972, and Tom Gorman tied it in 1976 before Paul Pryor broke it upon working in his 10th no-hitter in 1978.
Secory was also behind the plate on May 26, 1956 when three Cincinnati Reds pitchers held the Milwaukee Braves hitless for nine innings before losing in the 10th.
lieutenant was the first time in major league history that multiple pitchers combined to throw nine innings without allowing a hit. Secory married Vonda Conner on February 7, 1938, and they had two children.
A resident of Portuguese Huron, Michigan since the 1940s, Secory died there at age 82.