Gene Cook

[3] Cook was briefly a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, recording one reception during the 1959 NFL season.

[1] Under Cook's management, the average attendance at Mud Hens games would increase almost threefold.

In his most well-known move, Cook sent a Mud Hens uniform to the fictional character Cpl.

Max Klinger of the television show M*A*S*H, played by actor Jamie Farr, a Toledo native.

[6] Thereafter, mentions of the Mud Hens were frequently incorporated into the show's scripts, and the team gained nationwide attention.