Born in Oswego, Calihan had a brother named Tom who was a catcher in the minor leagues.

The Rochester front office thought that Calihan drank excessively and presented behavioral issues.

Instead, he entered the major leagues with the Rochester Broncos of the American Association that year.

[1] In one season with the Broncos, Calihan had an 18–15 win-loss record and appeared 12 times in the outfield.

He spent his last major-league season (1891) with the Philadelphia Athletics, earning a 6–6 record in 13 games.