John Peacock, before becoming a professional baseball player, made a name for himself on the gridiron as a star quarterback for the University of North Carolina football team. Upon being graduated from college he played with the Toronto Club, of the Ontario Baseball Association, and performed the unusual feat of playing every position on the team, with the exception of pitcher. He was signed as a free agent by the Boston Red Sox in 1937, who farmed him out to the Minneapolis Club, but he was recalled by the Red Sox the same year on the strength of his .311 batting average for Minneapolis. In 1938 Peacock played 72 games with the Boston Red Sox, driving in 71 runs for a batting average of .303.