 His son Jeff was a major league shortstop from 1984 to 1992.Kunkel was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1936, and graduated from Demarest High School (now Hoboken High School.He was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1955, and played that season for a lower-level farm team, the Bluefield Blue-Grays, posting a 9.90 ERA in two appearances.