Stanley ‘Doc’ Glenn Negro Baseball League Player

Stanley ‘Doc’ Glenn Negro Baseball League Player

Stanley “Doc” Glenn (September 19, 1926 – April 16, 2011) was a standout catcher in Negro League baseball and a lifelong advocate for preserving its legacy. Born in Wachapreague, Virginia, and raised in Philadelphia, Glenn was signed by Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston directly out of John Bartram High School in 1944. At just 17, he joined the Philadelphia Stars, where he played until 1950.

Glenn’s career was briefly interrupted by World War II service in the Army Medical Corps, where he earned the nickname “Doc” for his physical therapy work. After the war, he returned to the Stars, catching legendary pitchers like Satchel Paige.

In 1950, Glenn signed with the Boston Braves’ minor league system, playing for teams in Hartford, Lincoln, and Quebec. He also played in Canada and the Caribbean before retiring from baseball.

Post-baseball, Glenn worked in the electrical supply industry for 40 years. He became president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Players Association, advocating for former players and educating the public about Negro League history. In 2006, he published his memoir, Don’t Let Anyone Take Your Joy Away, detailing his experiences in the Negro Leagues.

Glenn was honored at the White House in 1994 and inducted into the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004. He passed away in 2011 in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, leaving behind a legacy of athletic excellence and dedication to preserving baseball history.

Stanley “Doc” Glenn (September 16, 1926 – April 16, 2011) was a distinguished catcher in Negro League baseball and a dedicated advocate for preserving its legacy. Born in Wachapreague, Virginia, and raised in Philadelphia, Glenn was signed by Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston directly out of John Bartram High School in 1944. At just 17, he joined the Philadelphia Stars, where he played until 1950.

Glenn’s career was briefly interrupted by World War II service in the Army Medical Corps, where he earned the nickname “Doc” for his physical therapy work. After the war, he returned to the Stars, catching legendary pitchers like Satchel Paige.

In 1950, Glenn signed with the Boston Braves’ minor league system, playing for teams in Hartford, Lincoln, and Quebec. He also played in Canada and the Caribbean before retiring from baseball.

Post-baseball, Glenn worked in the electrical supply industry for 40 years. He became president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Players Association, advocating for former players and educating the public about Negro League history. In 2006, he published his memoir, Don’t Let Anyone Take Your Joy Away, detailing his experiences in the Negro Leagues.

Glenn was honored at the White House in 1994 and inducted into the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004. He passed away in 2011 in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, leaving behind a legacy of athletic excellence and dedication to preserving baseball history.

 

sdglenn
Bob Kendrick President Of Negro League Baseball Museum

Bob Kendrick President Of Negro League Baseball Museum

Bob Kendrick (born June 15, 1962) is the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to that he served as the museum’s first Director of Marketing and was promoted to Vice President of Marketing in 2009. He left to serve as Executive Director of the National Sports Center for the Disabled Kansas City in 2010 and returned to the NLBM in 2011.

 

Kendrick has created many signature museum educational programs and events including the Hall of Game which honors former Major League Baseball greats who played “in the spirit and signature style of the Negro leagues.” With the museum shut down in early 2020 due to COVID-19, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro leagues, he oversaw the NLBM’s Tipping Your Cap campaign. This was an online campaign to get people to pay their respect to the early players and teams of the Negro leagues, players who were not given a chance to play in the Major Leagues until Jackie Robinson played with the Dodgers in 1947. All former US Presidents have participated in this campaign. The Museum re-opened provisionally in mid-June 2020 and Kendrick said it’s needed now more than ever because “[y]ou need to see the pain that (African-Americans) have experienced, but you also need to see their successes.”

 

Kendrick has been the recipient of the Mary Lona Diversity Award from the Greater Kansas City Black Chamber of Commerce in 2006 and he was named “Citizen of the Year” by the Omicron Xi chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. The Kansas City Globe named Kendrick on their list of “100 Most Influential African-Americans in Greater Kansas City” in 2009. Kendrick was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

Rachel Robinson

Rachel Robinson

Business leader, civil rights activist, professor, nurse, wife, and mother, Rachel Isum Robinson is a woman of enormous accomplishments, her own and those achieved jointly with her husband, Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 when he played with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Together the couple supported numerous causes, but particularly civil rights in and out of the sports sphere. Since her husband’s premature death, Mrs. Robinson has used her ability and his legacy to further the causes they so ardently supported.

A career nurse, Mrs. Robinson earned her master’s degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University and worked as a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Department of Social and Community Psychiatry. Mrs. Robinson then became Director of Nursing for the Connecticut Mental Health Center and an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Yale University.

After years at the head of the Foundation’s board, Rachel Robinson stepped down as chairwoman in 1996. That same year, she authored “Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait,” published by Abrams Publishing Company. Mrs. Robinson has received numerous awards including the Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Equitable Life Black Achievers Award and the Associated Black Charities Black History Makers Award. In addition, St. John’s University, Springfield College, Macalester College, Boston College, Suffolk University, New York University, Connecticut College and the University of Massachusetts have conferred upon her honorary doctorates.

Robinson has two children, twelve grandchildren, three great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

Jackie and Rachel Robinson hosted legendary jazz concerts at their home in Stamford, Connecticut, beginning in 1963, as fundraisers for jailed civil rights activists. The iconic Afternoon of Jazz shows drew some of the most recognizable names in the genre including Dizzie Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald.

A career nurse, Mrs. Robinson earned her master’s degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University and worked as a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Department of Social and Community Psychiatry. Mrs. Robinson then became Director of Nursing for the Connecticut Mental Health Center and an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Yale University.

After years at the head of the Foundation’s board, Rachel Robinson stepped down as chairwoman in 1996. That same year, she authored “Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait,” published by Abrams Publishing Company. Mrs. Robinson has received numerous awards including the Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Equitable Life Black Achievers Award and the Associated Black Charities Black History Makers Award. In addition, St. John’s University, Springfield College, Macalester College, Boston College, Suffolk University, New York University, Connecticut College and the University of Massachusetts have conferred upon her honorary doctorates.

Robinson has two children, twelve grandchildren, three great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

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Mrs. Robinson has been an ardent crusader for opportunity through education – engaging corporate America in supporting the Foundation’s mission of cultivating talented future leaders and inspiring young people to fulfill their dreams by obtaining a college education.

Jackie and Rachel Robinson hosted legendary jazz concerts at their home in Stamford, Connecticut, beginning in 1963, as fundraisers for jailed civil rights activists. The iconic Afternoon of Jazz shows drew some of the most recognizable names in the genre including Dizzie Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald.

A career nurse, Mrs. Robinson earned her master’s degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University and worked as a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Department of Social and Community Psychiatry. Mrs. Robinson then became Director of Nursing for the Connecticut Mental Health Center and an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Yale University.

After years at the head of the Foundation’s board, Rachel Robinson stepped down as chairwoman in 1996. That same year, she authored “Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait,” published by Abrams Publishing Company. Mrs. Robinson has received numerous awards including the Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Equitable Life Black Achievers Award and the Associated Black Charities Black History Makers Award. In addition, St. John’s University, Springfield College, Macalester College, Boston College, Suffolk University, New York University, Connecticut College and the University of Massachusetts have conferred upon her honorary doctorates.

Robinson has two children, twelve grandchildren, three great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

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Following the death of her husband in 1972, Mrs. Robinson incorporated the Jackie Robinson Development Corporation, which was founded to build and manage housing for people of moderate and low incomes. A year later, Mrs. Robinson created the Jackie Robinson Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide college scholarships and leadership training.

Mrs. Robinson has been an ardent crusader for opportunity through education – engaging corporate America in supporting the Foundation’s mission of cultivating talented future leaders and inspiring young people to fulfill their dreams by obtaining a college education.

Jackie and Rachel Robinson hosted legendary jazz concerts at their home in Stamford, Connecticut, beginning in 1963, as fundraisers for jailed civil rights activists. The iconic Afternoon of Jazz shows drew some of the most recognizable names in the genre including Dizzie Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald.

A career nurse, Mrs. Robinson earned her master’s degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University and worked as a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Department of Social and Community Psychiatry. Mrs. Robinson then became Director of Nursing for the Connecticut Mental Health Center and an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Yale University.

After years at the head of the Foundation’s board, Rachel Robinson stepped down as chairwoman in 1996. That same year, she authored “Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait,” published by Abrams Publishing Company. Mrs. Robinson has received numerous awards including the Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Equitable Life Black Achievers Award and the Associated Black Charities Black History Makers Award. In addition, St. John’s University, Springfield College, Macalester College, Boston College, Suffolk University, New York University, Connecticut College and the University of Massachusetts have conferred upon her honorary doctorates.

Robinson has two children, twelve grandchildren, three great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

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Living HBCU Baseball History with The Legends – James Robinson of North Carolina A&T

Living HBCU Baseball History with The Legends – James Robinson of North Carolina A&T

Jim Robinson KC Monarchs

ames “Jim” Robinson was a member of powerhouse North Carolina A&T Aggie teams of the late 1940s and early 1950s that captured three consecutive CIAA championships from his sophomore through senior years in college. He arrived in Greensboro, North Carolina, after growing up in Harlem, where he was born on January 21, 1930. While at North Carolina A&T, Mr. Robinson joined the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. His professional career spanned most of the 1950s and included time with the Philadelphia Stars, Indianapolis Clowns and Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues, playing as a second baseman, third baseman and shortstop.

North Carolina A&T inducted Mr. Robinson into its Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. He currently serves as an ambassador for Negro League baseball history, sharing stories of his playing career, teammates and the men against whom he competed.

Black College Nines feature writer Douglas S. Malan visited with Mr. Robinson on March 15, 2019. The following is the full transcript of Mr. Robinson’s interview, edited slightly for clarification.

What was life like in Harlem during the 1930s and ‘40s? 

That was during the Depression. We did ok. My father, he found a way. I had two younger brothers. We were all one year apart. We did a lot of playing ball or running track, any kind of activity. We were very much involved in activities. We went to camp in the summer at Lake Sebago, about 50 miles north of New York City. I enjoyed being in the country. I learned how to swim and row a boat, all those things. I was pretty busy as a young guy.

It wasn’t until I was 14 or 15 years old that I began to pick up a baseball. I had a friend who already played with a local baseball team and he convinced me to try out for the team. Up to that time, I had only played stickball or a little softball. And I played basketball. I played basketball at the Harlem YMCA, and while I was at the Harlem Y, I met Roy Campanella. He was working there during the offseason. As a result of getting to know him, he got me a four-year athletic scholarship at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, North Carolina. His sister was married to the commander officer of the ROTC program.

What did you think of baseball when you first started to play? 

I liked it. Even though I was late getting started playing, my father used to take me to baseball games at the Polo Grounds. We used to watch Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell. I liked baseball. It just took me a little while to play because in my neighborhood everybody was playing stickball or softball. When I finally started playing baseball, then I was encouraged to go out for my high school baseball team (Commerce High) and I fell in love with it.

What kind of influence did Roy Campanella have on you? 

We stayed in a touch a long time. He had a liquor store two blocks from the Harlem YMCA. I used to go by the store and talk to him. As a result of me going by the store and sometimes running an errand for him, he asked me my plans for college. Well, I was out of high school for a year and he indicated to me that if I was interested, he could probably work out some kind of scholarship. I was thrilled. At that time, I was just taking a course or two at City College (of New York) but I was not a full-time student. I guess I’d still be trying to graduate from there if not for Roy Campanella. (laughing)

What was life like for you in North Carolina? 

I got down there in the spring of ’49. That was a big deal for me. That was my first time going to the South. It was a whole new ballgame. For the first time in my life, I was confronted with segregation. There were a lot of dos and don’ts, places where I couldn’t go, stuff like that. I learned a lot. Plus, I had some roommates who grew up in the South and they helped me a lot. We would go downtown and if I was walking into a certain restaurant, they’d say, “No, no, you can’t go in there.” Or in the local movie theater we had to go upstairs instead of sitting downstairs. I had a lot of help.

I got down there by train. That was another interesting thing because I had to get off at Union Station in Washington, D.C., change trains and go to the back of the train. All of this was brand new stuff for me. But when I got to Greensboro, I was working out with the baseball team before I had all my classes settled. It took a couple days to get the class schedule. I was on a baseball team that had a lot of older guys, a lot of guys who were there on the G.I. Bill, a lot of veterans. They had been at A&T a couple years. They were all pretty good to me. They were friendly, and they had a lot fun and they were really good ballplayers.

Who were some of your teammates? 

Tom Alston (first African-American player for the St. Louis Cardinals), Hubert Simmons (played for the Baltimore Elite Giants), Harold Greene. In fact, while I’m talking to you, I got my 1950 yearbook here in front of me because I’m looking at the first team I played with. Howard Rouse, Robert Smith, Ernie Canada, Bill Blakely, Bud Meadows, Al Morgan. And we all stayed in touch, either by phone or Christmas card

And the coach was Joe Echols. Any success I had at A&T I gotta give it to Coach Echols. He found a way to get me into the lineup gradually. He gave me a shot and by mid-season of my freshman year, I was the regular second basemen. And the guy I supplanted had been there three years. I gotta give it to Coach Echols. He gave me a chance.

That was a good team, that ’49 team. We came in second that year (in the CIAA standings). But each of the following years – ’50, ’51, ’52 – we won the championship.

What was your impression of the campus when you arrived? 

I was impressed with the way it was laid out. Where I was located, it was called the Varsity House and it was quite some distance from the regular campus. The Varsity House was old Army barracks. All the athletes stayed there – football, basketball, baseball, track. We were all over there together.

We used to have to walk dirt paths to get to class on the campus and that was always a hassle because it was a long distance. The campus itself was nicely laid out and good-looking buildings. It was a couple of years before I finally got to a dormitory on campus.

What was your baseball field like? 

We didn’t have a baseball field on campus. There was a minor league baseball field a few blocks away from campus and that’s where we played our games (War Memorial Stadium, built in 1926, where North Carolina A&T currently plays). That was a good ballpark. I think the local team played in the Carolina League. It was Class B. We always had a good ballpark to play in.

Are there game from college that really stand out?

What I remember my first year as a freshman, we were playing Howard University on what they call Easter Monday. And Easter Monday was a big deal at A&T because they used to have ten or eleven thousand people there who came dressed up. And I was amazed! I did get one at-bat late in that game and I flied out. I’ll never forget that because that was really a big deal. I never expected that kind of crowd and the fact I had a chance to play in that game, I’ll always remember that.

Do any other games stand out? Games where the championship was on the line?

Well, not really. We were so dominant. We used to beat teams so badly. We had a heckuva team. We used to beat teams so badly they’d stop the game in the seventh inning sometimes and we’d have 15 or 18 runs. And there was no playoff. It was just who had the best record. That was ’50 and ’51.

Then in ’52, I got hit by a pitch one night and broke my wrist. That was my last season and I only got maybe six or seven games. That was the year I was playing shortstop and Oscar Charleston, I guess you may know that name, he was managing the Philadelphia Stars. He caught up with me walking to campus after a ballgame and he said, “When the season’s over, I’d like you to join the Philadelphia Stars.” Well I knew who Oscar Charleston was, so I was thrilled. So I said, “Yeah, good deal.” And then two weeks later, I broke my wrist.

As a result, it wasn’t until late August that I was finally able to get back to baseball activities. The Philadelphia Stars did come to New York to play at Yankee Stadium, around Labor Day. They were on the road when I broke my arm and when they got to New York, Oscar Charleston was surprised to see me because I found out what hotel they were staying in and I came up to him and said, “I’m ready to go.” And I jumped on the bus, went to Yankee Stadium and he gave me a uniform. So I got to play a game in Yankee Stadium one night. Oscar Charleston put me out in left field and that was it. Then two days later, the season was over. The next year, I think Philadelphia dropped out of the league, so playing with Philadelphia was no longer in the cards.

Where did you go after playing with Philadelphia?

The Indianapolis Clowns. They needed some infielders. I think this was ’53. I had a friend tell me about it. I jumped on the bus and they were barnstorming. The regular season was over but I played about 30 games with them. During those 30 games, the St. Louis Cardinals signed me to a minor league contract. Quincy Trouppe was a well-known Negro League catcher. He was working for the Cardinals and he signed me.

The next spring, Uncle Sam pulled me out of Spring Training (for the Korean War). (laughing) When I came back to Spring Training in ’56, I went to Spring Training with their Eastern League team in Allentown (Penn.). It was Class A. I had a helluva spring. The guys on the team were congratulating me. And then when it was time to break camp, the manager said, “Robinson, we know you can play at this level, but we just don’t have room. We’re gonna ask you to go down to a Class B league.” I was furious. I refused to go.

Courtesy of the NLBPA

I called Quincy Trouppe and he said, “If you don’t want to do that, I’ll get you a tryout with the Kansas City Monarchs.” So I went to the Kansas City Monarchs, and I think it was Jacksonville, Florida, where they were having Spring Training. I made the team. I played three or four years with the Monarchs and ended up being the captain. Finally in 1958, it was time to give it up. I was 28 years old. Any number of times during those years with the Monarchs, other teams would ask about me. But when they found out how old I was, it didn’t make sense for them.

You can no longer lie about your age. Years back when I was growing up, guys would lie about their age all the time. But your age is common knowledge now.

What did you do in those years after playing ball?

At 28 years of age, I gave it up and went to work for the New York City Department of Parks and then got a job with the New York City Housing Authority. They sent me to school and I got my Master’s degree in social work from City University of New York. I stayed with them for almost 30 years.

When I retired from that, I had a friend who was president of South Carolina State University, Dr. Albert Smith. He was my roommate in college. He asked me if I’d be interested in coming down there and starting a baseball program. I jumped at the opportunity. I was already retired from the housing authority. I went down there and stayed about five or six years.

They dropped the baseball program while I was there. We didn’t have much to work with. We didn’t have any full scholarships. It was hard to recruit guys. We just couldn’t compete with the stronger teams that had scholarships. It just didn’t work out. But it was a great opportunity. We had some great ballplayers, but we just didn’t have enough. I stayed there and taught after they dropped the baseball program. I was teaching some social work courses within the criminal justice curriculum.

Where did you end up after that?

Finally, I think it was around 1994, I came back to New York City. I do a lot of Negro League stuff. There’s a historian named Dr. Larry Hogan. He’s a researcher and we do stuff in and around this area. We go to libraries and talk about black baseball history. And every year, Major League Baseball sends me to the All-Star Game. I’ve been doing that for seven or eight years now. During that week, it’s usually about five days, we set up at the Negro League Museum site – they have a display every year – and we talk to people about Negro League baseball.

Do you stay connected to North Carolina A&T?

Up until about four, maybe five years ago I’d go to homecoming every year. I think the last year I went I realized I hardly knew anybody because the people I went to school with passed, they were gone. I keep saying I ought to try to go once more. But I haven’t done it. I did maintain a close relationship with A&T for years.

I’d say it’s about time you were grand marshal of the parade, don’t you think?

(laughing) That’s right. I wonder when they’re gonna call me on that. I think they passed me up a couple times. But it was a lot of fun at A&T. I feel indebted to that school. Great memories. Jim Robinson died https://blackcollegenines.com Mr. Robinson died at 90 years old November 30,2020


Douglas Malan

https://blackcollegenines.com

Jackie Robinson Honorary Degrees

Jackie Robinson Honorary Degrees

Team Nubian

www.teamnubian.com

It’s that time of year when students get ready to graduate and move on to the next phase of their lives. At colleges and universities, it has become customary to award honorary degrees to individuals who have made great contributions to a particular field or to society as a whole.

In 1957, both Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King, Jr., were awarded honorary degrees from Howard University. Robinson also earned honorary degrees from the University of Maryland, Bethune-Cookman University, Franklin Pierce

College, Sacred Heart University, and Pace University. ~baseballre

Henry Kimbro

Henry Kimbro

Henry Kimbro

American baseball player


Henry Kimbro (February 10, 1912 – July 11, 1999) was an American Negro Leagueoutfielder in the late 1930s and 1940s. He played for the Washington Elite Giants, Homestead Grays, Baltimore Elite Giants, and the New York Black Yankees. He was considered a solid, and often underrated Negro League player.

Notable accomplishments include finishing 3rd in batting average twice; .371 in 1946, .363 in 1947. He appeared in six East-West All-Star Games. He also won the batting title with a .346 average, and set a league record with 104 hits, playing for Havana in the Cuban Winter League during the 1947-48 season.

Kimbro once hit a home runout of Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

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Ernie Banks

Ernie Banks

Ernie Banks

American baseball player and coach


Ernest Banks (January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015), nicknamed “Mr. Cub” and “Mr. Sunshine”, was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball(MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between 1953 and 1971. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. (January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015), nicknamed “Mr. Cub” and “Mr. Sunshine”, was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball(MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between 1953 and 1971. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

 

Ben Taylor (Negro Leagues)

Ben Taylor (Negro Leagues)

Ben Taylor (Negro leagues)

American baseball player


Benjamin Harrison Taylor (July 1, 1888 – January 24, 1953) was an American first baseman and manager in baseball‘s Negro leagues. Taylor played for the Birmingham Giants,[1]Chicago American Giants, Indianapolis ABC’s,[4]St. Louis Giants, Bacharach Giants, Washington Potomacs, Harrisburg Giants, and Baltimore Black Sox. His playing career played lasted from 1908 to 1929. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006

Wilmer Harris Negro League Baseball Player

Wilmer Harris Negro League Baseball Player

Wilmer Harris

African-American baseball player


Wilmer Joseph Harris(March 1, 1924 – December 23, 2004) was an African American pitcher who played in Negro league baseball. Listed at 6′ 0″, 175 lb., he batted and threw right Born in Philadelphia, Wilmer Harris started playing sandlot ball at an early age with the boys of his neighborhood. He attended Central High School for Boys, where he graduated in 1941. In addition, he served as captain for the school’s baseball and basketball teams, and also played for the Passon Stars club of the Fairmount Park League, which won four straight championships.[1][3]Harris was known as having a fearsome curveball. He entered the league in 1945 with the Philadelphia Stars, playing for them his entire eight-year career through 1952. In his debut, he faced pitching legend Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Monarchs before a 40000 crowd in the original Yankee Stadium. Late in the year, he struck out Jackie Robinson, by then a rookie who was pinch-hitting for the Monarchs.[3]The highlight of his career came in 1946, while pitching against the Newark Eagles at Connie Mack Stadium. With the bases loaded and no outs, Harris struck out in order three of the greatest hitters in Negro League history: Larry Doby, Lennie Pearson and Monte Irvin, to preserve the victory for his team.[4]In 1947, after the Major League Baseball season ended, Harris played for an All-Star team led by Jackie Robinson, composed of Robinson and other Negro League relevant players. He ended his career with the Stars in 1952, posting a career total of 120 wins and 45 losses for a solid .727 winning percentage.[1]A two-time NBL All-Star, Harris hurled the last three innings for the East Division in the 1951 East-West All-Star Game, allowing two hits without walks or runs while striking out four batters. He earned the save in a 3–1 victory. In 1952, his last season, he pitched again three innings of shutout ball in the East-West Game, surrendering two hits with a walk and did not have a strikeout in a 7–3 loss.[3]Besides this, he also played winter baseball in the professional leagues of Panama (1945), Venezuela(1949) and Dominican Republic (1950).[3]After retiring from baseball, he worked in Jenkintown for SPS Technologies during 37 years, retiring as a supervisor in 1989. He then was employed at Allied Securities Service in Pittsburgh for 12 years.[5]Wilmer Harris died in 2004 in his homeland of Philadelphia at the age of 80. At the time of his death, he was one of only five surviving members of the Philadelphia Stars.[6]He is survived by his Partner: Mary Ann Kennedy, his sister: Alberta, Daughters: Michaila, Sherri, Denise Owens, and Carolyn Carter, Son: Nicholas, Godson: Warren Parker, Grandchildren, Great-Grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

source Wikipedia
Goose Tatum American Athelete

Goose Tatum American Athelete

Goose Tatum

African American professional basketball and baseball player; Negro League Baseball player

Reece “Goose”[1] Tatum (May 31, 1921 – January 18, 1967) was an African American multi-sport athlete.

Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, Tatum played Negro League Baseball before becoming a star basketball player with the Harlem Globetrotters.[2] Goose and Satchel Paige were teammates. Tatum is considered to be the original “clown prince”—a term first applied to seminal Chicago Crusader/Philadelphia Giant Jackie Bethards in 1933[3]—of the Trotters. He wove numerous comic routines into his play, of which many would reach cult status. Some of these routines were based on his stature—at 6’4″, it is reported that he had an arm span of about 84 inches (210 cm) and could touch his kneecaps without bending.

He is credited with inventing the hook shot.[citation needed]

Tatum and Marques Haynes, who were both Harlem Globetrotters superstars, formed a barnstorming basketball team of their own: The Fabulous Harlem Magicians. Dempsey Hovland, owner of 20th Century Booking Agency, was recruited to book the Harlem Magicians’ games. Hovland earlier had managed the barnstorming House of David basketball team.

In 1966, Tatum’s son, Goose Jr., was killed in a car accident. Soon after, Tatum began drinking heavily which led to a series of hospital visits. He died at his home in El Paso, Texas on January 18, 1967 at the age of 45. The official autopsy stated that he died of natural causes. A veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, Tatum was interred in the Fort Bliss National Cemetery.[4]

In 2011, Tatum was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[5]

Source Wikipedia