Negro League Professional Baseball Player. A second baseman, he was a key member of the Philadelphia Stars thru the 1940s. Raised in Philadelphia, he was a stand-out athlete at Overbrook High School and in 1940 signed with the hometown Stars, one of the League's principal franchises. Batting .250, he earned Rookie-of-the-Year honors for 1940, then over the next decade anchored his team's middle infield. Known more for his prowess with the glove than with the bat, he nevertheless hit a game winning home run off of the legendary Satchell Page at Yankee Stadium in 1941; the 1947 integration of the Major Leagues spelled the doom of the Negro Leagues, and though the end was a few years in coming, the Stars folded in 1952. Mr. Duckett spent his 1950 final season with the Pittsburgh-based Homestead Grays, then in 1951 was signed by the New York Giants, though illness prevented him from playing and ended his career. After leaving the field, he worked for the City of Philadelphia and the US Post Office prior to his 1988 retirement. In later years he was to tell the story of the Negro Leagues at schools as well as at reunions and other events around the country, never accepting money for his appearances. As time went on, he suffered from mobility problems but remained sharp and active, then in April of 2014 the Phillies honored him with a plaque at Citizens Bank Park. At his death from the effects of advanced age, he was, as far as can be determined, the last surviving member of the Philadelphia Stars.
Negro League Professional Baseball Player. A second baseman, he was a key member of the Philadelphia Stars thru the 1940s. Raised in Philadelphia, he was a stand-out athlete at Overbrook High School and in 1940 signed with the hometown Stars, one of the League's principal franchises. Batting .250, he earned Rookie-of-the-Year honors for 1940, then over the next decade anchored his team's middle infield. Known more for his prowess with the glove than with the bat, he nevertheless hit a game winning home run off of the legendary Satchell Page at Yankee Stadium in 1941; the 1947 integration of the Major Leagues spelled the doom of the Negro Leagues, and though the end was a few years in coming, the Stars folded in 1952. Mr. Duckett spent his 1950 final season with the Pittsburgh-based Homestead Grays, then in 1951 was signed by the New York Giants, though illness prevented him from playing and ended his career. After leaving the field, he worked for the City of Philadelphia and the US Post Office prior to his 1988 retirement. In later years he was to tell the story of the Negro Leagues at schools as well as at reunions and other events around the country, never accepting money for his appearances. As time went on, he suffered from mobility problems but remained sharp and active, then in April of 2014 the Phillies honored him with a plaque at Citizens Bank Park. At his death from the effects of advanced age, he was, as far as can be determined, the last surviving member of the Philadelphia Stars.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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