Hall of Fame Negro Leagues Baseball Player. Dubbed the black Lou Gehrig, he was an all around first baseman and a outfielder in the Negro National Leagues. Noted as a model of consistency, for eighteen seasons he played for the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1933) and Homestead Grays (1934-50). His 17-year tenure with the Grays is the longest term of service with one team in Negro Leagues history. With the Grays, he won nine straight league championships (1937-45), with a repeat championship in 1948 and three Negro Leagues World Series Championships (1943-44, 1948). He won a batting title in 1940 with a .383 average, plus the home run crown with 42 and the batting title with a .395 average in 1948. He also was in the East-West All-Star game eleven times (1935, 1937-41, 1943-46), (1948). He finished his career with a record of 471 hits, 60 home runs, 352 runs scored, 275 runs batted in and a .320 batting average. In 1972, he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Negro Leagues Committee. He was one of Negro league baseball's foremost ambassadors until his death at age 90.
Hall of Fame Negro Leagues Baseball Player. Dubbed the black Lou Gehrig, he was an all around first baseman and a outfielder in the Negro National Leagues. Noted as a model of consistency, for eighteen seasons he played for the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1933) and Homestead Grays (1934-50). His 17-year tenure with the Grays is the longest term of service with one team in Negro Leagues history. With the Grays, he won nine straight league championships (1937-45), with a repeat championship in 1948 and three Negro Leagues World Series Championships (1943-44, 1948). He won a batting title in 1940 with a .383 average, plus the home run crown with 42 and the batting title with a .395 average in 1948. He also was in the East-West All-Star game eleven times (1935, 1937-41, 1943-46), (1948). He finished his career with a record of 471 hits, 60 home runs, 352 runs scored, 275 runs batted in and a .320 batting average. In 1972, he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Negro Leagues Committee. He was one of Negro league baseball's foremost ambassadors until his death at age 90.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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