Michigan Man: 1st Black Big League ballplayer 1884
Today the New York Times ran a belated obituary of Moses Fleetwood Walker. Nominee for the All-Name Team, he played baseball for the University of Michigan, where he was studying law, before leaving to turn pro, and in 1884 became the first known African-American to play in the major leagues.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/obituaries/moses-fleetwood-walker-overlooked.html
February 4th, 2019 at 9:10 AM ^
Wanted to neg you for posting something that could become politically-charged/race-related the Monday morning after the Super Bowl but, here's some additional info on Ol' Fleet.
Charged with second degree murder after being attacked by a group of men and fatally stabbing one of them. Did a year in jail for mail fraud, of all things. Interesting life he led.
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/walker-moses-fleetwood-1857-1924/
EDIT: I still want to neg you for not being able to properly embed a link in your OP.
February 4th, 2019 at 10:14 AM ^
Had this thread originally had a different title or something? Otherwise I'm struggling to figure out what in the content of the post you thought was so controversial.
February 4th, 2019 at 10:31 AM ^
Nothing was remotely controversial, but people have funny ways of telling on themselves...
February 4th, 2019 at 10:43 AM ^
Eh, I guess both of you are right - given the current climate and the way the media spins things most of the time, I jumped the gun a little thinking that the NYT had some sort of ulterior motive with this.
Maybe I'm just cranky that football is over. I'll accept my negs for being unfairly critical of OP - my apologies.
February 4th, 2019 at 12:34 PM ^
Signed,
The failing KoolAidGuy
February 4th, 2019 at 12:39 PM ^
I don't think people are negging you for being critical of the OP, probably for being racist (not bigoted) in trying to limit discussion of race and racism.
February 4th, 2019 at 9:20 AM ^
Another “obituary” of Moses Fleetwood Walker.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mobituaries-with-mo-rocca/id1449045549?mt=2&i=1000428848205
February 4th, 2019 at 10:14 AM ^
Thanks for the link. Good read if you can get by the subscription beg.
February 4th, 2019 at 10:38 AM ^
Drunk History also just told part of his story:
http://www.cc.com/episodes/9axuju/drunk-history-baseball-season-6-ep-602
February 4th, 2019 at 11:01 AM ^
Anyone that knows baseball has heard of moses fleetwood walker.
February 4th, 2019 at 11:10 AM ^
The fact a black man in 1892 was acquitted of stabbing a white man to death by what I would assume was a predominately white judge/jury is noteworthy.
February 4th, 2019 at 11:11 AM ^
I'm anxious to read the first "cool story bro" post from the message board guy who went to school at Michigan with him.
February 4th, 2019 at 11:17 AM ^
ISO: Horace Prettyman
February 4th, 2019 at 11:39 AM ^
That URL threw me off. I was trying to figure out how someone who played baseball in 1884 just died. Obits seems like an interesting place for this article to land.
February 4th, 2019 at 11:48 AM ^
Black Famous Baseball Firsts
In Chronological Order
DateEvent Description
1878Bud Fowler is the first known professional black player on an integrated team when he plays in Lynn (IA) exhibition games.
05-01-1884Moses Fleetwood Walker is the first black major league player and he goes 0-3 with Toledo of the American Association.
10-01-1885The Cuban Giants are organized by Frank P. Thompson and become the first group of professional black players.
06-16-1886The Southern League of Colored Base Ballists is the first pro black sports league, play their first game, but dissolve in August.
05-06-1887The National Colored League plays its first game, Gorhams 11 vs Keystones 8. The league will dissolve ten days later.
07-17-1903Dan McClellan is the first black pitcher to throw a perfect game, Cuban X-Giants 5 vs Penn Park Athletic Club of York 0.
09-03-1906The first Negro Championship Cup goes to the Philadelphia Giants 3 vs the Cuban X-Giants 2.
02-13-1920The first successful league, the National Negro Baseball League, is formed by Rube Foster.
1924The first "Negro World Series" is played between the Negro Eastern League and National Negro Leagues.
1938Chet Brewer is the first black-American player to enter the Mexican League.
10-23-1945
Jackie Robinson is the first black player to sign a formal / major league contract : Montreal Royals.
04-18-1946
Jackie Robinson is the first black minor leaguer (International League) in a game: Royals versus the Jersey City Little Giants.
Jackie Robinson plays his first major league game as a Brooklyn Dodger becoming the first modern black player.
04-16-1947
Jackie Robinson plays his second game and gets the first hit by a black player - a bunt that he beats out.
06-24-1947
Jackie Robinson becomes the first black player to steal home plate as he gets his first of nineteen career home steals.
07-05-1947
Larry Doby is the first black player and pinch hitter in the American League: Cleveland Indians.
08-26-1947Dan Bankhead is the first black pitcher to play in a major league game (Brooklyn Dodgers) AND the first black player to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat.
09-17-1947
Jackie Robinson is the first black player to win a Rookie of the Year Award and does so during the award's first year it's ever issued.
09-30-1947
Jackie Robinson and Dan Bankhead are the first black players to appear in a World Series.
1947
Jackie Robinson is the first black player to lead a league in stolen bases: National League 29.
04-20-1948Roy Campanella becomes the first black catcher to make an appearance in a Major League baseball game behind the plate.
04-27-1948Roy Campanella becomes the first black catcher to start a Major League baseball game.
08-13-1948Satchel Paige is the first black pitcher in an American League game: Cleveland Indians (he shuts out Chicago).
10-09-1948
Larry Doby is the first black player to hit a home run in a World Series game.
10-10-1948Satchel Paige is the first black pitcher to pitch in a World Series game, he appears in relief and pitches 2/3 of an inning.
1947Sam Lacy of Baltimore is the first black sportswriter admitted to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).
07-08-1949Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Hank Thompson of the New York Giants are the first black pitcher and batter to face each other during a game.
Larry Doby is the first black American League All Star player.
Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and Don Newcombe are the first black National League All Star players.
11-18-1949
Jackie Robinson is the first black player to win a Most Valuable Player Award.
1949
Jackie Robinson is the first black player to lead a league in batting average: National League .342.
1949Don Newcombe is the first black pitcher to win a Rookie of the Year Award.
1951Emmett Ashford is the first black umpire in organized baseball: Southwest International League.
1951Don Newcombe is the first black pitcher to lead a league in strikeouts: National Leaue 164.
1951Monte Irvin is the first black player to lead a league in runs batted in: National League 121.
09-29-1951Don Newcombe is the first black pitcher in either league to win twenty games (going 20-9 for the Brooklyn Dodgers) in a single season of play.
10-01-1952Joe Black of the Brooklyn Dodgers earns a victory versus the New York Yankees to become the first black pitcher to win a World Series game.
1952
Larry Doby is the first black player to lead a league in home runs: American League 32.
1952
Larry Doby is the first black player to lead a league in slugging average: American League .541.
07-17-1954The Brooklyn Dodgers field the first black majority team when five (Jim Gilliam 2b, Jackie Robinson 3b, Sandy Amoros lf, Roy Campanella c, and Don Newcombe p) of their nine play versus the Braves.
05-12-1955Sam Jones is the first black major league pitcher to throw a no-hitter.
Don Newcombe is the first black pitcher to win twenty games in a single season of play.
1955Roy Campanella is the first black player to win three Most Valuable Player Awards: 1951, 1953 & 1955.
11-21-1956Don Newcombe is the first black pitcher to win the Cy Young Award and does so during the award's first year it's ever issued.
1956Don Newcombe is the first black pitcher to lead either league in games won: National League 27.
1959Ernie Banks is the first black player to win two consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards: 1958 & 1959.
04-17-1960Sammy Drake of the Chicago Cubs plays his first major league game making the Drakes the first black brothers (Solly appeared with the Chicago Cubs on April 17, 1956) to play in the modern major leagues.
1962
Jackie Robinson is the first black player enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
05-29-1962Buck O'Neil is the first black major league baseball coach: Chicago Cubs.
11-07-1963Elston Howard is the first black player to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award.
1964Willie Mays is the first black player chosen to be a team (San Francisco Giants) captain.
03-17-1965
Jackie Robinson is the first black network broadcaster when ABC signs him to the baseball broadcast team.
04-11-1966Emmett Ashford is the first black umpire in a major league game when Cleveland beats Washington 5-2.
1966Frank Robinson is only the twelfth player in history and the first black player to win the Triple Crown Award for hitting.
09-01-1971The Pittsburgh Pirates field the first all-black starting lineup: Al Oliver 1b, Rennie Stennett 2b, Jackie Hernandez ss, Dave Cash 3b, Manny Sanguillen c, Dock Ellis p, Gene Clines lf, Roberto Clemente cf, and Willie Stargell rf.
04-08-1975Frank Robinson manages his first game with the Indians and becomes the first black major league manager.
1977Bill Lucas of the Atlanta Braves is the first black major league general manager.
1992Cito Gaston of the Toronto Blue Jays is the first African American manager to ever win a world championship (1992 World Series) and one year later became the first to win two consecutive world championships (1993 World Series).
February 4th, 2019 at 12:55 PM ^
I cringe to think of how poorly some of those players must have been treated. The combination of racism and sports fanaticism must have been quite ugly for so many of them.