Bill Blair (Negro Leagues pitcher)
| William "Bill" Blair | |||
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Born: October 17, 1921 Dallas, Texas | |||
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Died: April 20, 2014 (aged 92) Campbell, Texas | |||
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William "Bill" Blair (October 17, 1921 – April 20, 2014) was a Negro league pitcher.[1]
Blair graduated Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas and briefly attended Prairie View A&M University. He began his baseball career at the age of 16, playing for a barnstorming team in Mineola, Texas, and went on to join the United States Army, where he became the youngest African American to serve as a first sergeant in the Army during World War II.
He pitched from 1946 to 1951, for teams including the Indianapolis Clowns, Cincinnati Crescents, and was a player-manager for the Dallas Black Giants. He played against players such as Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige, and Hilton Smith. After retiring from baseball, he became a fixture in the community, running a local newspaper, the Elite News, and organizing golf tournaments and parades. He died in Campbell, Texas in 2014.[2]
References
- "Mr. William "Bill" Blair". Negro League Baseball. March 27, 2007.
- Adams-Wade, Norma (May 3, 2011). "Park to be renamed for local Negro Leagues baseball icon William ‘Bill’ Blair". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
- Lewis, Bridget (June 1, 2012). "UT Arlington Library to Receive Historical Papers of Negro League Baseball Player, African-American Newspaper Publisher William Blair Jr." (Press release). University of Texas at Arlington. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
External links
- Negro league baseball statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Negro leagues)
- Mr. William "Bill" Blair - Indianapolis Clowns