Jimmie Humphries
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| Jimmie Humphries | |
|---|---|
 Humphries in 1955 | |
| Infielder / Manager / Owner | |
| Born: November 17, 1890[a] Waco, Texas, US | |
| Died: September 10, 1971 (aged 80) Fort Worth, Texas, US | |
Batted: Unknown Threw: Unknown[b] |
Elija James Humphries (November 17, 1890 – September 10, 1971) was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He was a longtime figure in minor league baseball in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Humphries' playing career in professional baseball spanned 1907 to 1918.[3][c] A second baseman and shortstop, he had a career-best .277 batting average in 1916, compiling 136 hits in 136 games with the McAlester Miners of the Western Association, although batting records for multiple of his seasons are incomplete.[3] He appeared in at least 376 minor league games during a 10-season playing career.[3]
Humphries was a player-manager with the Bonham Boosters in 1911, the Sherman Cubs in 1912, the Sherman Lions in 1913, and the McAlester Miners from 1915 to 1917.[3] He led the Miners to a first-place finish in 1917.[4]
In 1919, Humphries was hired as the Oklahoma City Indians team secretary and in 1920, he briefly managed the team.[5] He served as the team's business manager in the 1930s and 1940s, and in 1948, he became the team's president. In 1951, Humphries bought the franchise and became its owner.[5] He signed pitcher Bill Greason in 1952, making Greason the second African American player in the Texas League.[6] Humphries owned the team through 1957; it folded when the Texas League reorganized after that season.[5] All told, Humphries was with the Oklahoma City Indians for 39 years, "one of the longest careers with a single franchise in baseball history."[7]
In 1958, Humphries moved his franchise to Corpus Christi, Texas, to become the Corpus Christi Giants, and remained owner.[8][9] He later had a stake in the Victoria Giants of the Texas League.[10]
Humphries was born in Waco, Texas,[3] and attended Baylor University.[11] He died in Fort Worth, Texas, in September 1971,[12] and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery there.[11]