Pete Willett
American baseball player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Richard "Pete" Willett (July 18, 1902 – August 3, 1997) was an American athlete who played baseball as an infielder in the Negro leagues and basketball. He played baseball with several teams from 1923 to 1928.[1]
| Pete Willett | |
|---|---|
| Infielder | |
| Born: July 18, 1902 Rowan County, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: August 3, 1997 (aged 95) San Diego, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Negro league baseball debut | |
| 1923, for the Buffalo Colored Giants | |
| Last appearance | |
| 1928, for the Cleveland Tigers | |
| Teams | |
|
Athletic career
Willett attended Central High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and also played football, basketball and ran track for Wilberforce University in 1922 to 1924.[2][3][4][5][6]
In 1923, Willett played baseball with the Buffalo Colored Giants,[7] and also played with the Lincoln Giants of the Eastern Colored League.[8] He spent time with the independent Dayton Marcos in 1924, before playing with the Cleveland Browns.[1] In June 1925, he was acquired by the Homestead Grays to fill in for injured players.[9] In September 1925, he played with the Pullman Colored Giants of Buffalo.[10] In 1926, he saw time with the Brown's Stars of Youngstown, Ohio,[11] and the Cleveland Elites.[12] Willett later played in 25 recorded games with the Cleveland Tigers of the Negro National League in 1928.[13] He also appeared with the Cleveland Oaks and Cleveland Pyramids in 1928.[14][15]
Outside of baseball, he captained and coached the Benjee Drugs basketball team in 1925 and 1926.[16][6] Willett also played with the Cleveland Elks in 1926 and 1927,[17][18] and the Loendi Big Five in 1927 and 1928.[19]
On February 10, 1927, Willett dislocated his knee and two other Elks players were seriously injured after their car went into a ditch and overturned multiple times near London, Ohio.[20]
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