Sam Bankhead
American baseball player (1910–1976)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Howard Bankhead (September 18, 1910 – July 24, 1976) was an American baseball player in the Negro leagues. He played from 1931 to 1951. He also played for the Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo along with Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. In 1951, he became the first black coach in Minor League Baseball when he was a player-manager for the Farnham Pirates of the Provincial League.[3][4] He played in several East-West all-star games from 1933 to 1946.[5]
| Sam Bankhead | |
|---|---|
| Infielder / Outfielder | |
| Born: September 18, 1910 Sulligent, Alabama, U.S. | |
| Died: July 24, 1976 (aged 65) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Negro leagues debut | |
| 1931, for the Birmingham Black Barons | |
| Last Negro leagues appearance | |
| 1948, for the Homstead Grays | |
| Negro leagues[a] statistics | |
| Batting average | .285 |
| Hits | 681 |
| Home runs | 17 |
| Runs batted in | 328 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
At age 26, Bankhead married Helen M. Hall on February 25, 1937, in Allegheny, Pennsylvania.[6] He died in Pittsburgh on July 24, 1976.[7]
His brothers Joe, Fred, and Garnett all also played in the Negro leagues, and his brother Dan played Major League Baseball.
Teams
Complete list:[8]
- Birmingham Black Barons (1929, 1931–1932, 1938)
- Nashville Elite Giants (1930, 1932–1934)
- Louisville Black Caps (1932)
- Kansas City Monarchs (1934)
- Pittsburgh Crawfords (1935–1936, 1938)
- Santo Domingo (1937)
- Memphis Red Sox (1938)
- Toledo Crawfords (1939)
- Homestead Grays (1939, 1942–1950)
- Mexican League (1940–1941)[9]
- Canadian League (1951)