Black History Month 2020: William Edward White 1883, Baseball

Throughout the month of February, Brown Athletics will celebrate Black History Month through a series of profiles. Over the course of the month, the Bears will recognize African Americans who have made an impact on the university community and beyond.

William Edward White 1883, Baseball

William Edward White was a first baseman on the Brown's 1883 national collegiate championship team and is considered the first known black man to play Major League Baseball. According to Brown University Baseball: A Legacy of the Game, author Rick Harris states that White "played one game with the National League Providence Grays on June 21, 1879, making him the first black man to play major league baseball." In the game, White "had one hit, scored one run, and fielded 12 plays without error." According to research by Peter Morris of the Society for American Baseball Research, White "entered the game for the Grays when the regular first baseman, 'Old Reliable' Joe Start, 'broke the second finger on his left hand' during the Grays game of June 19. Though White played well, he was replaced, in turn, by Jim O'Rourke, the Grays' regular right fielder, for the remainder of Start's absence."

Brown University Athletics

Black History Month 2020: William Edward White 1883, Baseball

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