Robert Clay Hopper (October 3, 1902 – April 17, 1976) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player and manager in minor league baseball. Hopper played from 1926 through 1941 and continued managing through 1956. Managing the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; p ...

of the International League in 1946, Hopper served as Jackie Robinson's first manager in integrated baseball. Hopper was named manager of the year with the Royals in 1946 and with the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

of the Pacific Coast League in 1953. He was inducted into the

International League Hall of Fame The International League Hall of Fame is an American baseball hall of fame which honors players, managers, and executives of the International League (IL). It was created by the International League Baseball Writers' Association in 1947 to honor t ...

in 2009.

Career

College

Hopper played collegiately at Mississippi State University, known as Mississippi A&M College at the time, and was a three-year letterman. A search of MSU athletic records from the period shows that Hopper's first collegiate year was as a member of legendary MSU head coach C.R. "Dudy" Noble's 1924 team that won the last of A&M's six baseball championships in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Minor leagues

Hopper played in minor league baseball from 1926 through 1941. On July 17, 1927, Hopper hit four

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in a game for the Danville Veterans of the

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The league began pla ...

. Joining the Rochester Red Wings of the International League for the final three weeks of the 1928 season as a substitute, Hopper helped lead the team to the league's pennant.

Manager

Hopper became a

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...

with the Laurel Cardinals in 1929. He played for the Greensboro Patriots in 1930 but did not manage the team. He managed the Scottsdale Cardinals in 1931 and was then hired by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

organization as a player-manager for the Elmira Red Wings. He managed the Greensburg Redwings of the

Pennsylvania State Association The Pennsylvania State Association was a class D level league of minor league baseball that existed from 1934 until 1942. The league franchised were entirely based in Western Pennsylvania. History The Pennsylvania State Association was compos ...

to the league championship in 1934. After managing the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

of the

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Weste ...

to a second-place finish in 1938, he was promoted to manage the Columbus Red Birds of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

in 1939. He was promoted to manage the

Houston Buffaloes The Houston Buffaloes, Houston Buffalos, or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team, and were the first minor league team to be affiliated with a Major League Baseball, Major League franchise, which was the St. Louis Cardinals. The clu ...

of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

in 1942. Hopper joined the Brooklyn Dodgers organization in 1942. He managed the Mobile Bears of the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...

in 1945, leading them to the league championship. He was promoted to become the manager for the

of the International League for the 1946 season. That year Jackie Robinson, the first black player to integrate baseball since the 1880s, entered the Dodgers farm system and was assigned to the Royals. Hopper, who opposed integration of baseball at the time, asked Branch Rickey, the

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the Dodgers, to assign Robinson to a different Dodgers affiliate, but Rickey kept Robinson assigned to Montreal. Robinson reported that Hopper treated him well, and the Royals won the Governors' Cup as the International League champions. The '' Sporting News'' named Hopper the Manager of the Year for all of minor league baseball that season. Hopper recommended the Dodgers promote Robinson to the major leagues for the 1947 season. Hopper remained Montreal's manager through the 1949 season. Between 1946 and 1949, Hopper managed three Governors' Cup champions. In 1950, Rickey assigned Hopper to manage the St. Paul Saints of the American Association, as Walter Alston became Montreal's manager. From 1952 through 1955, Hopper managed the

of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), which at the time was unaffiliated with an MLB franchise. He was named the PCL manager of the year in 1953. Hopper managed the

Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early- and mid-20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles-based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels. Hollywood Stars (192 ...

of the PCL, a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate, in 1956. He retired from baseball following the season. He ranks #15 of all time in minor league wins by a manager. Hopper was posthumously inducted into the

in 2009.

Personal

Hopper lived in

Greenwood, Mississippi Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta region, approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, and 130 miles south of the riverp ...

. He worked as a

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

broker A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be confu ...

during the baseball offseason. Hopper is portrayed by

Brett Cullen Peter Brett Cullen (born August 26, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dan Fixx in ''Falcon Crest'' (1986-1988), Sam Cain in '' The Young Riders'' (1989-1990), Governor Ray Sullivan in ''The West Wing'' (2005-2006), Go ...

in '' 42'', the 2013 biopic about Robinson.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopper, Clay 1902 births 1976 deaths Baseball player-managers Baseball players from Mississippi Columbus Red Birds players Danville Veterans players Elmira Red Wings players Fort Smith Twins players Greensboro Patriots players Greensburg Red Wings players Greensburg Trojans players Greenwood Chiefs players Hollywood Stars managers Houston Buffaloes managers Laurel Cardinals players Mobile Red Warriors players Montreal Royals managers Portland Beavers managers Rochester Red Wings players St. Paul Saints (AA) managers Scottdale Cardinals players Springfield Cardinals players Springfield Senators players People from Kemper County, Mississippi