Joshua Gibson Jr. (August 11, 1930 – September 10, 2003) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...

. He played for the

Homestead Grays The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington Homestead Grays) were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 in sports, 1912 by Cum ...

in 1949, 1950 and 1952. He also played with the

Farnham Pirates The Farnham Pirates were a minor league baseball team located in Farnham, Quebec, Canada. They played in the Provincial League from 1948 to 1951. The team was managed by Sam Bankhead, who was a player-manager. He was the first black coach in Minor ...

in the

Provincial League Provincial League (formerly known as Professional League) also known as Pro League was the old regional Football league in Thailand in 1999–2008. It was founded in 1999 under the name "Provincial League" organized by Sports Authority of Thailan ...

in 1951. His father,

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Josh Gibson Sr., played in the Negro leagues, and is considered one of the greatest power hitters in baseball history.

Career

Gibson was born August 11, 1930, in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, the son of Josh Gibson Sr., and Helen Gibson. His mother died while giving birth to Josh and his twin-sister Helen. Gibson attended

Schenley High School Schenley High School, located in the North Oakland neighborhood at the edge of the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a historic building opened in 1916 that was a part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The Schenley High School build ...

and played second base on the school's baseball team. He batted .368 in 1947 and also played for the Pittsburgh Stars as a teenager. He was first signed by the Youngstown Colts of the

Middle Atlantic League The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in United States, American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century. History The Middle Atlantic League played from 1925 in base ...

in June 1948 at age 17, the first black player signed in the league's history. Gibson then joined his father's former team, the

, in 1949. Gibson was the Grays' regular second baseman by May, after manager

Sam Bankhead 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 ...

, who had formerly occupied second base, moved himself to center field. He remained with the club in 1950, training under Bankhead and future Hall of Famer

Buck Leonard Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard (September 8, 1907 – November 27, 1997) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball and in the Mexican League. After growing up in North Carolina, he played for the Homestead Grays between 1934 and 1950, ...

. Both Gibson and Bankhead left the Grays in 1951 for the

of the

. In 68 games, he had a .230 batting average with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s. In 1952, Gibson returned to the Grays under manager Vic Harris, but a broken ankle led to his early retirement. He spoke at his late-father's Baseball Hall of Fame induction in 1972, accepting the honor on his behalf. Gibson died on September 10, 2003, as a result of a fall.

References

External links

Negro League Baseball Players Association page
* 1930 births 2003 deaths Schenley High School alumni Homestead Grays players Baseball players from Pittsburgh Burials at Homewood Cemetery 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen Baseball infielders 21st-century African-American sportsmen {{Negro-league-baseball-infielder-stub