George Reuben "Rube" Curry (October 10, 1898 – June 11, 1966) was an American

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Curry made his debut for the

Chicago Union Giants The Leland Giants, originally the Chicago Union Giants, were a Negro league baseball team that competed independently during the first decade of the 20th century. The team was formed via a merge of the Chicago Unions and the Chicago Columbia Gia ...

in 1919 before coming back to his hometown to star for the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1 ...

. Newspaper references of the day often spelled his last name "Currie"; however, historians believe his name was actually spelled "Curry," citing his World War I draft registration card; he was also nicknamed "Black Snake" or "King". In 1918, 19 year-old Curry registered for the WWI draft. He lists his occupation as "Laborer" for the Armour or Armourdale Company in Kansas City, Kansas. He lists his address as 1723 Woodland Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, a location that is about two blocks from today's Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. He also lists his nearest relative as Nelson Curry, living at the same address."WWI Draft Registration Card for Reuben Curry" Local Board Division 5, Kansas City, Missouri, September 12, 1918
/ref> Known for his curveball and control, Curry is described by James A. Riley as "one of the best pitchers of the '20s." He played in all of the first four of the Negro World Series held from 1924 to 1927. Curry managed in later years, coaching the East team in the 1936 East–West game.

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External links

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Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats
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Seamheads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curry, Rube Negro league baseball managers Baseball players from Kansas City, Missouri Baltimore Black Sox players Leopardos de Santa Clara players Kansas City Monarchs players Chicago American Giants players Detroit Stars players Hilldale Club players 1898 births 1966 deaths Baseball pitchers American expatriate baseball players in Cuba 20th-century African-American sportspeople American military personnel of World War I