Wabishaw Spencer Wiley (February 1, 1887 – November 3, 1944), nicknamed "Doc", was a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Negro league baseball 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 from 1910 to 1924."Wabishaw Wiley"
coe.ksu.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2011.

Baseball career

Wiley was born on February 1, 1877, in

Vernon, Louisiana Vernon Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Vernon'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,750. The parish seat and most populous municipality is Leesville. Bordered on the west by the Sab ...

. He began his career in 1910 as a catcher for the

West Baden Sprudels The West Baden Sprudels were an early Negro league baseball team that played as an independent club owned by the Burnett-Pollard-Rogers Baseball Club Company, where Edward Rogers was the Chief Officer. Founding The Sprudels appear to have bee ...

. He then played for the

Brooklyn Royal Giants The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initiall ...

in 1910 and 1911 before moving on to the

New York Lincoln Giants The New York Lincoln Giants were a Negro league baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930. Founding The Lincoln Giants can trace their origins back to the Nebraska Indians, of Lincoln, Nebraska, from the 1890s. According t ...

. In 1913, he had a

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .398. The following season, he batted .418. He also batted .441 in 1918. Wiley, who caught

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

pitcher Cyclone Joe Williams, was considered one of the best catchers of his era. His career ended in 1924.

Personal life

Wiley graduated from the

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

School of Dentistry. He practiced dentistry during his baseball career and had offices in New Jersey. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Wiley volunteered for military service. He was discharged in 1919. He died in 1944 in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. Wiley was a member of The Historic Alpha Lodge No. 116, the first integrated Freemasonic lodge in the United States. Alpha Lodge No. 116 is under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. He served in various positions, becoming Master of the lodge in 1934. Wiley received votes listing him on the 1952 ''

Pittsburgh Courier The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States. It was acquired in 1965 by ...

'' player-voted poll of the Negro leagues' best players ever."1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players"
/ref> Wiley was a member of The Historic Alpha Lodge No. 116, the first Masonic lodge composed primarily of African-Americans and recognized by the State Grand Lodge systems in the United States. Alpha Lodge No. 116 is under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. He served in various positions, becoming Master of his lodge in 1934.

References

External links

an
Seamheads
*Wabishaw Wiley a
Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, Wabishaw 1877 births 1944 deaths Bacharach Giants players Birmingham Giants players Brooklyn Royal Giants players New York Lincoln Giants players Philadelphia Giants players West Baden Sprudels players 20th-century American dentists Sportspeople from Muskogee, Oklahoma Burials at Fairmount Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey)