Willie C. Williams (May 25, 1925 – August 23, 2011), nicknamed "Curley", was an American

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 ...

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 ...

who played for the Newark Eagles,

Houston Eagles The Newark Eagles were a professional Negro league baseball team which played in the Negro National League (1933–1948), Negro National League from 1936 in sports, 1936 to 1936 in sports, 1948. They were owned by Abe Manley, Abe and Effa Manley. ...

, New Orleans Eagles and in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

in a career that spanned from 1945 to 1953. Born in Orangeburg or Holly Hill, South Carolina, Williams began his career with the Newark Eagles franchise in 1945 and remained with it through 1951, even as the team changed locations - it became the Houston Eagles in 1949 and then the New Orleans Eagles in 1951. He began his minor league career in 1951, signing with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

and playing for the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...

, with whom he hit .297 with four home runs in 20 games. He split 1952 in the White Sox and

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

system, hitting .256 in 102 games. In 1953, he suited up for the Carman Cardinals of the independent Mandak League. On August 23, 2011, he died at the age of 86 in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

.Death article
/ref>

References

External links

an
Seamheads
*Willie Williams a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Willie 1925 births 2011 deaths Houston Eagles players New Orleans Eagles players Newark Eagles players Baseball players from Spartanburg County, South Carolina Minor league baseball players 20th-century African-American sportsmen People from Holly Hill, South Carolina Carman Cardinals players Colorado Springs Sky Sox (WL) players Scranton Miners players