Feb 10, 1971: Play-by-play man of color
Submitted by BTGrimes on Sun, 02/10/2013 - 9:00am |
| White is 1st Black NEW YORK, NEW YORK - Former New York/San Francisco Giant, St. Louis Cardinal and Philadelphia Phillie Bill White was named the radio play-by-play man for the New York Yankees on this date in 1971. He became the first African American to be the regular play-by-play guy for any major league team. The Associated Press described the development in the vernacular of the day, "the first Negro to hold such a job in the majors." White held the play-by-play job for 18 years. The former first baseman moved to an even more prominent position in 1989. He became president of the National League. He served in that post untill 1994. Bill White wasn't a bad ballplayer either, judging by his lifetime stats: Batting Average - .286 Contributing Sources: This daily dose of baseball history is brought to you by TODAY in BASEBALL. |
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