Josh Gibson

Dates: December 21, 1911 - January 20, 1947

Occupation: Negro League baseball player

Also known as: the black Babe Ruth

Josh Gibson, often called the black Babe Ruth, could hit a homer with amazing ease. He was one of the most powerful hitters in the Negro Leagues, and stories of his homers were legendary. According to his Hall of Fame plaque, he hit almost 800 home runs in his 17-year baseball career. With such remarkable ability, he would have been a prime candidate to play in the major leagues. However, just three months before baseball was integrated, Josh Gibson died.

Josh Gibson’s Childhood

Mark and Nancy Gibson welcomed their first-born son Joshua Gibson into the world on December 21, 1911. He was born in Buena Vista, Georgia where he lived until he was thirteen. Seeking a better life for his family, Mark Gibson moved north to Pittsburgh, and sent for his family three years later in 1924.

It was in Pittsburgh that Gibson was introduced to baseball. He loved the game, and was always anxious and was willing to travel far in order to play in sandlot pick-up games. At sixteen, just one year after dropping out of high school, Gibson played as catcher for the Gimbel A.C., an all black amateur baseball team.

Gibson’s Baseball Career

A few years later, in 1929, he began playing as a catcher for the Pittsburgh Crawfords Colored Giants. His extraordinary hitting ability became known throughout the area. It was estimated that he often hit homers of about 500 feet. According to one story, while playing in Monessen, Pennsylvania, the mayor ordered the measurement of one of his homers; it was measured at 512 feet.

In 1931, after hearing about Gibson’s amazing hitting ability, the Homestead Grays enthusiastically gave him a spot on the team as a catcher. One year later, however, he returned to the Pittsburgh Crawfords where he played several seasons with teammate Satchel Paige. In 1937, he was traded back to the Grays, where he remained until his death. That same season, with help from Gibson’s powerful hitting ability, the team won the Negro National League championship. They went on to win it the next eight consecutive times.

In the 1940s, Gibson, was one of the highest paid players in black baseball. While a journeyman player earned about $1250, Gibson was paid from $4000 to $6000 for a season with the Grays. During off-seasons, plus the 1940 and 1941 season, Gibson played in the Mexican League earning about $6000 per season. After the Grays filed a lawsuit and received a judgment against him, Gibson returned in 1942.

Gibson Suffers from Physical Ailments

In 1943, after blacking out, it was discovered that Gibson had a brain tumor. He refused to have an operation because of his belief that he would lose his mental ability to function normally. Therefore, he suffered from headaches and blackouts that became increasingly more frequent. As Gibson suffered physical ailments, he took to drinking. He died of a stroke on January 20, 1947.

Sources:

Peterson, Robert W., Only the Ball was White. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1970.

Hogan, Lawrence D., Shades of Glory. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2006.