This memorial website was created in memory of Jethroe Singletary, 33, born on February 8, 1955 and passed away on September 0, 1988. Sam Jethroe had been a pro ballplayer for nine seasons before getting a chance in the Majors. Born in East St. Louis, Illinois, he was an outfielder nicknamed "The Jet" in the Negro Leagues hitting .340 over seven seasons (1942-48) and helped his team the Cleveland Buckeyes win the 1945 Negro League World Series. Learn more about managing a memorial . Share memories and family stories, photos, or ask questions. us, Died: Age: 83 one of the first black players in Major League Baseball history and the oldest player to ever win rookie of the year honors; nicknamed "The Jet" for his speed; debuted in 1950 with the Boston Braves, earning rookie honors at age 32 for batting .273 with 18 HRs, 58 RBI and 35 stolen bases; played with Boston through 1952 and two games with Pittsburgh in 1954; led the N.L . Please reset your password. With the Cincinnati & Cleveland Buckeyes he won a pair of batting titles, hit .340 over seven seasons from 1942 to 1948, and helped the team to two pennants and the 1945 Negro World Series title. Sam Jethroe Position: Centerfielder Bats: Both Throws: Right 6-1 , 178lb (185cm, 80kg) Born: January 23, 1917 in Lowndes County, MS us Rookie of the Year 7x All-Star 1945 World Series 5 20 Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. As a 20 year old, Sam Jethroe joined the Cleveland Buckeyes in 1942. He was voted rookie of the year after hitting 18 home runs and leading the league in stolen bases. There was an error deleting this problem. Mr. Burns died. The suit was dismissed in October 1996. var pfHeaderImgUrl = '';var pfHeaderTagline = '';var pfdisableClickToDel = 0;var pfHideImages = 0;var pfImageDisplayStyle = 'right';var pfDisablePDF = 0;var pfDisableEmail = 0;var pfDisablePrint = 0;var pfCustomCSS = 'https://www.baseball-almanac.com/css/print.css';var pfBtVersion='2';(function(){var js,pf;pf=document.createElement('script');pf.type='text/javascript';pf.src='//cdn.printfriendly.com/printfriendly.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(pf)})(); Did you know that when Sam Jethroe won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1950, he was the oldest player (32) to receive the honor? At a gathering in Cleveland to honor Larry Doby, Jethroe told his former Montreal roommate Don Newcombe of the difficulties he was having. I loved to play ball and baseball was fun then. Linda has 1 job listed on their profile. Only four other teams -- the Dodgers, the New York Giants, the Cleveland Indians and the St. Louis Browns -- had integrated. Rickey had Duke Snider in center field and really had no place in the big leagues for Jethroe. But as for Jethroe the Boston Globes Larry Whiteside wrote, "Unlike Robinson, he took life as it came." Taking 5 years to build, the 4,200-foot-long suspension bridge was an engineering marvel of its time - 11 men died during construction. Get this The Ottawa Citizen page for free from Saturday, July 2, 1949 EN, OTTAWA, CANADA Page 15 Brooklyn Dodgers Bow To New York 4 Tommy Shields' Column 'Round And About Jethroe Is Big Man . "He gave us a chance to show what we could do against major leaguers. Read Defiance Crescent News Newspaper Archives, Mar 30, 1950, p. 13 with family history and genealogy records from defiance, ohio 1898-2021. What is Samuel's ethnicity and where did his parents, grandparents & great-grandparents come from? Friends can be as close as family. "16 He hadn't gotten too upset, he said, because the three figured nothing was going to come of it anyway.17 As to the idea they might have actually been signed and brought into Organized Baseball, "I don't think it ever dawned on any of us. It was a short time after this that Jethroe filed his lawsuit against Major League Baseball in regards to his pension. sam jethroe obituaryjack paar cause of death. Jethroe spent a total of three years and seventeen days between the Braves and the Pirates, meaning that he fell just short of the requirement. Unlock the mysteries of your family history and explore the rich tapestry of your past with AncientFaces. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. Rather than becoming the first major-league team to integrate, the Red Sox ending up being the last in 1959. The "international orange" color was chosen because it resisted rust and fading. He still managed to hit the last grand slam home run in Boston Braves history. Blogs; Online will; Shop. Here the limit is $10, This 3 lev Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Sam Jethroe had 58 home runs over his career. I. Robinson later said of Jethroe, "He looked like a gazelle in the outfield. Jethroe played in the Cuban Winter League in 1947-48 and again in 1948-49. He was called "the quickest human being I've ever seen" by former minor league teammate Don Newcombe.[2]. He died at age 83 in Erie, Pennsylvania. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Make a life-giving gesture. Like many outstanding black players, he also played six winter seasons in integrated leagues in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Jethroe gave Feller credit for helping black players into the majors. Murray Chass of the New York Times wrote that National League president Leonard Coleman and former pitcher Joe Black, who like Jethroe played in both the Negro Leagues and the majors, headed up the committee.88 Noted Negro League historian Larry Lester provided Major League Baseball with the names of qualified players and their mailing addresses. The lawsuit was dismissed by a Federal judge, but in 1997 Major League Baseball decided to give a yearly payment to Negro League players, including Jethroe. It was in early 1945 that Jethroe took part in the tryout at Fenway Park. 1 death record, 32 followers 14.9k+ favorites. Info Share. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family, Last-Modified: January 11, 2021 6:14 AM EST. In 1937 he was hired by the Courier and joined Washington in his campaign to allow Black players into the major leagues. inErie,PA, Buried: He then opened a bar. With the Cincinnati & Cleveland Buckeyes he won a pair of batting titles, hit .340 over seven seasons from 1942 to 1948, and helped the team to two pennants and the 1945 Negro World Series title. - Columnist Richard Goldstein in The New York Times (06/19/2001, 'Sam Jethroe Is Dead At 83; Was Oldest Rookie Of The Year', Source), Sam "The Jet" Jethroe Autograph on a 1993 Ted Williams Card (#137), Sam Jethroe Miscellaneous Items of Interest. Minnesota Twins 1969 Yearbook - Billy Martin - Met Stadium Bloomington, MN. As for Jethroe, it would take a bit longer for him to make it to the major leagues. The Baseball Biography Project is an ongoing effort to research and write comprehensive biographical articles on people who played or managed in the major leagues, or otherwise made a significant contribution to the sport. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. He selected Robinson. Thousands of fake unemployment claims filed here in Arizona, slowing down real people from getting their payments. Sputnik I was only 23 inches in diameter and had no tracking equipment, only 4 antennas, but it had a big impact. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. He is survived by his wife, Elsie, and four daughters. Jethroe had four daughters, Kim, Gloria, Sheila, and Jennifer with his wife of 58 years, Elsie. Funeral homes; Help and advice. Jethroe blazed way through Triple-A Negro Leagues star became 33-year-old Rookie of the Year By Josh Jackson February 2, 2011 He was well past his prime by the time he got a chance in integrated. Born in East St. Louis, Illinois, Jethroe played sandlot baseball as a youth and as young man he worked in an East St. Louis glass factory. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. SUMMARY Career WAR 14.7 AB 2383 H 655 HR 58 BA .275 R 416 RBI 272 136 OBP .345 SLG .436 OPS .781 OPS+ 118 In April 1945, the Boston Red Sox, facing political pressure to sign a black player, gave Jethroe, Robinson, who was then with the Monarchs, and Marvin Williams of the Philadelphia Stars a tryout conducted by two coaches at Fenway Park. He died at the age of 85 in Amherst, New York near Buffalo, and was interred in the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Cheektowaga, New York . We will remember him forever. "28 When they did pitch to Jethroe in the Negro Leagues, Buck O'Neil recalled, "the infield would have to come in a few steps or you'd never throw him out. He was named Rookie of the Year that season at age 32 (although he was then believed to be 28) after hitting .273 with 100 runs, 18 home runs and 58 runs batted in; his 35 stolen bases topped the National League, and were the most by any Braves player since Hap Myers stole 57 in 1913. . Jethroe spent the 1953 season playing with Triple-A Toledo. From 1942 to 1948 Jethroe played for the Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League, leading the league in stolen bases three times. Help paint a picture of Samuel so that he is always remembered. Sam Jethroe. on any other website. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. He finished his career with a record of 460 hits, 49 home runs, 280 runs scored, 181 runs batted in and a .261 batting average. and you'll be alerted when others do the same. Or at least, he should've been by baseball standards. becomes full Make a life-giving gesture. From 1942 to 1948, Jethroe played in the Negro American Leagues for the Cleveland Buckeyes and batted a remarkable .487 in his 39 at bats in his first season there. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Once owners decided to provide former Negro League players with pensions, players with at least four years of combined service between the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues would receive about $10,000 per year. After his career ended, Jethroe settled in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he opened a bar and restaurant and played in the city's Glenwood League. Or write about sports? Javascript is required for the selection of a player. "18 He also told Herald reporter Gerry Callahan that he'd heard no racial slurs on the field that day. He led the National League in stolen bases in 1950 and 1951. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. In his quest for a better Brooklyn team and to desegregate the majors, Dodgers GM Branch Rickey reportedly interviewed Jethroe as well as Robinson. "When I played in the Negro Leagues, I enjoyed it. Jethroe filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball and its Players Association in the 1990s . 20 years longer than By 1948, Jethroe had nothing to prove in the Negro Leagues, and he defeated Barney Ewell, who would win a gold and two silver medals as a sprinter in the London Olympics, in an exhibition race. Reinsdorf reportedly persuaded the other owners to create a special fund that was announced in January 1997, providing annual payments of $7,500 to $10,000 to former Negro League players.87 In high school in East St Louis, Illinois, Jethroe also starred at basketball, American football and boxing. That year, the Cleveland Buckeyes beat the Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh to win the Negro World Series. "He had everything Mr. Rickey wanted," Jethroe said, "He was a college man who had experienced the white world, and I wasnt. In 1917, in the year that Samuel Jethroe was born, the NHL (National Hockey League) was established as a response to the demise of the National Hockey Association (NHA). Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Sam Jethroe Samuel Jethroe (1917-2001) was born in Columbus, Mississippi, and grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois. Since there were millions of dollars in Major League Baseball at the time, Jethroe believed that some of it could be shared with players like him. She was a student at East High School and helped her family raise her brothers and sisters. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Among the three was Jackie Robinson who would become the first black player in the majors in 1947. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data.