December 17, 2006

December 17, 2006

Willard Brown inducted to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame

WILLARD BROWN - Inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2006, the Shreveport native was black baseball's premier slugging outfielder in the 1940s. He joined Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and Hank Thompson as blacks who made their Major League Baseball debuts in 1947.

Brown, 36 at the time, lasted 21 games with the St. Louis Browns and was released after batting .179. He became the first black American Leaguer to hit a home run during his short stay with the last-place team.

He returned to the Negro League and batted .374 with 18 homers in 1948 and .317 in 1949, ending his Negro League career with a .355 batting average. Future Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda played winter ball with Brown and a decade later called him "one of the greatest hitters I ever saw." Brown, nicknamed "Home Run" by Negro Leagues slugger Josh Gibson, died in 1996.