Judy Johnson

• Born: October 20, 1900
• Birthplace: Snow Hill, Maryland
• Died: June 15, 1989
• Place of death: Wilmington, Delaware

Sport: Baseball

Early Life

William Julius Johnson was born on October 20, 1900, in Snow Hill, Maryland. He was one of three children born to William and Annie Johnson. His father, a sailor by trade, moved his family from Maryland to Wilmington, Delaware, when William was very young. As a youngster, William loved to participate in sports. This pleased his father, who had hopes that William might someday be a prizefighter. William played pickup baseball games with neighborhood boys, and when he became the batboy for a local amateur baseball team coached by his father, he developed a deep interest in baseball. As an adolescent, he played for several integrated baseball and football teams in Wilmington. During World War I, he decided to quit school and work on a loading dock in New Jersey.

The Road to Excellence

After the war, William returned to his home in Wilmington. He was asked to play third base with the Chester Giants, an all-black amateur team located in nearby Chester, Pennsylvania. The Giants played on weekends. For the next few years, William played with several black semiprofessional teams around Philadelphia, where his play at third base was outstanding. During this time, he caught the attention of Negro League scouts, who marveled at the “kid from Delaware” with sure hands and a great arm at third base. In 1921, he received $150 a month to play third base for the Philadelphia Hilldales, one of the most powerful teams in the Negro Leagues. While with the Philadelphia Hilldales, William acquired the nickname “Judy” because he resembled Judy Gans, another player of that era.

Judy quickly established himself as one of the premier defensive third basemen and “clutch” hitters in the Negro Leagues. He continued to develop the skills that made him a standout and leader not only on the baseball diamond but also on the field of life. He was acknowledged by teammates and friends as a gentleman on and off the field. As a ballplayer, he was recognized as a “clutch” performer.

The Emerging Champion

In 1923, Judy played alongside future hall of famer John Henry “Pop” Lloyd. Judy acknowledged that Pop Lloyd had a great influence on his development, as both a player and a person. In 1924, Judy led his Hilldale team into the first Negro World Series against the Kansas City Monarchs. Kansas City eventually won the series, but Judy led all hitters with a .364 batting average.

In 1925, Judy batted .390 for the regular season and led Hilldale to the team’s third league pennant and a rematch with the Monarchs in the Negro World Series. This time, Hilldale was victorious, beating the Monarchs five games to one.

Judy batted a career high .406 with Hilldale during the 1929 season, which was his final year with the club. During his tenure with the Hilldale club, the team won Eastern Colored League Pennant in 1923, 1924, and 1925, and Judy consistently batted in the .300’s. In 1930, the Eastern Colored League folded as a consequence of the Great Depression.

In 1930, Judy became the player-coach of another Negro League team, the Pittsburgh Homestead Grays. While playing for and coaching the Grays, Judy reportedly discovered Negro League great and future hall of famer Josh Gibson and gave him the opportunity to play for the Grays. In 1931, Judy returned to play third base for a newly formed Hilldale club. His stay was brief, however. In 1932, he became the player-coach of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, a team recognized by many baseball historians as the greatest in the history of the Negro Leagues. Along with Judy, the Crawfords featured National Baseball Hall of Fame members Gibson, “Cool Papa” Bell, Oscar Charleston, and Leroy “Satchel” Paige.

Continuing the Story

Judy remained with the Crawfords until his retirement from baseball in 1936. Over his long career, Judy held a lifetime batting average of .303. Connie Mack, manager and executive of the Philadelphia Athletics (A’s), often marveled at Judy’s baseball skills and once remarked, “If Judy Johnson was white he could name his price.” However, Judy played during the era when a color barrier ruled baseball and black professional players could play only in the Negro Leagues.

Judy returned to Wilmington, Delaware, and neighboring Philadelphia, holding several jobs until baseball called him out of retirement in 1951. Acknowledged as having a keen baseball mind, Judy was asked to join the A’s as a scout and instructor. As a scout with the A’s and later with the Philadelphia Phillies, he helped to discover and develop a number of major-league prospects. Among these were major-league greats Richie Allen and Bill Bruton. Bruton later became Judy’s son-in-law. Judy once recommended to the A’s the purchase of Hank Aaron from the Negro League’s Indianapolis Clowns for only $3,500. However, the team vetoed the suggestion.

In 1973, Judy finally retired and returned to Delaware after a long and illustrious career in baseball. Two years later, he received the highest award in baseball with his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. On June 15, 1989, at the age of eighty-eight, Judy suffered a stroke and died in Wilmington, Delaware.

Summary

Judy Johnson is one of the most legendary ballplayers who graced the Negro Leagues. Judy would surely have been a superstar if he could have played in the major leagues. Judy did, however, achieve greatness as a player and coach in the Negro Leagues and as a scout and instructor in the major leagues, and his abilities were recognized by his belated induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

James, Bill. The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Free Press, 2003.

Lanctot, Neil. Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004.

Neyer, Rob, and Eddie Epstein. Baseball Dynasties: The Greatest Teams of All Time. New York: Norton, 2000.

Shatzkin, Mike, Stephen Holtje, and Jane Charlton, eds. The Ballplayers: Baseball’s Ultimate Biographical Reference. New York: Ideal Logic Press, 1999.