Lemuel Hawkins
| Lemuel Hawkins | |
|---|---|
 Hawkins at the1924 Colored World Series | |
| First baseman | |
| Born:October 2, 1895 Macon, Georgia,U.S. | |
| Died:August 10, 1934(aged 38) Chicago, Illinois,U.S. | |
Batted:Left Threw:Left | |
| debut | |
| 1921, for theKansas City Monarchs | |
| Last appearance | |
| 1928, for the Chicago American Giants | |
| Negro National League statistics | |
| Batting average | .265 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs scored | 268 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Lemuel Hawkins(October 2, 1895 – August 10, 1934) was an Americanfirst basemaninNegro league baseball.He played for theKansas City Monarchs,Chicago Giants[2]andChicago American Giantsfrom 1921 to 1928. He was 5'10 "and weighed 185 pounds.[3]
Early life
[edit]
Hawkins was born inMacon, Georgia,in 1895.[3]He served inWorld War Iand was also the first baseman for the successful25th InfantryWreckers baseball team posted at Schofield Barracks at Wahiawa, Hawaii[4]andFt. Huachuca, Arizona.He, along with teammatesOscar Johnson,Dobie Moore,Bullet Rogan,and Bob Fagin, joined theKansas City Monarchsin the early 1920s.[5][6][7][8]
Career
[edit]Hawkins was the Monarchs' everyday first baseman from 1921 to 1927 and played for the Monarchs team which won the1924 Colored World Series.[9][10]According toGeorge Sweatt,Hawkins and teammateBill "Plunk" Drakewere good friends. "[They] were the craziest guys," Sweatt recalled. "When we'd go to a different town, they'd just walk through the halls all night, fooling around. That's all they did!"[11]Between the 1923 and 1924 baseball seasons, it was reported that Hawkins spent the winter driving a taxicab.[12]
Hawkins played for theChicago American Giantsin 1928. He finished his career in theNegro National Leaguewith a.265batting average,threehome runs,and 268runs scoredin 2,126plate appearances.[3]
Later life and legacy
[edit]In July 1931, Hawkins was with three other men in a car when they were searched by police in connection with a holdup. One of the other men pulled a gun and was shot to death by the officers, and Hawkins was held on an automobile theft charge.[13][14]
In August 1934, Hawkins and a partner attempted to hold up a beer truck. A scuffle took place, and Hawkins was accidentally shot to death by his partner.[8]
Hawkins is one of four Negro league baseball players who were honored with plaques atLuther Williams Fieldin Macon in 2016.[15]
References
[edit]- ^"Rogan May Pitch Against Chinese Team on Sunday" Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, Wednesday, October 7, 1916, Page 15, Columns 1 and 2
- ^ab"Champion Monarchs Open Season With Victory" The Kansas City Advocate, Kansas City, Kansas, Friday, May 29, 1925, Page 3, Columns 1 to 5
- ^abc"Lemuel Hawkins Negro League Statistics & History".baseball-reference. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ^"How Company A, 25th Infantry, Won Regimental Pennant" Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, Sunday, April 20, 1916, Page 12, Columns 1 and 2
- ^McNeil, William F. (2005).Cool Papas And Double Duties: The All-Time Greats Of The Negro Leagues.McFarland. p. 105.
- ^Porter, David L. (2000).Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: G-P.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 757.
- ^Seymour, Harold (1991).Baseball: The People's Game, Volume 3.Oxford University Press. p. 591.
- ^ab"Slain Bandit is Ex-Ball Player".The Afro American.September 15, 1934.
- ^Dixon, Phil S. (2009).John "Buck" O'Neil: The Rookie, the Man, the Legacy 1938.AuthorHouse. p. 48.
- ^Lester, Larry (2006).Baseball's First Colored World Series: The 1924 Meeting of the Hilldale Giants And Kansas City Monarchs.McFarland.
- ^Holway, John (2010).Voices from the Great Black Baseball Leagues: Revised Edition.Courier Dover Publications. p. 22.
- ^"Rogan and Players Report to Join Champion Monarchs" Chicago Defender, National Edition, Chicago, IL, March 15, 1924, Page 10
- ^"Kansas Bandit Slain".St. Joseph News-Press.July 20, 1931.
- ^"Slain Man is Identified".Lawrence Journal-World.July 21, 1931.
- ^"Negro League baseball players from Macon to be recognized Saturday".Macon.February 5, 2016.RetrievedAugust 2,2016.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information fromMLB,orBaseball ReferenceandSeamheads