|
|
Article: BASEBALL Negro Leagues offered chance Oldest survivor recalls glory days as shortstop
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- April 14, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
William Owens set out in 1923 to find what he calls "my success"
in baseball. Because of the rules of the day and the color of his
skin, that meant life in the Negro Leagues for Owens.
Now, 73 years later, Owens claims to be the oldest among 300
survivors of the 2,600 black ballplayers who toiled in the Negro
Leagues, the highest they could go before Jackie Robinson broke
baseball's color barrier in 1947 no matter how talented they were.
With a sixth-grade education, Owens played for 12 teams, breaking
in with the Washington Potomacs in 1923. He played briefly with the
powerful Indianapolis ABCs and closed his career with the Detroit
Stars in 1933.