Two weeks ago on the Jeff Santos radio show, it was my pleasure to share airtime with Gaylon White, author of three baseball books, including Singles and Smiles—How Artie Wilson Broke Baseball’s Color Barrier. We were on the show mainly to discuss the centenary of the Negro Leagues that was founded in 1920, but it was also an occasion for us to expound on Wilson and his contribution to the sport and the Negro Leagues.
As much as I am informed about baseball and its history, neither Wilson nor White was familiar, which is just another reminder of how much we don’t know, especially about unsung African American personalities. Obviously, the notion that Wilson broke the color barrier caught my attention and White explained that it was the minor league color barrier that Wilson broke. “He finally made it to the majors in 1951,” White said, repeating what he wrote in the fascinating book, “but he got to bat 24 times and later urged the manager Leo Durocher to send him back to the minors and bring up a player he had been mentoring—Willie Mays.”
This is but one example of Wilson’s humility and general regard for his ability and that of others.
Arthur Lee Wilson was born on Oct. 28, 1920, the very year the Negro Leagues was founded, in Springville, Alabama, about 30 miles northeast of Birmingham, White notes in his book. And he recounts an interesting moment when Wilson, then a member of the Birmingham Black Barons, met his father, Lonnie Hicks, for the first and only time. An only child, he was raised by his mother, Martha Wilson and took her name.
In James Riley’s The Biographical Encyclopedia: The Negro Baseball Leagues there is a lengthy profile of Wilson, much of which is confirmed in White’s study. Riley writes that Wilson taught himself to hit with a rubber ball and broomstick and bought his first uniform for $2.98 from money he earned shining shoes. “At age sixteen he began attending school three days a week and working at the Acipico Pipe Company two days a week. While working there he lost his thumb in an accident. But he also honed his baseball skills playing semipro baseball with the company’s team in the Birmingham Industrial League prior to signing with the Black Barons.”
He played with the Black Barons from 1942 to 1948, and was considered the league’s best shortstop, earning a spot on the All-Star team four times from 1944 to 1948. In 1945, Jackie Robinson was the selection. With the Black Barons, Wilson was part of a championship team for three years, though they never won the Negro League World Series. In 1948, Wilson’s batting average was .402 and it would be the last time a top-level player achieved such a pinnacle. Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Along with his feats on the diamond, Wilson was also mentoring an aspiring and promising Willie Mays.
When the Negro League’s season ended in 1948, Wilson, like many players, signed on with the Mayaguez Indians of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, leading them to their first championship in 1949.
By this time his stellar performances on the field were recognized by several major league franchises, and in 1948 the New York Giants purchased his contract and he was assigned to their minor league team, the Newark Bears. The contract was not satisfactory and to compensate for the lower salary Wilson negotiated a contract with the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. A protest of the deal was registered by the New York Yankees and his contract with the Padres was voided. He was then sold to the Oakland Oaks of the PCL, subsequently becoming the first Black player and sharing a room with Billy Martin.
Wilson’s outstanding record continued with the Oaks, and he led the league with a batting average of .348 and in stolen bases with 47. He led the PCL in runs with 168 and hits with 264 in 1950, helping the Oaks to win the championship that year.
His numbers were impressive and soon he was summoned to the majors, arriving to the Giants as a utility infielder, pinch runner, and pinch hitter. But his success did not follow what he had accomplished in the minors, hitting only.182 in 22 or 24 at bats., depending on the source. It was at this time he made his suggestion that his protégé Willie Mays take his place on the roster. Wilson completed the 1951 season in the PCL and in 1952 was sold to the Seattle Rainiers. The Portland Beavers and the Sacramento Solons of the PCL were other teams he performed for, often acquiring batting titles along the way before exiting the sport in 1957. There was a brief return with the Beavers in 1962.
Wilson ended his career in Portland where he settled with his wife, Dorothy, and their two children. No longer in uniform, he put on a suit and worked at Gary Worth Lincoln Mercury for more than 30 years. At 88, he was still greeting customers at the company. In 1989, he was named to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and the PCL Hall of Fame in 2003.
He died on Oct. 31, 2010, three days before celebrating his 90th birthday. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
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