Lemuel Hawkins (October 2, 1895 – August 10, 1934) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago Giants[2] and Chicago American Giants from 1921 to 1928. He was 5'10" and weighed 185 pounds.[3]
| Lemuel Hawkins | |
|---|---|
 Hawkins at the 1924 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 the Kansas City Monarchs | |
| Last appearance | |
| 1928, for the Chicago American Giants | |
| Negro National League statistics | |
| Batting average | .265 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs scored | 268 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life
edit
Hawkins was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1895.[3] He served in World War I and was also the first baseman for the successful 25th Infantry Wreckers baseball team posted at Schofield Barracks at Wahiawa, Hawaii [4] and Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. He, along with teammates Oscar Johnson, Dobie Moore, Bullet Rogan, and Bob Fagin, joined the Kansas City Monarchs in the early 1920s.[5][6][7][8]
Career
editHawkins was the Monarchs' everyday first baseman from 1921 to 1927 and played for the Monarchs team which won the 1924 Colored World Series.[9][10] According to George Sweatt, Hawkins and teammate Bill "Plunk" Drake were 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 the Chicago American Giants in 1928. He finished his career in the Negro National League with a .265 batting average, three home runs, and 268 runs scored in 2,126 plate appearances.[3]
Later life and legacy
editIn 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 at Luther Williams Field in 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
- ^ a b "Champion Monarchs Open Season With Victory" The Kansas City Advocate, Kansas City, Kansas, Friday, May 29, 1925, Page 3, Columns 1 to 5
- ^ a b c "Lemuel Hawkins Negro League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. 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.
- ^ a b "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.com. February 5, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference and Seamheads