Newton Henry Allen (May 19, 1901 – June 9, 1988) was an American second baseman and manager in baseball's Negro leagues.

Newt Allen
Second Baseman / Manager
Born: (1901-05-19)May 19, 1901
Austin, Texas, US
Died: June 9, 1988(1988-06-09) (aged 87)
Cincinnati, Ohio, US
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Negro leagues debut
1923, for the Kansas City Monarchs
Last Negro leagues appearance
1947, for the Indianapolis Clowns
Negro leagues[a] statistics
Batting average.288
Hits1,053
Home runs21
Runs batted in476
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Managerial record at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Born in Austin, Texas, he began his Negro league career late in 1923 with the Kansas City Monarchs and, except for brief stints with other teams in 1931 and 1932, stayed with the Monarchs until his retirement in 1948. Long known for his leadership ability, he became the Monarchs' manager in 1941 when Andy Cooper suffered a pre-season stroke and died during the season. He won the Negro American League championship that season, but resigned as manager just before the beginning of the following season, resuming his duties as a reserve infielder.

Allen's accomplishments as a player were even more impressive. A master at scoring runs, he bunted, stole bases and almost always provided the spark his team needed to win. Among the fastest baserunners of his generation of Negro leaguers, his most remarkable season was his 1929 campaign, in which he batted .330 while hitting 24 doubles and stealing 23 bases in a typically abbreviated Negro league season.

Allen is listed on the second team of a 1952 Pittsburgh Courier poll of the greatest black baseball players of all time.[3] Allen made the list of 39 finalists for the 2006 special Negro leagues and Pre-Negro leagues Election for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but was not one of the 17 finally chosen.

Allen died at age 87 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Notes

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  1. ^ On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared certain Negro leagues, from the span of 1920–1948, to be "major" leagues.[1] Allen's statistics reflect his time in the Negro leagues from 1922–1932, and from 1937 until the end of his career.

References

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  1. ^ "MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League'". MLB.com. December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  2. ^ "Local Fans Expected to Swell Field" Capital Times, Madison, WI, Thursday, September 4, 1930, Page 15, Column 3
  3. ^ "1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players."
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