After Jackie Robinson and Larry Dobby opened the doors for black people in professional baseball, Elston Howard carried on the success. He became a significant figure in professional baseball and was the first to scoop an American League Most Valuable Player award.
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Howard’s decision to turn down major offers from colleges worked in his favor as he had a successful career. Read all about it here.
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Elston Howard’s Beginnings
Howard played multiple sports in school – baseball, basketball, soccer and track & field. He was good that he received multiple scholarships from prestigious universities, but turned them down in favor of playing in the American Negro League for the Kansas City Monarchs. His manager was Buck O’Neil and shared the locker room with Ernie Banks.
He preferred the team because, at the time, Major League Baseball (MLB) was deeply segregated. Many teams didn’t want to allow black players to play. However, the Yankees broke the color barrier by buying off his contract. He was placed in the Yankees farm team, but he left for military service.
He returned in 1953 and played for the Kansas City Blues in minor league baseball. He became a catcher for the team and went on and registered impressive numbers.
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Entry to MLB
In 1955, he started for the Yankees against the Boston Red Sox and was its first black player. However, he had stiff competition in his position as a catcher. That said, Howard was versatile and thus got playing time as an outfielder.
The player faced racial abuse from his manager, who referred to him as an ‘eight ball’ and stereotyped black people for their inability to run. Opposing fans and players also displayed racial hate, but Elston Howard never stooped to their level. He stayed calm and focused on his game.
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World Series Games
Elston Howard featured in several World Series games. In his first in 1955, during which he played 97 games, the team lost to the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The following year, he appeared 98 times for the team, and they won the World Series title. Although he only played in game seven in the series, he was influential, having hit a homer, only one of four in his team that made sure the team won the title.
Howard played more games in 1957, 110. The Yankees reached the World Series title but lost to the Milwaukee Braves. In 1958, they were in the final again and Howard made the difference. For his contributions, he was given the Babe Ruth Award.
Although his numbers dropped in the lead-up to the 1961 World Series title victory, Howard remained a key figure in the side. The season after that, Howard won his fourth world title.
For his performances, Elston Howard won the American League Most Valuable Player of the Year award, the first African American to win the accolade.
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Leaving and Returning to the Yankees
After the 1967 season, Howard left the Yankees. He joined the Boston Red Sox but didn’t manage to win the league with them.
After a season, he went back to the Yankees and worked as a coach and made more history as the first African American coach in the league’s history. He got his first and only World Series title as the coach that year.
Jackie Robinson would have been proud of Elston Howard. Despite a harsh environment, he further rubber-stamped that black players could be successful in sports. He proved his doubters wrong and eventually received the highest titles in the game.
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