Joe Durham , First Black Player to Homer in Franchise History, has Died

[OFFNY]

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He only had a brief Major League career, but Joe Durham was the first Black Orioles player in franchise history to have hit a home run.

He was signed by Bill Veeck and the St. Louis Browns in 1953, and he came with the franchise when they moved to Baltimore in 1954. In 93 games played with the Orioles in 1954 and 1957, Durham hit 5 home runs. His career was interrupted by 2 years of military service in 1955 and 1956. Durham finished out his Major League career by playing a handful of games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959.

Durham was 84 years-old.

 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-joe-durham-obit-20160428-story.html

 

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/joe-durham-first-african-american-position-player-orioles-dies

 

This is an article about Durham from February of 2014:

 

Joe Durham: Orioles Pioneer

(By Nathan Hyde)

http://patch.com/maryland/owingsmills/joe-durham-orioles-pioneer_6cc4cc78

 

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[O's are Legends]

I learned a lot about Joe Durham, thanks OFFNY.

The patch article is excellent to read.

[SteveA]

I remember seeing him interviewed right after the final game at Memorial Stadium. He was one of the many players who came back and took the field for the post game ceremony. He was delighted at the applause he got and at being remembered by so many fans. Seemed like a really nice guy.

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