Aaron Pointer facts for kids

Aaron Elton Pointer (born April 19, 1942) is an American who used to play professional baseball. He played in the major leagues for the Houston Colt .45s and later the Houston Astros from 1963 to 1967. After his baseball career, he became an official for the National Football League (NFL). He is also famous for being the older brother of the four sisters who formed the popular singing group, Pointer Sisters.

About Aaron Pointer

His Early Life

Aaron Pointer was the oldest of six children. His parents, Rev. Elton and Sarah Elizabeth Pointer, were pastors at the West Oakland Church of God. Aaron has a brother named Fritz, who is a college professor and writer. He also has four younger sisters: Ruth, Anita, Bonnie, and June Pointer. These four sisters became known as the Pointer Sisters.

Aaron grew up in West Oakland, California. He went to McClymonds High School where he was very active in sports. He even became the student body president! At McClymonds, he played on the unbeaten 1959–60 basketball team with his cousin, Paul Silas, and Joe Ellis. Both of them later became NBA players. Aaron received a full basketball scholarship to the University of San Francisco. There, he met his wife, Leona.

Playing Baseball

In 1961, Aaron Pointer signed with the Houston baseball team. This team was new to the National League and would start playing in the major leagues the next year. In his first year, 1961, Pointer achieved something amazing. He was the last player to bat over .400 in a full summer season of professional baseball in the United States and Canada. He played 93 games for the Salisbury Braves, a minor league team, and four games for the Houston Buffs, another minor league team. He had a batting average of .402 with 132 hits. He led his league in runs and batting average. He was also named the Most Valuable Player and an All-Star.

Pointer made his first appearance in the major leagues in 1963, playing two games for the Houston Colt .45s. He spent most of 1964 and 1965 playing in Houston's minor league teams. He returned to play 38 games for the renamed Houston Astros in 1966 and 1967. Over three seasons in the major leagues, Pointer had a .208 batting average, with two home runs and 15 runs batted in.

In 1968, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, but he did not play in the major leagues again. He played for the Tacoma Cubs minor league team in 1968 and 1969. After the 1969 season, he signed with the Nishitetsu Lions in Fukuoka, Japan. Pointer played three seasons in Japan from 1970 to 1972. He also played in Venezuela before he stopped playing baseball.

Life After Baseball

After retiring from baseball, Aaron Pointer moved to Tacoma, Washington, in 1973. He started working for Pierce County Parks and Recreation. His job was to plan and oversee sports activities. He also began to officiate (be a referee for) football games. He started with local games and then moved on to high school and college games.

From 1978 to 1987, Pointer was an official for the Pacific-10 Conference, which is a group of college sports teams. He became a head linesman. He was also the first African American referee in the Pac-10. In 1987, Pointer joined the National Football League (NFL) as a head linesman. He wore uniform number 79. He retired from the NFL after the 2003 season. However, he still works as a game-day observer for the NFL, watching games and helping out. He even worked a game in Los Angeles where his sisters sang the national anthem before the game started!

Pointer retired from Pierce County Parks and Recreation in 2000 after 29 years of work. He is currently the president of the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma board of commissioners. He was appointed to this role in 2001. He also serves on the Executive Board of the Tacoma Athletic Commission.

In June 2008, Aaron Pointer was honored by being inducted into the Tacoma Hall of Fame.