Bill White (first baseman) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bill White |
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: January 28, 1934 Lakewood, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| May 7, 1956, for the New York Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 24, 1969, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .286 | ||
| Home runs | 202 | ||
| Runs batted in | 870 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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William DeKova White (born January 28, 1934) is a famous American former professional baseball player. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bill White played for the New York / San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies.
He was a top player, chosen as an All-Star eight times. He also won the Gold Glove Award seven times for being an excellent defensive player. In 1964, he helped his team win the World Series.
After his playing career ended in 1969, Bill White became a full-time sportscaster. He was known for calling games for the New York Yankees on TV and radio for 18 years. In 1989, he made history by becoming the President of the National League. He was the first African American to hold such a high position in sports. He served as NL president until he retired in 1994.
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Bill White's Early Life and School
Bill White was born on January 28, 1934, in Lakewood, Florida. When he was three years old, his mother and grandmother moved to Warren, Ohio. They lived in a special housing area for African Americans. Bill's grandmother raised him while his mother worked.
He went to Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio, and graduated in 1952. He was the president of his class and also the salutatorian, which means he was the second-highest ranked student. At that time, the school had a tradition where the class president danced with the prom queen. However, because Bill was African American and the prom queen was white, the principal stopped this tradition that year.
After high school, Bill attended Hiram College from 1953 to 1955. He chose this college because it had a good program for students who wanted to become doctors. In both high school and college, Bill was a talented athlete. He played baseball, basketball, and football.
Bill White's Baseball Career
Bill White was discovered by the New York Giants while playing baseball for Hiram College. He tried out for the team's manager, Leo Durocher. The Giants first offered him $1,000 to sign, but Bill wanted more money to help pay for college. When they raised the offer to $2,500, he signed with the Giants. He agreed to play on the condition that he could still finish college. He put his dream of becoming a doctor on hold to see if he could make it in professional baseball.
Playing in the Minor Leagues
In 1953, at age 19, Bill White started playing for the Danville Leafs in the Class-B Carolina League. He was one of the first African American players in that league. He was the only black player on his team.
Bill had a great first year, hitting for a .298 batting average. He also hit 20 home runs, scored 99 runs, and had 84 runs batted in (RBI). He even stole 21 stolen bases. However, fans in the league often treated him badly because of his race. He said it was the toughest year of his life. Once, his teammates had to protect him from a crowd throwing rocks.
In 1954, he played in a higher league, batting .319 with 30 home runs. He scored 120 runs and had 92 RBI, plus 40 stolen bases. In 1955, he played for the Dallas Eagles, hitting .295 with 22 home runs. In 1956, after playing 20 games in Triple-A, he was called up to the New York Giants.
Playing in Major League Baseball
Bill White played in Major League Baseball for 13 seasons. During his career, he had a batting average of .286. He hit 202 home runs and had 870 RBIs in 1,673 games.
Playing for the San Francisco Giants
Bill White's first game with the Giants was on May 7, 1956. He hit a home run in his very first major league at bat. That year, he played 138 games as the Giants' first baseman, hitting .256 with 22 home runs. He did not play in 1957 because he was serving in the military.
He returned to the team in July 1958, after the Giants had moved to San Francisco. He played in only 26 games that year. The Giants had other great first basemen like Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey. So, on March 25, 1959, Bill White was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals
Bill White played for the Cardinals from 1959 to 1965. During these years, his batting average was never below .283. He hit over .300 four times. He was chosen for the National League All-Star team every year except 1962. However, in 1962, he had his best batting average ever, hitting .324. He also scored 93 runs and had 102 RBI. He won a Gold Glove at first base that year too.
His best year for hitting was in 1963. He had career highs with 200 hits, 106 runs scored, 27 home runs, and 109 RBIs. Bill White was a very steady player, especially from 1962 to 1964. In 1964, the Cardinals won the championship. Bill was a key player, but he struggled a bit in the 1964 World Series, hitting only .111.
Bill was also a good baserunner, stealing 12 or more bases four times. He was one of the best defensive first basemen of his time. He won seven Gold Glove Awards in a row from 1960 to 1966. On August 14, 1960, Bill White achieved a rare feat by hitting for the cycle. This means he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. He also hit three home runs in one game on July 5, 1961.
Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies
On October 27, 1965, the Cardinals traded Bill White to the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1966, he hit .276 with 22 home runs and 103 RBI. However, his performance declined in the next two seasons after he injured his Achilles Tendon. In April 1969, the Phillies traded Bill White back to the Cardinals. This was his final season, and he played in only 49 games before retiring.
Bill White's Broadcasting Career
While still playing for the Cardinals, Bill White started a sports radio show on KMOX in St. Louis. After he was traded to the Phillies in 1966, he began pre-recording a pre-game show for Phillies baseball games. During the off-season, he became a sportscaster for WFIL-TV in Philadelphia. He was the first sports director for WFIL's "Action News" in 1970. While in Philadelphia, Bill White also became the first African American to broadcast NHL games for the Philadelphia Flyers.
In 1971, Bill White joined the New York Yankees' broadcast team. He called Yankee games from 1971 to 1988, often working with Phil Rizzuto and Frank Messer. Bill was the first regular black play-by-play announcer for a major-league sports team. He broadcast games on both radio and television.
Nationally, Bill White also helped call several World Series for CBS Radio. He also worked as an announcer for Monday Night Baseball on ABC television in the late 1970s. He even handled the trophy presentation after the Yankees won the World Series in 1977.
One of the most famous moments he called was Bucky Dent's three-run home run in a tie-breaker game between the Yankees and Red Sox in 1978. Outside of baseball, Bill White also helped cover the Winter Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984. In 1990, the Yankees honored him with their "Pride of the Yankees Award."
National League President and Retirement
In 1989, Bill White was chosen to be the President of the National League. Everyone voted for him, making him the first black executive to hold such a high position in professional sports. He served as NL president until 1994. In his book, he later shared that he worried about being just a figurehead. However, he also said he achieved some of his goals while in the role.
After retiring from the National League, Bill White became a member of the Veterans Committee for the Baseball Hall of Fame. This committee helps decide which older players get into the Hall of Fame. Bill White, along with Yogi Berra and Pee Wee Reese, helped vote his former broadcast partner Phil Rizzuto into the Hall of Fame.
In 2011, Bill White released his autobiography called Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play. On May 22, 2020, he was elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Bill White married his high school sweetheart, Mildred Hightower, on November 20, 1956, before he joined the US Army. They had five children together before they divorced in the 1980s. Bill White now lives in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their first major league at bat
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
