Emmett Ashford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emmett Ashford |
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| Umpire | |||||||||||||||
| Born: November 23, 1914 Los Angeles, California |
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| Died: March 1, 1980 (aged 65) Marina del Rey, California |
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| debut | |||||||||||||||
| April 11, 1966 | |||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||||
| October 15, 1970 | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Special Assignments
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Emmett Littleton Ashford (born November 23, 1914 – died March 1, 1980) was a very important person in baseball history. He was the first African American umpire to work in Major League Baseball (MLB). He worked in the American League from 1966 to 1970. People often called him Ash.
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Emmett Ashford's Early Life
Emmett Ashford was born in Los Angeles, California. His father, Littleton, was a police officer. Emmett's mother, Adele, raised him and his brother Wilbur. As a kid, Emmett earned money by selling Liberty magazine. He also worked as a cashier in a supermarket.
Emmett went to Jefferson High School. He was very active there. He helped edit the school newspaper. He also played baseball and ran track. He was even the president of his senior class! After high school, he studied at Los Angeles Junior College and Chapman University.
Around 1936, Emmett started working as a clerk at a post office. He kept this job for 15 years. In the late 1930s, he tried playing semi-pro baseball for a short time. But his path changed when he was asked to fill in for an umpire who didn't show up to a game. That's how he started umpiring.
Emmett served in the Navy during World War II. While he was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, he heard exciting news on the radio. Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's color barrier. This news inspired Emmett to dream of becoming the first black major league umpire.
Starting His Umpiring Career
In 1951, Emmett took time off from his post office job. He was already umpiring softball games and other local baseball games in Santa Ana, California. He had a very unique and fun style. For example, when a batter got four balls and could go to first base, Emmett didn't just say "Ball Four." Instead, he would say loudly, "Ball Fo-uh, you may proceed to first base!"
He left Santa Ana to umpire in the Southwestern International League. This made him the first black umpire in professional baseball. When he was offered a full-time umpiring job, he quit his job at the post office.
The Southwestern International League stopped playing in the middle of the season. So, Emmett joined the Arizona–Texas League. In 1953, he moved to the Western International League. Then, in 1954, he was promoted to the Pacific Coast League (PCL).
Emmett spent 12 years in the PCL. He became well-known for his energy and exciting style. He would even talk to the crowd between innings! When it wasn't baseball season, Emmett refereed college basketball and football games. He also umpired in winter baseball leagues in the Caribbean. He even taught at several umpiring schools. In 1963, Emmett became the PCL's umpire-in-chief. This meant he was in charge of training other umpires.
Becoming a Major League Umpire
By the early 1960s, many sports writers on the West Coast thought Emmett should be promoted to the major leagues. In September 1965, the American League bought his contract. This meant he was finally going to the big leagues!
Emmett made his first MLB appearance on April 11, 1966, at D.C. Stadium. He quickly became a fan favorite. He was known for sprinting around the field after foul balls or plays on the bases. Emmett also brought a new look to umpiring. He wore shiny jewelry and had perfectly polished shoes and freshly pressed suits.
Some people thought his race was why he didn't get to the major leagues sooner. Others believed his flashy style might have delayed it. This was because umpires usually tried not to draw attention to themselves. But Sporting News said something amazing: "For the first time in the history of the grand old American game, baseball fans may buy a ticket to watch an umpire perform." This shows how popular he became.
Emmett was the left field umpire in the 1967 All-Star Game. He also worked all five games of the 1970 World Series. However, he did not work home plate in that series.
Emmett was one of the few umpires that the fiery Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver was ever nice to during a game. On April 13, 1969, during a doubleheader, Emmett called a ball hit by Ken McMullen fair. But actually, Don Buford had caught it just before it hit the ground. Weaver went up to Emmett and politely asked him to check with the other umpires. The other umpires confirmed Buford made the catch, so Emmett changed his call.
Emmett reached the American League's retirement age of 55 in December 1969. But he still umpired one more season in 1970 before he officially retired.
After Umpiring
After retiring from umpiring in 1971, Emmett was hired by Bowie Kuhn, the Commissioner of Baseball. His new job was to be a public relations adviser. In this role, Emmett gave speeches and held umpiring clinics. He traveled all over the West Coast and even went as far as Korea. He also served as the umpire-in-chief for the Alaskan summer league for three years.
Emmett also appeared in television commercials. He played a cashier in an advertisement for A&P Grocery stores. He also acted as an umpire in the 1976 movie The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings. You might have also seen him in TV shows like Ironside, The Jacksons, and What's My Line?. He was even a contestant on the TV show You Bet Your Life in 1955.
In 2008, Emmett Ashford was honored by being inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals.
Emmett Ashford passed away from a heart attack at age 65 in Marina del Rey, California. After his death, Bowie Kuhn said that Emmett's kind nature was tested as the first black umpire, but he remained strong and cheerful. At his funeral, both Bowie Kuhn and former USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux spoke about him. Emmett was cremated, and his ashes were buried in Cooperstown, New York.
