Neil Robinson (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Neil Robinson |
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| Center fielder | |||
| Born: July 31, 1907 Birmingham, Alabama |
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| Died: July 23, 1983 (aged 72) Cincinnati, Ohio |
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| debut | |||
| 1930, for the Memphis Red Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| 1952, for the Memphis Red Sox | |||
| Career statistics | |||
| Batting average | .303 | ||
| Home runs | 29 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Cornelius Randall Robinson (born July 31, 1907 – died July 23, 1983) was a professional baseball player. He played in the Negro leagues. People also knew Cornelius by his nicknames: Neil, Neal, and Shadow. He mostly played as a center fielder. But he also played short stop, left field, and third base. Neil played baseball from 1930 to 1952. He spent most of his career with the Memphis Red Sox. He also played for the Homestead Grays and Cincinnati Tigers. Robinson was famous for hitting the ball with great power. He had many seasons where his batting average was over .300. In 1939 and 1940, he won the home run titles in the Negro American League.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Neil Robinson was born in Birmingham, Alabama on July 31, 1907. His parents were Cornell Robinson and Flora Fitzpatrick. When Neil was young, his family moved from Opelika, Alabama to Gray, Indiana. Before 1929, Neil moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, he married Mattie Robertson. The 1930 Census showed he could read. In the early 1930s, he worked as a bus boy and a janitor. This was during his time playing semi-pro baseball in Grand Rapids.
Playing Semi-Pro Baseball
In the spring of 1928, Neil and his brother John played for the Illinois Giants. This team was from the Chicago area. They traveled through Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. By June 1928, the brothers played for the Fox Jewelry Colored Giants. This team was based in Grand Rapids. Neil played for the Fox Giants until 1929. In 1930, the brothers moved south. They both signed with the Lexington Hard Hitters. Robinson also played some games for the Lockland Valley Tigers that year. But he spent most of the season with the Hard Hitters. In 1931, Neil played for two teams. These were the Gary, Indiana Steel City Giants and the Gray Grasselli Giants. He returned to Grand Rapids in 1932. There, he played for the Fineis Oils Giants. In 1933, he played for the Pere Marquette Giants.
During his time in Grand Rapids and Lexington, Robinson was known for his great hitting and fielding skills. Neil was chosen for a Grand Rapids All-Star team three times. These teams played against major league teams. He played in special games against the Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, and St. Louis Cardinals. In these games, Neil got five hits in twelve tries.
Playing in the Negro Leagues
Homestead Grays Team
In 1934, Cumberland Posey asked Neil to play for the Homestead Grays. Neil took the place of outfielder Vic Harris. Vic had joined the Pittsburgh Crawfords. At the end of the 1934 season, Robinson's batting average was .241. This was his only season with the Grays. Neil faced personal challenges during his career. These challenges led to him leaving the team.
Cincinnati Tigers Team
Neil played with the Cincinnati Tigers from 1935 to 1937. In 1935 and 1936, the Tigers were part of the Indiana-Ohio League. They were also connected to the Negro National League and the Negro Southern League. In 1937, the Tigers joined the new Negro American League. While playing in Cincinnati, Robinson became a powerful hitter. In 1936, he batted .419. In 1937, his average was .301. In 1936, Robinson reportedly hit a very long home run at the Sherwood Oval. The ball "hit the 472-foot sign on about three bounces." He finished the 1936 season with 34 home runs.
Memphis Red Sox Team
The Cincinnati Tigers team broke up at the end of the 1937 season. This happened even though they were successful. The Memphis Red Sox were also founding members of the Negro American League. They got Robinson and other players from the Tigers for the 1938 season. Robinson stayed with the Red Sox for fifteen years. He played there until he retired in 1952. During this time, he was the team's best player and biggest star. From 1938 to 1948, he was Memphis’ top hitter. He had 167 RBIs and a batting average of .299. Over the 38-year history of the Memphis Red Sox, Robinson was the best hitter the team ever had.
The new players Memphis got from the Tigers, including Robinson, helped the team right away. The Red Sox were in first place at the end of the first half of the 1938 season. This earned them a spot in the league championship series. They played against the Atlanta Black Crackers. In the short two-game series, Robinson led the Red Sox offense. He got four hits in four tries, had one walk, two home runs, and five RBIs.
Neil played in his first East-West game in 1938. His inside-the-park home run scored three runs. This helped the West team win 5–4 against the East.
In 1939, Robinson kept hitting home runs for the Red Sox. The Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper called him the "negro home run artist." Neil hit twenty-five home runs against league teams. These were in both exhibition games and official league games. He hit fifty-four home runs against all teams he played. His batting average dropped to .275. But another home run at the East-West All-Star game helped the West win again.
Between 1940 and 1948, Neil batted over .300 in a season four more times. In 1943, Gray, Indiana, where Robinson grew up, held a "Neil Robinson Day." The game was between the East Chicago Giants and the Chicago Brown Bombers. It took place at E. J. Block Stadium in East Chicago. Robinson played center field for the East Chicago Giants, who won 6–1. The next year, "Neil Robinson Day" was celebrated at Wrigley Field. The Memphis Red Sox played two games against the Kansas City Monarchs. Robinson celebrated by hitting a home run off the Monarchs pitcher, Satchel Paige. The Red Sox won both games. Earlier that year, Robinson hit a Grand Slam at Comiskey Stadium in Chicago. This was against the Chicago American Giants.
At the end of the 1948 Negro American League season, Robinson played with the Kansas City Royals. The Royals were a team of Negro League All-Stars. This included Satchel Paige, who was now with the Cleveland Indians. The Royals played against a team of Major League All-Stars. This team was led by Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Lemon. The Kansas City Royals won three of the six games they played against Lemon's All-Stars. Robinson had three hits in nine tries and a total of four RBIs.
In 1951, Neil's last full year playing baseball, his batting average was .416 in early June. Neil was again chosen for the East-West All-Star game. But he could not play due to injuries. Robinson finished the year batting .344. After the regular season, he played on a Negro League All-Star team. They played against Roy Campanella's Major League All-Stars.
Basketball Career
Robinson also played semi-pro basketball. He played in the winters of 1930 and 1931 for Gilkerson’s Union Giants. He played as one of the team's Forwards. His teammates called him "Shadow." This nickname came from how fast he was on the court. The team also included Olympian Sol Butler. And it included Globe Trotter founder, Tommy Brookins.
Later Life
Robinson lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, until he passed away on July 23, 1983.
