Elston Howard
| Birthdate | 2/23/1929 |
| Death Date | 12/14/1980 |
| Debut Year | 1955 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Negro Leagues, Red Sox, Yankees |
| Positions | Catcher, First Base, Left Field |
Elston Howard broke the color barrier for the Yankees eight years after Jackie’s debut, was the first African-American AL MVP & a 12-time All Star.
Leave a comment
In the collection:
Elston Howard was one of the best catchers of his era
Elston Howard was one of the best catchers of his era
A man of firsts, Elston Howard was not simply a pioneer but an outstanding catcher as well. The first African-American in Yankee history, he was also the first of his race to earn the AL MVP Award and the first to be a uniformed coach in the American League.
Make no mistake, Howard could play. A 12-time All Star and a two-time Gold Glover. The backstop played in ten World Series in the 13-year period between 1955 and 1967, winning four.
A career .274 hitter, Howard posted seven seasons of double-digit home run totals. He hit 20 or more in three straight seasons including a career-best 28 in 1963. Howard tallied 60 or more RBI in six seasons, and drove in a career-best 91 in 1962.
A solid contact hitter, Howard never struck out as many as 80 times in a season. He had five campaigns with at least 200 total bases. For his career Howard totaled 1,471 hits, 435 of which went for extra bases.
He earned two Gold Gloves behind the plate and received the Babe Ruth Award in 1958 as the outstanding post season performer. Howard’s trophy case also has the 1963 American League Most Valuable Player Award.
Howard began his professional career In the Negro Leagues with the Kansas City Monarchs before moving to the integrated Major Leagues. He played 12 of his 14 big league seasons for the Yankees before finishing up with the Boston Red Sox.
Upon retirement he became the Yanks first-base coach from 1969-1979, earning two more championship rings. Howard also played peacemaker in the infamous fight between Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson in the Yankee dugout in June of 1977.
New York retired Howard’s #32 and dedicated a plaque in his honor in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium on July 21, 1984. The plaque describes Howard as “A man of great gentleness and dignity” and “one of the truly great Yankees.”
Some believe Howard has a case for Cooperstown.
Shown here is a 1968 Topps card adorned with the signature of Elston Howard.
Elston definitely belongs in hall of fame
Ellie was one of my favorites. His stats do not reflect how much they would be if he played every day. Gone way too soon. He would have been the first black manager had his health been better. I miss his long home runs , he had class and leadership.
I always liked Ellie. He was a great teammate and player. I have a large-182-autographed baseball collection. There are 3 Yankees I wish I had-Thurman, Maris, and Ellie. Never had the chance to meet any of them. Oh how I wish I had.