Joe Rogan did it all. A player/manager for 15 seasons, he pitched, played outfield, hit for average and power. He later went on to umpire in the Negro Leagues for eight seasons.

As a pitcher Rogan had a quick-pitch delivery without a windup. Armed with an outstanding fastball, and a variety of off-speed pitches, Rogan also starred in the outfield.

At the plate, Rogan consistently hit over .300 as a home run threat. With his strong arm and good baseball instincts, Rogan was a superb defensive outfielder.

In the 1924 Negro League World Series, all of Rogan’s talents were on display. He won two games in the Series and hit .325.

Rogan broke in with the Kansas City Colored Giants in 1917 before moving to JL Wilkinson’s All Nations team the same season. Wilkinson also owned the Monarchs. When the owner entered the Monarchs into the first Negro National League in 1918, he took Rogan with him.

The versatile performer spent the rest of his playing career with the Monarchs. From 1924 through the end of his paying days in 1938, Rogan also served as the team’s skipper.

Rogan gave up playing and managing in ’38 and became a Negro League umpire for the next eight seasons. After  giving up the game for good in 1946, Rogan worked in the Kansas City post office.

He died in Kansas City, Missouri at age 73 on March 4, 1967. Until 1971, the Hall of Fame kept its doors closed to men whose careers were spent primarily in the Negro Leagues. Rogan was inducted in 1998, 31 years after his death.

His autograph is not currently in the collection.

In 1998, Bullet Joe Rogan received baseball’s highest honor with induciton into the Hall of Fame. George Davis, Lee MacPhail, and Larry Doby joined Rogan as Veterans Committee selections the same year. The writers elected Don Sutton.

Rogan starred as a two-way player. He led Negro League pitchers in WAR three times and ERA once. The right-hander also topped his league wins and strikeouts twice each. As a hitter, the 1924 Negro League World Series champion posted a .338/.413/.521 slash line. He added a 152 OPS+.

Davis showed rare versatility across the field. He played 1,372 games at shortstop and 530 at third base. Davis also played 114 at second base and 243 in center field. He debuted in 1890 for the Cleveland Spiders and later played for the New York Giants and Chicago White Sox. Davis finished a 20-year career with 2,665 hits, 1,545 runs and 1,440 RBI.

MacPhail followed his father Larry MacPhail into baseball leadership. With the New York Yankees from 1949-1958, the younger MacPhail helped build teams that won seven World Series titles. He later built a strong foundation for great Baltimore squards as Orioles GM from 1959 to 1965.

Doby broke the American League color barrier on July 5, 1947. He joined Jackie Robinson as the only Black players in the game. The Cleveland Indians center fielder earned an All-Star selection two years later, and made seven straight All-Star teams.

Sutton built most of his Cooperstown resume in Los Angeles. He played 16 seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He set franchise records with 233 wins and 2,696 strikeouts. After leaving LA in 1982 he suited up for the Astros, Brewers, A’s, and Angels. By the time his career was over, Sutton boasted 324 wins and 3,574 strikeouts.

Shown here is schedule of events for induction weekend. Sutton, Doby, and MacPhail signed it as the three living inductees.