Emmett Ashford

Emmett Ashford
Birthdate 11/23/1914
Death Date 3/1/1980
Debut Year 1966
Year of Induction
Teams American League
Position Umpire

Emmett Ashford became pro baseball’s first black umpire in 1951; after 15 years in the minors he made his MLB debut in the American League’s 1966 opener.

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A dozen years after Jackie Robinson debuted, Emmett Ashford became the first black umpire in big league history

A dozen years after Jackie Robinson debuted, Emmett Ashford became the first black umpire in big league history

Umpiring in professional baseball is a difficult job. As the first African American umpire, Emmett Ashford had the added burden of doing it with all eyes on him. Ashford got his start umping in professional baseball on July 7, 1951 in the Southwest International League. In his position he was tasked
Twenty-three years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier Emmett Ashford worked a World Series game

Twenty-three years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier Emmett Ashford worked a World Series game

Like society, change in baseball comes slowly. It took 23 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier for a black man to umpire in the Fall Classic. That came in Game 1 of the 1970 World Series at Cincinnati when Emmett Ashford worked in right field. The game was a thriller. Wit

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"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball…"

~Jacques Barzun, 1954