Carl Long (baseball)
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Carl Long (born May 9, 1935 in Rock Hill, South Carolina) was a black baseball player who, along with Frank Washington, broke the color barrier in the Carolina League city of Kinston, North Carolina. Long made his debut for the Kinston Eagles on April 17, 1956. During the year, he hit .291 with 18 home runs and 111 RBI. The Carolina League itself had been integrated in 1951 by Percy Miller Jr. of the Danville Leafs. The 111 RBI tallied by Long in 1956 has been equaled but never surpassed by any subsequent Kinston players.
Long's professional debut came with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro League in 1952. He stayed with Birmingham through the 1953 season. In 1954, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was sent to their minor league team, the St. Jean Canadians of the Provincial League. During 1955, Long played for the Billings Mustangs in the Pioneer League and also saw some action for Phoenix in the Arizona-Mexico League. After playing for the Eagles in 1956, Long played for the Beaumont Pirates of the Big State League and Mexico City in 1957. A shoulder injury curtailed his career, and he left baseball to live in Kinston.
Long continued to break barriers after his baseball career was over. He became Kinston's first black bus driver as well as Lenoir County's first black Deputy Sheriff and black detective within the sheriff's department.
Long often attends games at Grainger Stadium to watch Kinston's current team, the Kinston Indians. He has been honored by the Indians with "Carl Long Day" games, and in 2003 he was inducted into the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. He has traveled extensively to promote the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
