Byron Johnson (baseball)

Byron "Mex" Johnson
Shortstop
Born: (1911-09-16)September 16, 1911
Little Rock, Arkansas
Died: September 24, 2005(2005-09-24) (aged 94)
Colorado
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Teams

Byron Johnson (September 16, 1911 – September 24, 2005), also known as Mex Johnson, was a baseball player in the Negro League. His nickname came from a hat he wore as a child which looked like a sombrero.

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA, he began his Negro League career in 1937 as a shortstop with the Kansas City Monarchs and stayed with the Monarchs until his retirement in 1940. He also was on the road team the Monarchs called the Satchel Paige All Stars from 1939 to 1940.[1]

He was known as one of the best defensive players of his time.

Johnson accomplishments as a player included being selected as a member of the Negro League East-West All-Star team in 1938. His biography is detailed by Jan Sumner in "Legacy of a Monarch".

He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1941 to fight in World War II and served in Europe until 1945.

His family has established a website in honor of Johnson and his wife and their years of community service after his life in baseball.

References

  1. 1 2 "Satchel Paige to Take Slab Monday Against Ogden Club" Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden, UT, August 18, 1940, Page 7, Columns 1, 2, 4, and 5
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