Lemuel Hawkins

Lemuel Hawkins

First baseman
Born: (1895-10-02)October 2, 1895
Macon, Georgia
Died: August 10, 1934(1934-08-10) (aged 38)
Chicago, Illinois
Batted: Left Threw: Left
debut
1921, for the Kansas City Monarchs
Last appearance
1928, for the Chicago American Giants
Negro National League statistics
Batting average .265
Home runs 3
Runs scored 268
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Lemuel Hawkins (October 2, 1895 – August 10, 1934) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago Giants[2] and Chicago American Giants from 1921 to 1928. He was 5'10" and weighed 185 pounds.[3]

Early life

Hawkins was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1895.[3] He served in World War I and was also the first baseman for the successful 25th Infantry Division baseball team posted at Schofield Barracks at Wahiawa, Hawaii [4] and Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. He, along with teammates Oscar Johnson, Dobie Moore, Bullet Rogan, and Bob Fagin, joined the Kansas City Monarchs in the early 1920s.[5][6][7][8]

Career

Hawkins was the Monarchs' everyday first baseman from 1921 to 1927 and played for the Monarchs team which won the 1924 Colored World Series.[9][10] According to George Sweatt, Hawkins and teammate Bill "Plunk" Drake were good friends. "[They] were the craziest guys," Sweatt recalled. "When we'd go to a different town, they'd just walk through the halls all night, fooling around. That's all they did!"[11] Between the 1923 and 1924 baseball seasons, it was reported that Hawkins spent the winter driving a taxicab.[12]

Hawkins played for the Chicago American Giants in 1928. He finished his career in the Negro National League with a .265 batting average, three home runs, and 268 runs scored in 2,126 plate appearances.[3]

Later life and legacy

In July 1931, Hawkins was with three other men in a car when they were searched by police in connection with a holdup. One of the other men pulled a gun and was shot to death by the officers, and Hawkins was held on an automobile theft charge.[13][14]

In August 1934, Hawkins and a partner attempted to hold up a beer truck. A scuffle took place, and Hawkins was accidentally shot to death by his partner.[8]

Hawkins is one of four Negro league baseball players who were honored with plaques at Luther Williams Field in Macon in 2016.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Rogan May Pitch Against Chinese Team on Sunday" Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, Wednesday, October 7, 1916, Page 15, Columns 1 and 2
  2. 1 2 "Champion Monarchs Open Season With Victory" The Kansas City Advocate, Kansas City, Kansas, Friday, May 29, 1925, Page 3, Columns 1 to 5
  3. 1 2 3 "Lemuel Hawkins Negro League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  4. ↑ "How Company A, 25th Infantry, Won Regimental Pennant" Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, Sunday, April 20, 1916, Page 12, Columns 1 and 2
  5. ↑ McNeil, William F. (2005). Cool Papas And Double Duties: The All-Time Greats Of The Negro Leagues. McFarland. p. 105.
  6. ↑ Porter, David L. (2000). Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: G-P. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 757.
  7. ↑ Seymour, Harold (1991). Baseball: The People's Game, Volume 3. Oxford University Press. p. 591.
  8. 1 2 "Slain Bandit is Ex-Ball Player". The Afro American. September 15, 1934.
  9. ↑ Dixon, Phil S. (2009). John "Buck" O'Neil: The Rookie, the Man, the Legacy 1938. AuthorHouse. p. 48.
  10. ↑ Lester, Larry (2006). Baseball's First Colored World Series: The 1924 Meeting of the Hilldale Giants And Kansas City Monarchs. McFarland.
  11. ↑ Holway, John (2010). Voices from the Great Black Baseball Leagues: Revised Edition. Courier Dover Publications. p. 22.
  12. ↑ "Rogan and Players Report to Join Champion Monarchs" Chicago Defender, National Edition, Chicago, IL, March 15, 1924, Page 10
  13. ↑ "Kansas Bandit Slain". St. Joseph News-Press. July 20, 1931.
  14. ↑ "Slain Man is Identified". Lawrence Journal-World. July 21, 1931.
  15. ↑ "Negro League baseball players from Macon to be recognized Saturday". Macon.com. February 5, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
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