Billy Horne

William Joseph Horne
(Little Grumbler)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 5", Weight 152 lb.

• Debut 1938
• Final Game 1946
• Born February 20, 1916 in New Orleans, LA USA
• Died November, 1969 in New Orleans, LA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Billy Horne was a two-time Negro League All-Star, noted for his ability to turn the double play.

Horne debuted with the Chicago American Giants in 1938 and hit .333 as their starting shortstop. He moved to second base in 1939 and batted .283. He got 401,286 votes for the East-West Game that year, leading all second basemen. In the first East-West Game of 1939, he hit 7th and started at second for the West. He went 1 for 2 with a RBI in a 4-2 win, before being replaced by Leroy Morney. In the second 1939 East-West Game, he again hit 7th and manned second base, but went 0 for 2 in a 10-2 loss before Marshall Riddle replaced him.

The little infielder from New Orleans fell to .219 in 1940 and .071 in 1941. He still got 179,621 votes for the 1941 East-West Game, second to only Dick Seay at 2B. He went 0 for 2 in the game after subbing for Newt Allen at short in a 8-3 loss. Billy hit .341 for the Cincinnati Buckeyes/Cleveland Buckeyes in 1942. Moving back to shortstop for Cleveland in 1943, he hit .115, then .235 in 1944. Cleveland replaced him with Avelino Cañizares in 1945 on their way to the 1945 Negro World Series title. Horne wasn't even around by year's end as he was called up to service in World War II. When Cañizares left after one year, Horne reclaimed his role at short for one last year.

Notable Achievements

• 2-time NAL All-Star (1939 & 1941)

Sources

• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway