Dan Wilson (wilsoda02)

Daniel Richman Wilson

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 155 lb.

• Debut 1936
• Final Game 1947
• Born September 15, 1915 in Yazoo City, MS USA
• Died December 23, 1986 in St. Louis, MO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Dan Wilson was a three-time All-Star in the Negro Leagues.

Wilson debuted in 1937 with the Pittsburgh Crawfords as a right fielder and second baseman; he hit .259. He was a bench player for Pittsburgh in 1938. He moved to the St. Louis Stars in 1939 and batted .227 for his hometown team. Given those numbers, it is a surprise he started in the 1939 East-West Game (first game), batting second and playing left field for the West. He started 0 for 2. In the bottom of the 8th, though, with his team down 2-1 and Double Duty Radcliffe aboard, Wilson homered to left field off Roy Partlow to put the West ahead for good. In the second 1939 East-West Game, Dan manned right field and led off for the West, but went 1 for 5 in a 10-2 loss.

The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues lists Wilson as spending 1940 in the Mexican League, but he is not listed in The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics. He did star in the 1939 Puerto Rican League, hitting .349, 4th behind Perucho Cepeda, Josh Gibson and Partlow. His 16 doubles tied Luis Olmo for 4th. Returning to the Negro Leagues, he hit .286 for the 1941 New Orleans-St. Louis Stars. For the 1941 East-West Game, he led outfielders with 197,503 votes, over 9,000 ahead of #2 Willard Brown, a future Hall of Famer. Wilson again led off for the West, playing left field this time, but went 0 for 2 with an error before Jimmie Crutchfield replaced him.

Wilson hit .189 for the 1942 New York Black Yankees. He again starred in an All-Star outing, though. Leading off and playing left for the East in the first 1942 East-West Game, he had 3 of his team's 5 runs in a 5-2 victory. He led off the third with a double off Hilton Smith and scored on a Sammy Bankhead double. In the fifth, he walked, stole second and came home on a Josh Gibson hit. Finally, in the 9th, he bunted his way aboard, stole second once more, then was driven in by Wild Bill Wright. Reprising his leadoff and left field role in the second 1942 East-West Game, he went 1 for 6 with a double in a 9-2 win by the East. Overall, he went 5 for 20 in All-Star play.

Wilson hit .186 for New York in 1944, .254 for the 1946 Homestead Grays and .227 as a backup for the 1947 Philadelphia Stars.

After baseball, Wilson's life headed downhill. He became homeless and was living out of a shopping cart. In December 1986, the 71-year-old had lit a fire to keep himself warm; he perished in the blaze.

He is the brother of Emmett Wilson

Notable Achievements

• 3-time All-Star (1939/NAL, 1941/NAL & 1942/NNL)

Sources

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros