Eddie Dwight

Edward Joseph Dwight
also known as Edward Milton Dwight
(Pee Wee, Flash)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 165 lb.

• Debut 1925
• Final Game 1937
• Born February 25, 1905 in Dalton, GA USA
• Died November 27, 1975 in Kansas City, KS USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Eddie Dwight played for 11 years in the Negro Leagues, six as a regular, and made one All-Star team. Noted for his excellent bunting ability and his footspeed, he once led his league in stolen bases. His son Ed Dwight Jr. became the first African-American to be trained as an astronaut by NASA (1962) and also was a noted sculptor.

Dwight debuted with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1925. He was a starter in 1928 and hit .282. He did not play in 1930-1931. He was with the Indianapolis ABCs in 1932 and returned to Kansas City in 1933, now as a regular in the outfield.

Dwight went 2 for 4 against white major leaguers in exhibitions in the 1935 offseason. He hit .476 in Kansas City's 7 games against top black teams in 1936 (from 1933-1936, Kansas City was not in any organized Negro League, so games and statistics were very limited). He was second in the West in average behind Pat Patterson. He started in center field and led off for the West team in the 1936 East-West Game, going 0 for 2 before being replaced by teammate Henry Milton.

In 1937, the speedster hit .238 but stole 19 bases (he only had 19 hits!), leading the Negro American League, four ahead of the aforementioned Henry Milton. He was 0 for 8 in the postseason with a key run in the final game against the Chicago American Giants after reaching on an error.

Eddie's death was believed to be due to tuberculosis.

Notable Achievements

• All-Star (1936)
• NAL Bases on Balls Leader (1937)
• NNL Stolen Bases Leader (1928)

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