Goose Curry

Homer Curry

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut 1928
• Final Game 1947
• Born May 19, 1905 in Mexia, TX USA
• Died March 30, 1974 in Memphis, TN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Goose Curry was a .300 hitter several times in the Negro Leagues; he also managed and scouted.

Curry debuted with the 1928 Cleveland Tigers, hitting .339 as a regular outfielder. Moving to the Memphis Red Sox, he was converted to the mound, which proved to be a bad move. He went 0-6 in 1929 and either 4-3 or 5-3 in 1930. He was a two-way player in 1931, going 2-2 and hitting .314. He was fourth in the Negro Southern League in average and led with three triples. He had a 5-5 record and hit .250 in 1932, his last year pitching. He also spent part of '32 with the Monroe Monarchs.

Goose was a bit player for the Nashville Elite Giants in 1933 and 1934 and for the Columbus Elite Giants in 1935. He hit .320 for the Washington Elite Giants in 1936. He led outfielders in voting for the 1936 East-West Game (7,220 votes, 372 ahead of runner-up Cool Papa Bell) but never appeared as a player in an East-West Game.

Curry became a player-manager for Memphis in 1937 and hit only .214 in that role. He split 1938 between Baltimore and the New York Black Yankees. He hit .352 for New York in 1939, just missing the top five in the Negro National League. He coached for the East in both East-West Games in 1939. He split 1940 between New York and Baltimore. In the 1940-1941 California Winter League, he hit .379.

The Texan flyhawk hit .303 for Baltimore in 1941. He next moved on to the Philadelphia Stars. His .379 average in 1942 was second in the NNL behind Larry Doby, ahead of Willie Wells and Josh Gibson at #3 and #4. He again struggled at the plate as a player-manager when he took the reigns in 1943, hitting .233. He batted .289 while remaining player-manager in 1944.

In 1945, Curry batted .395, fourth-best in the NNL behind Ed Stone, Frank Austin and Wild Bill Wright, in his last season as a full-time player-manager. He began 1946 as a player-manager for the Stars but lost his managerial role during the campaign. Early in the year, he got in trouble for kicking an umpire over a close call at home when Doby was ruled sufe.

Curry scouted Harry Simpson. He also once reputedly struck out while swinging at a pick-off move by Luis Tiant Sr.

Notable Achievements

• NNL Bases on Balls Leader (1936)
• NSL Stolen Bases Leader (1932)
• NNL Saves Leader (1944)

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1932	Memphis Red Sox	Negro Southern League	29-28	9th	Memphis Red Sox
1937	Memphis Red Sox	Negro American League	15-29	7th	Memphis Red Sox
1942	Philadelphia Stars	Negro National League	29-33	4th	Philadelphia Stars
1943	Philadelphia Stars	Negro National League	24-33	6th	Philadelphia Stars
1944	Philadelphia Stars	Negro National League	38-28	3rd	Philadelphia Stars
1945	Philadelphia Stars	Negro National League	34-30	4th	Philadelphia Stars
1946	Philadelphia Stars	Negro National League	34-36	5th	Philadelphia Stars
1947	Philadelphia Stars	Negro National League	33-36	5th	Philadelphia Stars

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
• The California Winter League by William McNeil

Related Sites

• BR Manager page