Harry Williams (williha02)

From BR Bullpen

Harry Lovett Williams

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.

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Biographical Information[edit]

Harry Williams was a Negro League player and manager who bounced from team to team in the 1930s and 1940s. His brother Roy Williams played in the Negro Leagues as well.

Williams broke in with the 1931 Pittsburgh Crawfords, hitting .185 as their starting third baseman. He was one of four infielders on the team with the surname Williams - the others were Chester Williams, Bobby Williams and Bucky Williams. Harry split 1932 between Pittsburgh (.244) and the New York Black Yankees (.333).

In 1933, Williams moved to the Baltimore Black Sox and hit .380, good for 5th in the Negro National League behind Leroy Morney, Jud Wilson, Jabbo Andrews and Oscar Charleston. Williams played for the Homestead Grays in 1934 then hit .331 as the third baseman of the 1935 Brooklyn Eagles. Continuing to average over a team per year, he split 1936 between the Newark Eagles (.156 at 2B) and Pittsburgh.

Williams starred at second base for Santa Clara in the 1936-1937 Cuban Winter League, pacing that circuit in average (.339), doubles (18) and steals (15). He slugged .478 and his 43 RBI were second to Clyde Spearman. He went to the Dominican League in 1937 but hit only .227. Players who jumped to the Dominican were banned by NNL president Gus Greenlee but later reinstated. The veteran infielder hit .241/?/.274 for Habana in Cuba in 1937-1938. He then returned to Pittsburgh and hit .377 in his hometown while playing second base. He was 4th in the NNL in average behind Willie Wells, Buck Leonard and Lennie Pearson.

Williams spent one more winter in Cuba, hitting .318/?/.405 for Almendares. He led the team's regulars in average. He played for the Toledo Crawfords in 1939 and appeared in the Venezuelan League that winter. His Latin American journeys included a stop in the 1941 Mexican League, going 20 for 74 with 4 doubles, 2 triples, a homer and 15 walks for the Tampico Lightermen.

Harry spent most of 1941, though, with the New York Black Yankees, hitting .333 and playing the outfield. He split 1942 between New York (.100) and Homestead, then hit .384 as the Black Yankees' third baseman in 1943. He was a bench player for New York in 1944 and coached for the East in the 1944 East-West Game.

Playing second base for the Baltimore Elite Giants in 1945, Williams hit just .213. He ended up his playing career as a bench player for the New York Cubans in 1946. He returned to manage the Black Yankees in 1950.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • NNL Singles Leader (1935)

Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Organization Playoffs Notes
1943 Harrisburg Stars Negro National League 8-7 -- Harrisburg Stars Replaced by Tom Parker
1944 New York Black Yankees Negro National League 10-38 6th New York Black Yankees

Sources[edit]

Related Sites[edit]

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