Ike Brown

Isaac Brown
(Showboat)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 205 lb.

• Debut June 17, 1969
• Final Game May 4, 1974
• Born April 13, 1942 in Memphis, TN USA
• Died May 17, 2001 in Memphis, TN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

“I... remember that Ike loved alligator shoes... He saved up all his shoe coupons that he’d get for doing postgame interviews, then went over to the store and emptied the shelves of alligator shoes.” - Jim Price

Ike Brown was the last Negro Leagues player to make it to the majors. He played six years in the bigs, all with the Detroit Tigers, from 1969 to 1974, and had a career OPS+ of 116 in limited action, well above average. With Detroit, he was seven years younger than teammate Al Kaline and the same age as catcher Bill Freehan. He and Gates Brown were not related, but did room together. He was a consumate utility player, playing at least 20 games at first base, second base, third base and in left field while also being used regularly as a pinch-hitter.

A biography of Ike Brown [1] indicates that he loved alligator shoes and was a favorite of Tigers manager Billy Martin in 1972, when the Tigers won a division title. His nickname was "Showboat", and he had an upbeat attitude. After baseball, he was a frequent umpire for high school games. He died of cancer at 59.