Jimmy Ford

James Ford

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut 1937
• Final Game 1945
• Born October 16, 1912 in Memphis, TN USA
• Died January, 1982 in Memphis, TN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jimmy Ford was a one-time All-Star infielder in the Negro Leagues.

Ford got his start with the Memphis Red Sox in 1931 as a bench player. The team was not in any major Negro League from 1933-1935. In 1936, Ford hit .200 as their starter at second base, but he fell to .083 in 1937 (the Red Sox were now in the Negro American League, which had a very short schedule many years). Jimmy split 1938 between the Baltimore Elite Giants and Washington Black Senators and rode the pine for the St. Louis Stars in 1939.

Ford hit .586 in the five games the New Orleans-St. Louis Stars played in the NAL in 1940 and .296 in 1941. He played for the West in the 1941 East-West Game, going 0 for 3 after replacing Tommy Sampson at second base in a 8-3 loss. After the game, Ford got into a fight with shortstop Newt Allen back at the team's hotel, blaming Allen's poor defense for the West's loss. Ford ended the year in the Mexican League, hitting .300/.336/.400 in 30 games for the Tampico Lightermen.

Ford hit .143 as a bench player for the New York Black Yankees in 1942 after the Stars disbanded. He was with the Philadelphia Stars in 1943, then returned to his old haunts in Memphis. Now playing third base, he hit .279 in 1944 and .204 in 1945 before being a backup in 1946.

Notable Achievements

• NAL All-Star (1941)

Sources

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