Pop Lloyd

John Henry Lloyd

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

• Debut 1921
• Final Game 1929
• Born April 25, 1884 in Palatka, FL USA
• Died March 19, 1964 in Atlantic City, NJ USA

Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1977

BR page

Biographical Information

"I am honored to have John Lloyd called the Black Wagner. It is a privilege to have been compared to him." — Honus Wagner, quoted at Lloyd's Hall of Fame website

John Henry ("Pop") Lloyd was a Negro League shortstop, who was often considered an equal to his white contemporary Honus Wagner. He played for the Cuban X-Giants (1906), Philadelphia Giants (1907-1909), Leland Giants (1910), New York Lincoln Giants (1911-1913, 1926-1930), Chicago American Giants (1914-1917), New York Lincoln Stars (1915), Brooklyn Royal Giants (1918-1920), New York Bacharach Giants (1919), Columbus Buckeyes (1921), Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1922, 1924-1925, 1931-1932), Hilldale (1923), and Harlem Stars (1931). He managed the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1918-1920), Columbus Buckeyes (1921), New York Bacharachs (1922), and Hilldale (1923).

"He looked like he was gliding over to the ball. You could hardly see his feet move." - Judy Johnson, from the book Blackball Stars

Most sources continue to list his year of death as 1965, but he actually died in 1964. An obituary appears in the April 4, 1964 issue of The Sporting News, and the Social Security death index confirms the year. The 2007 ESPN Encyclopedia also recognizes the change. The SABR website presently show it under Frank Phelps' log of Sporting News obituaries (1930-1991).

Notable Achievements

• ECL Pennant: 1 (1923)
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1977

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1921	Columbus Buckeyes	Negro National League	42-48	6th	Columbus Buckeyes
1923	Hilldale Club	Eastern Colored League	40-21	1st	Hilldale Club	League Champs
1924	Atlantic City Bacharach Giants	Eastern Colored League	36-32	4th	Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
1925	Atlantic City Bacharach Giants	Eastern Colored League	36-38	4th	Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
1926	New York Lincoln Giants	Eastern Colored League	22-31	5th	New York Lincoln Giants
1927	New York Lincoln Giants	Eastern Colored League	11-21	5th	New York Lincoln Giants
1928	New York Lincoln Giants	Eastern Colored League	21-17	3rd	New York Lincoln Giants
1929	New York Lincoln Giants	American Negro League	45-28	2nd	New York Lincoln Giants

Sources

• 1906-1911: The Baseball Encyclopedia, Macmillan, 10th Edition, pgs 2795-2796
• 1912-1923: www.seamheads.com, from research by Gary Ashwill and Kevin Johnson
• 1924-1932: Shades of Glory, Hogan et al., pp. 390–393
• Connelsville (PA) Daily Courier, March 20, 1964, page 6: "John Henry Lloyd, Greatest Negro Player, Dies at 79"

Further Reading

• Wes Singletary: The Right Time: John Henry "Pop" Lloyd and Black Baseball, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2011.

Related Sites

• Pop Lloyd at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page
• John Henry Lloyd at Seamheads
• Baseball History Daily article on Pop Lloyd