Ray Neil

Raymond Neil
(Aussa, Tackolu)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 165 lb.

• Debut 1946
• Final Game 1948
• Born October 12, 1920 in Apopka, FL USA
• Died July 10, 1998 in St. Joseph, MI USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Ray Neil was a three-time Negro League All-Star infielder.

Neil debuted in 1942 with the Indianapolis Clowns and was with the Cincinnati Clowns in 1943. After two years off, he returned to the Clowns (back in Indianapolis) in 1946 and hit .360. Had he qualified, he would have beaten Buck O'Neil for the Negro American League batting title. In the second 1947 East-West Game, he pinch-hit for future major leaguer Bob Boyd and stayed in at second base (2B Piper Davis replaced Boyd at first). He went 2 for 3 with a double and a run in a 8-2 win for the West.

Ray hit .272 in 1948, .369 in 1949 and .291 in 1950. He started at second base and hit third for the East in the 1951 East-West Game, going 1 for 4 with a run and an error in a 3-1 victory. He was with the Dallas Eagles in spring training in 1952 but was let go and would never make it into Organized Baseball. In his autobiography, Hank Aaron (a teammate of Neil's with Indianapolis) posits that Neil might have been too flashy a player for a part of the country that had never had a black player yet. In the 1953 East-West Game, he hit third for the East again and was their brightest light. In a 5-1 loss, he went 3 for 3 with a triple, run and an error, getting half of the East's hits. He got their lone run when he connected off Sam (Buddy) Woods and came around on a hit by Henry Kimbro two batters later. Neil ended his career with the Clowns in 1954.

Notable Achievements

• NAL All-Star (1947)
• NAL Bases on Balls Leader (1946)

Sources

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• Research by Wayne Stivers
• I Had a Hammer by Hank Aaron