Roxie Humberson

Robert B. Humberson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.

• Born February 5, 1925 in Mingus, TX USA
• Died November 10, 1968 in Houston, TX USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Roxie Humberson played in the minor leagues from 1946 to 1952, then made a brief comeback in 1957. He also managed for a couple of seasons, both years as a player-manager.

He was with the Brewton Millers of the Alabama State League in both 1946 and 1947, hitting .308 in 111 games the first year, and .326 in 135 games the second. This was a Class D league, and in 1948 he moved up to Class B with the Gadsden Pilots of the Southeastern League where he continued to hit well, batting .329 in 138 games, this time with considerable power as he banged 38 doubles and 16 homers. That got him a brief look that season with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern Association, but he hit just .222 in 13 games at the higher level. In 1949, he returned to the Southeastern League, this time with the Montgomery Rebels but could not reproduce his outstanding numbers from the previous year, falling to .267 with 9 homers in 121 games.

In 1950, he began the year back in Gadsden and hit .282 in 49 games, then was acquired by the St. Petersburg Saints of the Florida International League. It was a team in turmoil, as soon after his arrival, manager Jim Pruett resigned his position. Pruett had been the team's third manager that year, and none had found much success as their record stood at 34-82. To resolve the crisis, team President Johnny Burroughs suggested that the team's players elect their own manager. Humberson was the surprise winner of the vote on August 1st, and finished they year by going 9-22, which was a bit of an improvement, although not much. He hit .258 in 67 games for St. Pete. In 1951, he was a player-manager again, this time with the Panama City Fliers of the Alabama-Florida League, a Class D circuit. He did not complete the season, but it was due to a promotion, as he moved up to the Hot Springs Bathers after batting .313 in 77 games for Panama City. He hit .317 in 27 games in the Cotton States League to finish the season. In 1952, he stayed in the same league, this time with the El Dorado Oilers, for whom he hit .264 with 14 homers in 114 games.

He was still just 27 years old and probably could have kept up this sort of career for years, staying at the lower levels of the minors as a professional hitter, but he moved on after the 1952 season. He did make a brief comeback in 1957 with the Pensacola Dons of the Alabama-Florida League, but hit just .183 in 20 games, having probably been away from the professional game for too long to still be productive. Interestingly, he was a third baseman that year, a position he had never played when younger.

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1950	St. Petersburg Saints	Florida International League	9-22	8th	none		replaced Dick Porter (15-35), Leon Cato (0-10) and Jim Pruett (1937) on August 1
1951	Panama City Fliers	Alabama-Florida League		--	none		replaced by Phil Noto