Topeka Jack Johnson

John Thomas Johnson (Topeka Jack)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6'1", Weight 196 lb.

• School Washburn University
• High School Carbondale (KS) High School

• Born April 25, 1883 in Topeka, KS USA
• Died January 29 1940 in Topeka, KS USA

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Biographical Information

Topeka Jack Johnson was an infielder in the Negro Leagues. He began his baseball career in 1903 with the Chicago Union Giants, allowing four runs (one earned) in nine innings against other top black teams, going 0-1. He played there until 1905 (when he was 2 for 7 with a RBI for Chicago), before founding a new ball club in his hometown called the Topeka Giants. He played for and managed the Topeka Giants in 1906, going 2 for 13 with a double and a RBI as their main shortstop (there were few games between top black teams at that time; most of their competition was against inferior local teams). The team went on a tour of the central United States that year.

He returned to Chicago in 1907, going 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBI. In 1908, he played for the Minneapolis Keystones and hit .250/.308/.417 while moving to right field. He played for and managed the Kansas City Giants in 1909 and hit .218/.299/.295 for a 84 OPS+ during the Deadball era. He was back in the infield that season. During the winter of that year, he helped to create the Kansas City Royal Giants, which became a rival of the Kansas City Giants club. He was player-manager for them in 1910 (going 2 for 5 with 3 walks) then went back to the Kansas City Giants for 1911. He produced at a .222/.293/.300 clip for a 61 OPS+ and fielded .976 at first. He returned to the Royal Giants in 1912, going 6 for 15 with 5 walks, a homer and 7 runs.

Johnson as a boxer

In 1917, Johnson founded a club called "Jack Johnson's Topeka Giants" which he managed that season. Outside of baseball, he was a boxer who had faced a heavyweight champion, another African-American who was also named Jack Johnson. That Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion.