Chuck Harmon
Encyclopedia
Charles Byron Harmon is retired American
professional baseball
player, a former utility player
in Major League Baseball
who played for the Cincinnati Redlegs
(1954-1956), St. Louis Cardinals
(1956-1957) and Philadelphia Phillies
(1957). He batted and threw right-handed.
Schooled as a sportsman at Dunbar Elementary by legendary Wonder Fiver Burl Friddle, Harmon went on to play for two straight Indiana state basketball championship teams with the Washington Hatchets in 1941 and 1942. His brother Bill also played for the 1941 champions. Harmon and longtime teammate/friend Art Grove then reunited with Friddle to play for the University of Toledo, and promptly helped an all-freshman squad (that included Gary's Davage Minor) to make the final game of the National Invitational Tournament, losing to St John's. Both Grove and Minor went on to play professional basketball. Harmon was a College All-American
in basketball
at the University of Toledo
.
For its 1950-51 season the National Basketball Association was integrated. Harmon tried out for the Boston Celtics but was cut along with Isaac "Rabbit" Walthour, another black star, although Chuck Cooper did make the Celtic squad. Harmon finished that season as player-coach of Utica in the American Basketball League
, in the process becoming one of if not the first Afro-American to coach an integrated professional basketball team.
On April 17, , he became the first Black American to play with Cincinnati. In the same game he followed another Cincinnati black rookie
, Puerto Rican
born Nino Escalera
. Harmon hit over .300 during five consecutive minor league
seasons but never approached such numbers in the majors. He also played for the Cardinals and Phillies, and in Puerto Rico winter baseball for four years.
In a four-season major league career, Harmon was a .238 hitter with seven home run
s and 59 RBI
in 289 games played
.
Following his playing career, Harmon worked as a scout
with the Cleveland Indians
and Atlanta Braves
in baseball, and the Indiana Pacers
in basketball. Later he worked as an administrative assistant for the Hamilton County Court System
in Cincinnati, Ohio
. He remains active in SWAP (Seniors With A Purpose) and other youth related services.
Harmon was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in .
In 1997, Golf Manor, Ohio
renamed one of its streets "Chuck Harmon Way" after its longtime resident.
On April 20, 2004 (the 50th anniversary of Harmon's debut as the Reds' first African-American player), the Cincinnati Reds
honored him during Chuck Harmon Recognition Night at Great American Ball Park
. The pregame ceremonies included the unveiling of a special historic plaque, which now hangs near the entrance of the ballpark.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player, a former utility player
Utility player
In sport, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently, a sort of jack of all trades. Sports in which the term is often used include association football , baseball, rugby, rugby league, water polo and softball....
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played for the Cincinnati Redlegs
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1954-1956), St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1956-1957) and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1957). He batted and threw right-handed.
Schooled as a sportsman at Dunbar Elementary by legendary Wonder Fiver Burl Friddle, Harmon went on to play for two straight Indiana state basketball championship teams with the Washington Hatchets in 1941 and 1942. His brother Bill also played for the 1941 champions. Harmon and longtime teammate/friend Art Grove then reunited with Friddle to play for the University of Toledo, and promptly helped an all-freshman squad (that included Gary's Davage Minor) to make the final game of the National Invitational Tournament, losing to St John's. Both Grove and Minor went on to play professional basketball. Harmon was a College All-American
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
at the University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
.
For its 1950-51 season the National Basketball Association was integrated. Harmon tried out for the Boston Celtics but was cut along with Isaac "Rabbit" Walthour, another black star, although Chuck Cooper did make the Celtic squad. Harmon finished that season as player-coach of Utica in the American Basketball League
American Basketball League
American Basketball League is a name that has been used by three defunct basketball leagues in the United States:*American Basketball League , the first major professional basketball league...
, in the process becoming one of if not the first Afro-American to coach an integrated professional basketball team.
On April 17, , he became the first Black American to play with Cincinnati. In the same game he followed another Cincinnati black rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
, Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
born Nino Escalera
Nino Escalera
Saturnino Escalera is a former outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Redlegs in the 1954 season....
. Harmon hit over .300 during five consecutive minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
seasons but never approached such numbers in the majors. He also played for the Cardinals and Phillies, and in Puerto Rico winter baseball for four years.
In a four-season major league career, Harmon was a .238 hitter with seven home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 59 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in 289 games played
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
.
Following his playing career, Harmon worked as a scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in baseball, and the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in basketball. Later he worked as an administrative assistant for the Hamilton County Court System
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He remains active in SWAP (Seniors With A Purpose) and other youth related services.
Harmon was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in .
In 1997, Golf Manor, Ohio
Golf Manor, Ohio
Golf Manor is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. It is surrounded nearly completely by the Pleasant Ridge and Roselawn neighborhoods of Cincinnati...
renamed one of its streets "Chuck Harmon Way" after its longtime resident.
On April 20, 2004 (the 50th anniversary of Harmon's debut as the Reds' first African-American player), the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
honored him during Chuck Harmon Recognition Night at Great American Ball Park
Great American Ball Park
The Great American Ball Park is a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home of the National League's Cincinnati Reds. It opened in 2003, replacing the Reds' former home, Cinergy Field, which was known as Riverfront Stadium from its opening in June 1970 until the 1996...
. The pregame ceremonies included the unveiling of a special historic plaque, which now hangs near the entrance of the ballpark.
Trivia
- When Harmon stole 9 bases in 1955, it tied him for tenth in the National LeagueNational LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. Among those on the list were Gene BakerGene BakerEugene Walter Baker was an American Major League Baseball player. A native of Davenport, Iowa, he primary played second base for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was selected for the National League All Star game in 1955. He played eight seasons from 1953 to 1958 and 1960 to 1961,...
, Ernie BanksErnie BanksErnest "Ernie" Banks , nicknamed "Mr. Cub", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and first baseman. He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the Chicago Cubs . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.-High school years:Banks was a letterman and standout in football,...
, Don HoakDon HoakDonald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies...
, and Duke SniderDuke SniderEdwin Donald "Duke" Snider , nicknamed "The Silver Fox" and "The Duke of Flatbush", was a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Mets , and San Francisco Giants .Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of...
. It took Harmon only 96 games to get 9 stolen bases. By contrast, it took the other four players an average of 138 games to steal the same number of bases.
Sources
- Chuck Harmon Official Site
- Baseball Library
- Baseball Reference
- Cincinnati Historical Society Library
- Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame