Joe Morgan
Hall of Fame second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds.
Last updated
He was nicknamed "Little Joe" for his 5 ft 7 in stature and became a two-time National League MVP.[1][2] The oldest of six children, Joe Morgan was an African American whose birthplace was Bonham, Texas.[3][1]
Life and work
He made his major league debut on September 21, 1963, just two days after his 20th birthday.[4] On November 29, 1971, Morgan was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in a multi-player deal.[5][4] With the Reds, Morgan led the National League in runs scored, bases on balls, and on-base percentage in his first year.[4] At age five, Morgan relocated with his family to Oakland.[4]
During his youth, Morgan participated in American Legion baseball and excelled at Castlemont High School, yet his small stature prevented any major league teams from offering him a contract.[1] To help Morgan keep his back elbow elevated while batting, teammate Nellie Fox advised him to flap his rear arm like a chicken, a gesture that later became his hallmark.[6][4] In the decisive Game 7 of the 1975 World Series, Morgan's hit brought Ken Griffey home for the game-winning run.[2] For five straight seasons, from 1973 through 1977, Morgan earned the Gold Glove Award each year.[7]
At his residence in Danville, California, Morgan passed away on October 11, 2020, at 77 years old.[8][9]
What the cited sources add
The Faber biography notes that for each of his three years in Babe Ruth baseball, Morgan made the league's all-star team.[4] The Astros Daily timeline records that on June 25, 1966, a batting-practice line drive by Lee Maye broke Morgan's kneecap, forcing him to miss 40 games and an All-Star appearance.[10] The same source states Morgan became the first Astro named to start in an All-Star Game that year but could not play due to the injury.[10] That obituary also notes Morgan was best known as the color analyst on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball for 21 years.[9]
The same source states Morgan's anti-sabermetrics view led to the creation of the website Fire Joe Morgan by TV writers.[9] According to the Awful Announcing obituary, Morgan broadcast three World Series, three ALCS and NLCS matchups, and four All-Star Games for NBC between 1994 and 2000.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Joe Morgan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Joe Morgan (1943–2020)", The American Legion Magazine, December 2020, p. 8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Joe Morgan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, one of Oakland's greatest players, dies at 77", San Francisco Chronicle; Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 152, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York,; "The Red Sox have made two of the best trades in baseball history", The Washington Post (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Joe Morgan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Joe Morgan's Suit Protests 'Profile of Drug Dealer' That Led to Arrest : Civil rights: The former baseball star says he was unfairly targeted by police and detained at LAX because he is black. A second trial on his clai (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Faber, "Joe Morgan", Society for American Baseball Research. facts only, no text reused. sabr.org
- Wikipedia, "Joe Morgan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Purdy, "The Team-by-Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball", Workman Publishing Company, 2006; Faber, "Joe Morgan", Society for American Baseball Research (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Joe Morgan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jauss, Bill. "Morgan A Tribute To Game's 'Little Men': One Of His Idols Was Nellie Fox," Chicago Tribune (August 5, 1990).; Faber, "Joe Morgan", Society for American Baseball Research (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Joe Morgan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, one of Oakland's greatest players, dies at 77", San Francisco Chronicle (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Joe Morgan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "How Joe Morgan's brush with leukemia gave Father's Day a new meaning", NBC Sports, June 19, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Joe Morgan, Hall of Fame baseball player and acclaimed broadcaster, passes away at 77", Awful Announcing, October 12, 2020. facts only, no text reused. awfulannouncing.com
- "1966 – Timeline," Astros Daily. Accessed June 25, 2012.. facts only, no text reused. astrosdaily.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Joe Morgan (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Joe Morgan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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