Willard Brown was born in 1911 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Brown signed his first professional contract with the Monroe Monarchs of the Negro Southern League for $ 10 a week in 1934. Brown was a pure hitter, who hit for average and power. He won ten (10) homerun titles during his career. Willard was voted to the Negro League all-star team for the East-West All-Star game seven times. When he closed out his Negro League career he posted a lifetime batting average of .355 and was among the all-time leaders in homeruns. From the late 1940’s though the mid 1950’s, there wasn’t a better hitter in Negro League baseball than Willard Brown.
Willard "Homerun" Brown - Santurce Canjeros
During his playing career, Willard Brown played professional ball during the regular season with:
|
Monroe Monarchs |
1934 |
(Negro Southern League) |
|
Kansas City Monarchs |
1935-1943, 1946-1952 and 1958-1960 |
(Negro American League) |
|
Nuevo Laredo |
1940 |
(Mexican League) |
|
Puebla |
1941 |
(Mexican league) |
|
St. Louis Browns |
1947 |
(Major League baseball – American league) |
|
Ottawa |
1950 |
(Border League) |
|
Escogido |
1951-1952 |
(Dominican League) |
|
Jalisco |
1951 |
(Mexican League) |
|
Dallas Eagles |
1953-1954 |
(Texas League) |
|
Houston Buffaloes |
1954-1955 |
(Texas League) |
|
Austin |
1956 |
(Texas League) |
|
San Antonio Missions |
1956 |
(Texas League) |
|
Tulsa |
1956 |
(Texas League) |
|
Topeka |
1956 |
(Western League) |
During the off season, Willard played for numerous barnstorming teams and played winter league ball. Brown played one season of winter league ball in Cuba (1937-1938) and ten seasons of winter league ball in Puerto Rico from 1941 to 1957. Nine of his seasons in Puerto Rico were with Santurce. He won the triple crown twice in Puerto Rico, 1947-48 (27 homeruns, 86 runs batted in and .432 batting average) and 1949-50 ( 16 homeruns, 97 runs batted in and .353 batting average). His 27 homeruns in the 1947-48 season still stands as the all-time number of homeruns in one season. He also won the Puerto Rican Winter League batting title for a third time in 1946-47 season with a .390 batting average.
Willard Brown passed away in 1996 in Houston, Texas with his best friend and former Negro League player Bill Beverly at his bedside. Brown was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.