Lemuel Hawkins | |
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First baseman | |
Born: Macon, Georgia, U.S. | October 2, 1895|
Died: August 10, 1934 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 38)|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
debut | |
1921, for the Kansas City Monarchs | |
Last appearance | |
1928, for the Chicago American Giants | |
Negro National League statistics | |
Batting average | .265 |
Home runs | 3 |
Runs scored | 268 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Lemuel Hawkins (October 2, 1895 – August 10, 1934) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago Giants [2] and Chicago American Giants from 1921 to 1928. He was 5'10" and weighed 185 pounds. [3]
Hawkins was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1895. [3] He served in World War I and was also the first baseman for the successful 25th Infantry Wreckers baseball team posted at Schofield Barracks at Wahiawa, Hawaii [4] and Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. He, along with teammates Oscar Johnson, Dobie Moore, Bullet Rogan, and Bob Fagin, joined the Kansas City Monarchs in the early 1920s. [5] [6] [7] [8]
Hawkins was the Monarchs' everyday first baseman from 1921 to 1927 and played for the Monarchs team which won the 1924 Colored World Series. [9] [10] According to George Sweatt, Hawkins and teammate Bill "Plunk" Drake were good friends. "[They] were the craziest guys," Sweatt recalled. "When we'd go to a different town, they'd just walk through the halls all night, fooling around. That's all they did!" [11] Between the 1923 and 1924 baseball seasons, it was reported that Hawkins spent the winter driving a taxicab. [12]
Hawkins played for the Chicago American Giants in 1928. He finished his career in the Negro National League with a .265 batting average, three home runs, and 268 runs scored in 2,126 plate appearances. [3]
In July 1931, Hawkins was with three other men in a car when they were searched by police in connection with a holdup. One of the other men pulled a gun and was shot to death by the officers, and Hawkins was held on an automobile theft charge. [13] [14]
In August 1934, Hawkins and a partner attempted to hold up a beer truck. A scuffle took place, and Hawkins was accidentally shot to death by his partner. [8]
Hawkins is one of four Negro league baseball players who were honored with plaques at Luther Williams Field in Macon in 2016. [15]