Josh Gibson - Definition and Overview

Joshua Gibson (December 21, 1911 in Buena Vista, Georgia - January 20, 1947) was an catcher for the Homestead Grays and later the Pittsburgh Crawfords in baseball's Negro Leagues. He is widely considered among the very best power hitters in baseball history, but never played in Major League Baseball as African-Americans were informally excluded during his lifetime. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, elected in 1972.

Gibson died of a stroke at age 35 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, just three months before Jackie Robinson became the first black player in modern major league history. The stroke is generally believed to be linked to drug problems that plagued his later years.

Gibson is buried in the Allegheny Cemetery in the Lawrenceville district of Pittsburgh.

External link

• Baseball Hall of Fame (http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/gibson_josh.htm)

http://www.pace.edu/library/pages/links/ondisplay/josh.htm