William Breda
Nicknames: Bill, Chippy
Career: 1950-1955
Position: rf, lf
Teams: Kansas City Monarchs (1950-1951), Birmingham Black Barons (1954)
Born: April 6, 1927, Alexandria, Louisiana
He was an outfielder with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1950, when the Negro American League was struggling to survive the loss of players to organized baseball. He hit .268 with average power and continued with the Monarchs through the next season. He played with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1954, but during the 1950s the league was strictly at a minor-league level of play.
Baseball Career Highlights:
Breda, who played as an outfielder with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1950, developed into a highly popular and valuable member of the team. He was called a "hard hustler" and "dangerous hitter" by the Kansas City press. James "Cool Papa" Bell, who was once Breda's manager, predicted that Breda would become a great player for the Monarchs.
Professional/Personal Accomplishments:
After ending his baseball career, Breda became an educator in Louisiana. Throughout his professional career, he has held numerous positions in that field. He retired in 1986 after serving as the principal of McKinley High School for 16 years.
Awards, Honors, Titles, Championships,
Schools, Colleges:
• Honors Student in High School and College
• "Outstanding Graduating Student" in High School Class
• National Social Science Honor Society (Pi Gamma Mu) Member
• All SWAC Football and Baseball Player
• All-State Quarterback
• Three-Time National Football Champion
• Member of the First U.S. Collegiate Interracial Football Game
• Captain of Southern University's first baseball team
• Master's degree in Administration/Supervision (Louisiana
State University) - 1959
• "Outstanding Teacher of the Year"
• "Outstanding Administrator of the Year"
Sources:
NLBM Legacy 2000 Players' Reunion Alumni Book, Kansas City Missouri: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Inc., 2000.
James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.
William Breda