Joe Henry
Nickname: Prince
Career: 1950-1959
Positions: 2b, 3b
Teams: Memphis Red Sox (1950-1952), minor leagues (1952-1954), Detroit Stars (1958), Indianapolis Clowns, Detroit Clowns
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Born: October 4, 1930, Lovejoy (Bloomington), Illinois
A second baseman with the 1950 Memphis Red Sox, he hit .284 with slightly less than average power and was a pretty good base stealer, but he struck out more than average. Two years later, after the rapid decline of quality in the Negro Leagues, he entered organized baseball, batting .303 while playing third base with Canton, Ohio. The next two seasons were spent with Mt. Vernon in the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League, where he proved consistent at the plate, with batting averages of .275 and .274.
Baseball Career Highlights:
"Just being part of the Negro Leagues."
Professional/Personal Accomplishments:
Henry worked in various American Motors plants, rising in the union ranks to become one of the first African Americans in the United Auto Workers' history to serve as a chief steward. In recent years, Henry has assembled Negro Leagues memorabilia to help educate students about the Leagues and the segregation and discrimination the players experienced. He regularly gives presentation in schools and universities. In addition, Henry was an extra in the HBO film, "Baseball in Black and White," which aired in March 1996.
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.