Ernest Johnson
Nickname: Schoolboy
Career: 1949-1953
Positions: p, of
Teams: Kansas City Monarchs (1949-1953), Canadian League (1954), minor leagues (1955-1959)
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Height: 6' 3'' Weight: 180
Born: November 4, 1928, Clinton, Mississippi
With the Kansas City Monarchs in 1949, he was only a mediocre pitcher with average control. His possessed a three-pitch repertory, consisting of an average fastball and curve and a fair change-up. As a batter he was a free-swinger with some extra-base power, and in 1950 he was used in the outfield. He continued with the Monarchs through 1953, although the Negro American League was no longer of major-league caliber, and when he went into organized baseball, it was as an outfielder.
With the Thetford Mines in the Provincial League in 1954 he hit .288. The next year he split the season between two leagues and turned in a consistent batting performance, hitting .292 with Magic Valley in the Pioneer League and .291 with Macon in the Sally League. In three seasons in the Western League (with Des Moines the first two years and Sioux City the latter year), he hit .320, .300, and .308. He finished his career by hitting .265 with Charleston in the Sally League in 1959.
Baseball Career Highlights:
"Making the East-West All Star team in 1953 with the Monarchs."
Professional/Personal Accomplishments:
"I played six years in the minor leagues for the Chicago Cubs, White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. After baseball, I worked five years for the State of Iowa. In 1964, I went to work for Armstrong Tire and Rubber, where I worked until 1992."
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.
Ernest Johnson