Judy Johnson

Birth Name:

William Julius Johnson

Birth Date:

October 26, 1899

Birth Place:

Snow Hill, Maryland

Death Date:

June 15, 1989

Place of Death:

3701 Kiamensi Road, Marshallton, Delaware

Age:

Cause of Death:

Stroke

Cemetery Name:

Silverbrook Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Sports

William "Judy" Johnson was an American professional third baseman and manager whose career in Negro league baseball spanned 17 seasons, from 1921 to 1937. Slight of build, Johnson never developed as a power threat but achieved his greatest success as a contact hitter and an intuitive defenseman. As a third baseman, Johnson was often compared with Pie Traynor of the Pittsburgh Pirates, also a Hall of Famer. Johnson hit over .300 seven times in the Negro leagues, with a career high of .416 in 1929, in the days when black players were not permitted to play in the major leagues. Regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of the Negro leagues, in 1975 Johnson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame after being nominated by the Negro Leagues Committee. Connie Mack, for 50 years the owner-manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, once said, ''If Judy were only white, he could name his own price.''

Fun Facts

Following his retirement from baseball as a player, Johnson became a scout for Major League Baseball teams. He was hired as an assistant coach by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1954, becoming one of the first African Americans signed to a coaching position on a major league ball club.

His home at 3701 Kiamensi Road in Marshallton, Delaware where he lived for five decades and died there is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Silverbrook Cemetery

3300 Lancaster Pike

Wilmington, Delaware, 19805

USA

North America

Map:

Cemetery map of Silverbrook Cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware.

Grave Location:

Garden of Devotion, Lot 222, Grave 1

Grave Location Description

Enter the cemetery through a secondary entrance at the intersection of South Dupont Road, Faulkland Road and Hwy 100. As you enter the gates stay to the left and it will veer left slightly before coming to an end with a hard right turn. At this bend in the road park your car and look to your left for a pathway to a large sculpture of an open book. Now walk over to the edge of the road, 9 graves to the left of the pathway and 20 feet in you will find the final resting of baseball legend Judy Johnson and his wife.