Owen Smaulding

Bazz Owen Smaulding (September 30, 1896 – December 1, 1961) was an American Negro league pitcher in the 1920s and 1930s.

Owen Smaulding
Pitcher
Born: (1896-09-30)September 30, 1896 Wichita Falls, Texas
Died: December 1, 1961(1961-12-01) (aged 65) Chicago, Illinois
Negro league baseball debut
1927, for the Kansas City Monarchs
Last appearance
1932, for the Gilkerson's Union Giants
Teams
Kansas City Monarchs (1927) Chicago American Giants (1928) Cleveland Tigers (1928) Birmingham Black Barons (1928) Gilkerson's Union Giants (1931–1932)

A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Smaulding attended Albuquerque High School, where he played football, basketball, baseball and track.^[1][2] Described as an "incredible athlete", his high school football team reportedly defeated the University of New Mexico team in an exhibition in which Smaulding scored three touchdowns.^[3] Smaulding served briefly in the US Army in World War I, graduated from high school upon return,^[2] and went on to attend the University of Washington and the University of Idaho.^[3]

Smaulding broke into the Negro leagues in 1927 with the Kansas City Monarchs, then split time in 1928 with the Chicago American Giants, Cleveland Tigers, and Birmingham Black Barons. In 1931 and 1932, he played with the independent Gilkerson's Union Giants.^[3] Following his playing career, Smaulding taught at Piney Woods School in Mississippi for several years.^[2] He died in Chicago, Illinois in 1961 at age 65, and was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.^[4]

References

1. "Owen Smaulding". seamheads.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
2. Mike Magers (July 19, 2014). "Owen Smaulding". nmsportsblog.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
3. David Eskenazi and Steve Rudman (May 15, 2015). "Wayback Machine: A Legacy of Black Baseball". sportspressnw.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
4. "Inductees". New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference and Seamheads