Tommy Sampson

I met Tommy Sampson on a trip to his home in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Tommy was an important person in the history of Baseball in that he discovered Willie Mays in 1948. Tommy played second base and managed the Birmingham Black Barons. He had a career .303 batting average and hit .354 in 1942 and was elected to play in 4 East-West All-Star games.

Tommy had many physical problems due to a car accident during the 1944 world series. He suffered a broken leg and missed a year of baseball. Another incident, while working in the coal mines, Tommy lost his right index finger in a mining accident. Even through his physical ailments Tommy persevered to make his mark playing the game he loved.

Tommy was an intelligent, kind man who carried himself with great respect and was another source of Negro League history that I took advantage of learning from. Tommy had a great disposition and was a great asset to the NLBPA.