Bradford Bennett
Outfielder / First baseman / Second baseman
Born: October 31, 1916
Obion, Tennessee, U.S.
Died: July 8, 1981(1981-07-08) (aged 64)
East Chicago, Indiana, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Negro league baseball debut
1940, for the St. Louis–New Orleans Stars
Last appearance
1946, for the Boston Blues[1]
Teams

Bradford Bennett[1][2] (born Brandsford Bennett; October 31, 1916 – July 8, 1981),[3][4] was an American Negro league outfielder, first baseman and second baseman active in the 1940s.

Early life

Bennett was born on October 31, 1916, in Obion, Tennessee; the youngest of two children born to Laurence D. and Edna May Bennett (né Brown).[5][6] By 1920, the family had relocated to Fulton, Kentucky.[7]

Career

Bradford Bennett made his Negro leagues debut in 1940 with the St. Louis–New Orleans Stars. Returning to the Stars in 1941, he was widely touted as "the boy wonder of the American circuit."[8][9] In 1942, Bennett spent an abbreviated season with the New York Black Yankees. There, he divided his time primarily between left field and first base[10][11] and acquired the short lived nickname "Buck" Bennett[12] before being drafted and serving in the U.S. Army for the remainder of World War II.[13][14][15]

In 1946, Bennett returned, only to find yet another truncated season. Signing with the Boston Blues of Branch Rickey's soon-to-be-defunct USL,[16] the once highly valued outfielder appeared only sporadically (and primarily as a second baseman), but did contribute a number of timely hits, including some tape-measure blasts. Case in point, Pittsburgh, May 19, when Bennett's ninth-inning line drive "over the huge Forbes Field scoreboard" gave Boston a 5–4 victory over the Pittsburgh Crawfords.[17] On June 11, the main point of interest in Boston's rain-shortened 3–0 win over Brooklyn was Bennett's "mammoth home run," launched in the 4th inning with one aboard.[18] The Lancaster New Era dubbed it Stumpf Field's "longest home run of the season," adding:

[T]he big thrill of the night came when Brad Bennett, second sacker for the Blues, blasted one over the left field fence in the fourth inning. The customers, of course, have seen home runs knocked over that particular section of Stumpf Field, but it's been some time since they saw one sail so high and far away. Actually, the wallop carried the ball over the tree-tops that tower over the fence.[19]

On August 12, Bennett helped his team – then struggling to retake first place from the surging Crawfords – eke out a much needed 7–5 win with two singles and a booming triple "that rolled almost out to the 520 foot marker in center field."[20]

References

  1. ^ a b Peterson, Robert (1970; 1992). Only the Ball was White: A History of Legendary Black Players and All-Black Professional Teams. p. 316. ISBN 978-0-19-507637-0.
  2. ^ Thorne, John; Palmer, Pete; Gershman, Michael; eds. (1993). Total Baseball. HarperPerennial. p. 2215. ISBN 9780446515764.
  3. ^ United States Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 . Ancestry.com. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  4. ^ United States Social Security Death Index. FamilySearch. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  5. ^ U.S. Draft Registration, 1938-1946. Ancestry.com. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  6. ^ Indiana State Board of Health Medical Certificate of Death. Ancestry. com. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  7. ^ United States Census, 1920. FamilySearch. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  8. ^ Eagle-News Staff (July 29, 1941). "St. Louis Stars to Bring Crack Club Here; Negro Outfit Has No-Hit Hurler; Gene Smith Stopped Yanks With 6 to 0 Score". Poughkeepsie Eagle-News. p. 8. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Star Press staff (July 17, 1941). "St. Louis Ball Club Plays Cits Tonight". The Muncie Star Press. p. 11. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Leak, Curtis A. (March 27, 1943). "Black Yanks Grid for Play". New York Amsterdam Star-News. p. 14. "... Bradford Bennett, young recruit, who gave signs of developing into a master performer at the initial sack". Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  11. ^ A S-N staff (May 23, 1942). "Reports on Sports: Right over the Platter". New York Amsterdam Star-News. p. 14. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  12. ^ NJ & G staff. (May 2, 1942). "Poletti to Toss First Ball as Yanks Play Cubans in NYC“. New Journal and Guide. p. 13. Retrieved May 13, 2021. See also:
  13. ^ United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946. FamilySearch. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  14. ^ Leak, Curtis A. (March 27, 1943). "Black Yanks Gird for Play". New York Amsterdam Star-News. p. 14. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  15. ^ Afro-American staff (March 27, 1943). "Baseball Bits: Yankees Fill Gaps". Afro-American. p. 23. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Cvornyek, Robert (2015). "The Color of Baseball: Race and Boston's Sporting Community". Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal, Vol. 6. p. 101. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  17. ^ Blizzard staff (May 27, 1946). "Pittsburgh and Boston to Play U.S. Loop Game". The Oil City Blizzard. p. 7. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  18. ^ IJ staff (June 12, 1946). "Boston Blues Win 3-0 from Dodgers at Stumpf Field". Lancaster Intelligencer Journal. p. 14. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  19. ^ New Era staff (June 12, 1946). "Homer Blasted as Boston Tops Brooklyn Here: Over the Trees!". Lancaster New Era. p. 14. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  20. ^ Times Mirror staff (August 13, 1946). "Consistent Hitting by Blues Accounts for Their Win; Gagliardi Also Hits". Warren Times Mirror. p. 6. Retrieved May 16, 2021.

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