Born November 2, 1925 in Nashville, Tennessee;
Clinton Hill “Butch” McCord played college football at Tennessee State
University prior to beginning his Negro League baseball career with the
Baltimore Elite Giants. He was one of
the last players in the pipeline to the Elite Giants from Nashville, the team’s
original location (moved to Baltimore in 1938).
Teammates Jim Gilliam, Henry Kimbro, and Frank Russell were also from
Nashville. The left handed batting first
baseman played with the Elite Giants in 1948 – 1949, and the Chicago American
Giants in 1950. When Negro League baseball declined, McCord
played in the top minor league systems of several Major League teams from 1951
– 1961. During those years he had
productive offensive seasons with teams in the International League, American
Association, Sally League (Southern Atlantic League), and Texas League. His eleven season minor league career batting
average is .306.
But “Butch” McCord never made it out of the minor
leagues due to the slow process of integration by Major League teams in the 1950’s. Many teams had an unwritten policy of not
having more than two African American players on the roster.
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