William Herbert Pierce (born April 30, 1890 and died August 1962) was a

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

for several years before the founding of the first Negro National League, and in its first few seasons. Nicknamed "Bonehead" and "Big Bill Pierce", he played for the

Philadelphia Giants The Philadelphia Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1902 to 1911. From 1904 to 1909 they were one of the strongest teams in black baseball, winning five eastern championships in six years. The team was organized by Sol Whi ...

at the age of 20. During the winter, he often played baseball in Cuba and Florida. Pierce would play most of his seasons for the

Lincoln Giants The Lincoln Giants were a Negro league baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930. Founding The Lincoln Giants can trace their origins back to the Nebraska Indians, of Lincoln, Nebraska, from the 1890s. According to Sol White ...

. Pierce would follow his battery mate

Ad Lankford Louis Adward Lankford (January 20, 1882 – June 1967) was an American Negro league pitcher between 1912 and 1920. A native of Canton, Missouri, Lankford made his Negro leagues debut in 1912 for the St. Louis Giants. He went on to play for s ...

from the

after their successful 1915 season, to join the

Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York The Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York were an independent baseball club that played in the Negro leagues during 12 seasons spanning 1916–1934. The title of this team had little to do with the state of Pennsylvania, but it did have a close connect ...

. He registered for the WWI draft on June 5, 1917, listing his occupation as a Porter for the Pennsylvania Railroad Station in Manhattan. He also lists himself as married and living at 2229 5th Avenue in New York City."WWI Draft Registration Card for William H. Pierce" Registered at New York City #167, June 5, 1917
/ref> Pierce managed the

Baltimore Black Sox The Baltimore Black Sox were a professional Negro league baseball team active between 1913 and 1936, based in Baltimore, Maryland. Founding The Black Sox started as an independent team in 1913 by Howard Young. They were one of the original six ...

in 1922. His last known season as a player was 1924, for the

Detroit Stars The Detroit Stars were an American baseball team in the Negro leagues and played at historic Mack Park. The Stars had winning seasons every year but two, but were never able to secure any championships. Among their best players was Baseball Hall of ...

at the age of 34. At the age of 62, Pierce received votes listing him on the 1952 ''

Pittsburgh Courier The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States. It was acqu ...

'' player-voted poll of the Negro leagues' best players ever."1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players"
/ref> He died at the age of 72.

References

External links

an
Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats
an
Seamheads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, William 1890 births 1962 deaths Baseball players from Indiana Bacharach Giants players Baltimore Black Sox players Chicago American Giants players Club Fé players Cuban baseball players Detroit Stars players Lincoln Giants players Negro league baseball managers Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York players Philadelphia Giants players Schenectady Mohawk Giants players American expatriate baseball players in Cuba