Carroll Ray "Dink" Mothell (August 13, 1897 – April 24, 1980) was a catcher and utility player who played for 15 years in the

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 ...

. Known for his versatility, Mothell played every position. It was said you could use him "most any place, any time." During Mothell's time with the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 19 ...

and the

All Nations All Nations was a Barnstorm (athletics), barnstorming professional baseball team that toured the Midwest from 1912 to 1918, and again in 1920 and 1921, and from 1923 to 1925. It derived its name from the fact that its team included players of seve ...

, he often caught for Hall of Fame-nominated and Hall of Fame Negro league pitchers such as

José Méndez José Colmenar del Valle Méndez (January 2, 1885 – October 31, 1928) was a Cuban right-handed pitcher and manager in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Cárdenas, Matanzas, he died at age 43 in Havana. Known in Cuba as ''El Diamante Negro'' ...

, John Donaldson,

Bullet Rogan Wilber Joe Rogan, also known as "Bullet Joe" (July 28, 1893 – March 4, 1967), was an American pitcher, outfielder, and manager for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro baseball leagues from 1920 to 1938. Renowned as a two-way player who cou ...

, and

Andy Cooper Andrew Lewis Cooper (April 24, 1898 – June 3, 1941), nicknamed "Lefty", was an American left-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. An alumnus of Paul Quinn College, Cooper played nin ...

. The teams traveled all over the United States, and Mothell was even a part of a Monarchs tour of "The Orient," where they played in places like

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

in 1934."Monarch Stars Homeward Bound"
''Wichita Negro Star'', Wichita, Kansas, March 23, 1934, Page 3

Personal life

Mothell was buried in Topeka, Kansas shortly after he died in 1984, but did not receive a headstone until June 20, 2011."Negro Leagues' heroes finally get their Tombstones"
''NBC Nightly News'', July 19, 2011 The grave marker was placed by the

Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project The Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project is an effort started by Peoria, Illinois anesthesiologist Jeremy Krock and with support of the Society for American Baseball Research to put a proper headstone on the graves of former Negro league bas ...

References

The Topeka Capital-Journal ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett. History The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jou ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mothell, Dink 1897 births 1980 deaths African-American baseball players Sportspeople from Topeka, Kansas Baseball players from Kansas All Nations players Kansas City Monarchs players Negro league baseball managers 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Personal life

References

External links