Gene Locklear is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

outfielder, born in

Lumberton, North Carolina Lumberton is a city in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. As of 2020, its population was 19,025. It is the seat of Robeson County's government. Located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, Lumberton is located on the Lum ...

. He played all or part of five seasons, from until , in the major leagues. He also played one season in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

for the

Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

in . Locklear was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in . He played in their farm system until . He made the Reds'

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roster in 1973, making his major league debut on April 5. In June, he was traded to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

, for whom he played until . He was then traded to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

, for whom he played 13 games in 1976 and one game in 1977. After spending most of the latter year with the

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minor league baseball team, he signed with the Fighters, where he ended his career. This included hitting four home runs in a single AAA game at Columbus, Ohio in 1978. Locklear is a full-blooded member of the

Lumbee The Lumbee are a Native American people primarily centered in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties in North Carolina. They also live in surrounding states and Baltimore, Maryland. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a state-recog ...

people.Chass, Murray, "Locklear Is a Yankee With an Unusual Past and Future," ''The New York Times'', Sunday, August 22, 1976.
Retrieved November 2, 2022. After his baseball career, he worked as a commercial artist.

References

External links

Gene Locklear (official website).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Locklear, Gene 1949 births Living people 20th-century Native Americans American expatriate baseball players in Japan Asheville Tourists players Baseball players from North Carolina Cincinnati Reds players Hawaii Islanders players Indianapolis Indians players Lumbee people Major League Baseball outfielders Native American male artists Native American baseball players New York Yankees players Nippon Ham Fighters players People from Lumberton, North Carolina San Diego Padres players Sioux Falls Packers players Syracuse Chiefs players Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players Trois-Rivières Aigles players