Hubert Van Wike Simmons (May 19, 1924 – July 8, 2009) was an American

Negro league baseball 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 ...

pitcher and outfielder. He batted and threw right handed.Biography
''Negro League Baseball Museum website''. Retrieved on January 28, 2019.
Article by Frederick N. Rasmussen. ''The Baltimore Sun website''. Retrieved on January 28, 2019. It is documented that Simmons could play all nine positions in baseball. Nevertheless, he was primarily a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

pitcher that later established his reputation for his nasty knuckleball.Hubert 'Bert' Simmons profile and interview
''Negro League Baseball Players Association website''. Retrieved on January 28, 2019.

Early life

During his life, Simmons was considered to be an engaging individual, readily willing to share his experiences, talking to adults as well as kids, both African-Americans and white, about playing professional baseball and participating voluntarily in social activities. Simmons was born and raised in Tarboro, North Carolina. He grew up watching the likes of

Soup Campbell Campbell's grave marker, in Salem Baptist Church cemetery, Sparta, Virginia Clarence Campbell, better known as Soup Campbell (after Campbell's Soup) (March 7, 1915 – February 16, 2000) was a backup outfielder in Major League Baseball who play ...

, Snake Henry and

Buster Maynard James Walter "Buster" Maynard (March 25, 1913 – September 7, 1977) was an American professional baseball player whose 14-year career included 224 games in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants during all or portions of four seasons betw ...

playing with the Class-D

Tarboro Serpents Tarboro Tars was the primary name of a minor league baseball team based in Tarboro, North Carolina. The team competed in the Coastal Plain League from 1937 to 1941 and from 1946 to 1952. The team used several other nicknames during its history, a ...

at what was then called Bryan Park. Simmons had dreamed of playing on that same field since age seven, but segregation stood ominously in his path. At the time, it was a white park, with only white ball teams playing there. Neverthelees, Simmons learned to play baseball and watched games at the ballpark, which had separate seating for black people. After years of using foul balls as his golden ticket into Bryan Park, the teenager Simmons met a groundskeeper that allowed him to shine baseball shoes, and rake the basepaths and the field, which allowed Simmons to watch free the games of his local team.

Baseball career

Because his high school did not have a baseball team, Simmons just played sandlot ball and in

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

games around his hometown. After graduating from high school in 1941, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC),About Bert Simmons
''SMNLB Inc. website''. Retrieved on January 28, 2019. a public work relief program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that operated from 1933 to 1942. Simmons was relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he joined the Raleigh Tigers, a semipro team managed by legendary William 'Bill' Foster. Simmons spent his time with the Tigers from 1941 to 1942. Afterwards, he continued playing baseball for several teams through 1949, even while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1943 to 1945 and later while attending college at A&T State in Greensboro, North Carolina, between 1946 and 1949. In between, Simmons served in Europe with the Quartermaster Corps, arriving on the beaches of Normandy landings in June 1944 during the

D-Day invasion The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

. Discharged with the rank of sergeant at the end of the war, Simmons attended A&T, where he earned a bachelor's degree in

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

in 1950. While a student at A&T, he was a member of three championship teams and twice made the all-conference team. In addition to the Raleigh Tigers, Simmons played for the Greensboro Red Wings (1946-1948), Farley Stars (1948), Asheville Blues (1949), and finally with the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro American League in 1950, in what would be the final season of the storied franchise. Simmons won one game in three pitching appearances for the Elites. After that, he played from 1951 to 1952 for the all-black Yokely Stars, an independent club based in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

Life after Baseball

After retiring from baseball, Simmons settled in Baltimore and worked for the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Post Office before becoming a city school teacher in 1954. He then taught business at Northwestern High School and was appointed department chairman in 1975. He retired in 1984 after 30 years of service in the Baltimore City Public School System. In his sparetime, he coached baseball at the Little League, high school and college levels for more than 40 years. Simmons later owned SimmonsInk, The Logo Specialists, an advertising specialties business, and opened a small sportswear retail store, Simmons Inc., specialized in customized clothing and uniforms for teams, churches, schools and fraternal organizations. In 1978, Simmons gained induction into the North Carolina A&T State University Sports Hall of Fame. Thereafter, he was recognized by the Mayor of the City of Baltimore for Outstanding Community Service. For years, he also participated in the Baltimore Orioles' FanFest, being honored in 2004 by throwing out the first pitch at an Orioles home game. Prior to the

2008 MLB Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected Simmons as a pitcher in the special draft of the surviving Negro league players.

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

player Dave Winfield hatched the idea to have this draft, which allowed the MLB teams each select a former NLB player to rectify and recognize those ballplayers who did not have the opportunity to play in the major leagues on the basis of race. A few days later, the tireless Simmons, along with his wife Audrey L. Simmons and good friend Rayner Banks, gathered a group of relatives, friends, and acquaintances to meet and discuss plans for the development of a Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Baltimore. The timing was perfect as there was a rise in interest surrounding the Negro leagues and its ball players after the Special Draft. As a result, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum of Maryland Inc. (NLBMM) became incorporated in the State of Maryland and was recognized by the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

as a non-profit, charitable corporation in September 2008. Soon after, Simmons continued a normal life until he suddenly became ill. He died on July 8, 2009, in Baltimore at the age of 85. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving player of the Baltimore Elite Giants.

Legacy

On March 27, 2014, Baltimore County officials, former Negro league baseball players and fans formally unveiled the Hubert V. Simmons Museum of Negro Leagues Baseball (SMNLB) in the Owings Mills branch of the Baltimore County Public Library to honor Simmons.Opening day at Hubert V. Simmons Museum of Negro Leagues Baseball in Owings Mills
''The Baltimore Sun website''. Retrieved on January 30, 2019. The previously named Negro Leagues Baseball Museum of Maryland Inc. had been housed in various temporary locations until the county offered to give it a permanent home in the newly founded BCPL branch.

Sources

External links

Negro League Baseball Players AssociationHubert V. Simmons Museum of Negro Leagues BaseballHubert V. Simmons Museum of Negro Leagues Baseball images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Hubert 1924 births 2009 deaths African-American baseball players United States Army personnel of World War II Baltimore Elite Giants players Baseball coaches from North Carolina Baseball pitchers People from Tarboro, North Carolina Baseball players from Baltimore North Carolina A&T State University alumni 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople