James Franklin Oliver Sr. (February 10, 1919 – December 5, 1971) was an American

Negro league 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 ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

in the 1940s. Oliver was the father of fellow major leaguer

Nate Oliver Nathaniel Oliver (born December 13, 1940 in St. Petersburg, Florida) had a seven-year major league career in the 1960s, mostly with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Playing career Oliver was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1959. He hit just .224 ...

. He played for the

Cleveland Buckeyes The Cleveland Buckeyes were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1942 to 1950 in the Negro American League. The Buckeyes played in two Negro World Series, defeating the Washington Homestead Grays in 1945, and losing to the New York Cub ...

in 1946, and also played for multiple barnstorming teams, and went on to play minor league baseball for the

St. Petersburg Saints The St. Petersburg Saints were a minor league baseball team that operated out of St. Petersburg, Florida. The team began as a semi-pro team and as early as October 1908, the semi-pro Saints played the Cincinnati Reds in a post-season exhibition g ...

of the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

in the 1950s. Oliver died in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

in 1971 at age 52. Following his death, the baseball field at St. Petersburg's Campbell Park was named in his memory.

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an
Seamheads
1919 births 1971 deaths Place of birth missing Cleveland Buckeyes players Baseball shortstops St. Petersburg Saints players 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{negro-league-baseball-infielder-stub