Richard Elmer "King Tut" King (September 15, 1904 - December 29, 1966) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

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 ...

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 ...

. He played with the Cincinnati/Indianapolis Clowns in 1943, 1945, and 1948. King was known more for performing

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

comedy acts than his playing ability. He often worked alongside

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

Spec Bebop, where the two performed a rowboat routine. King was also known for his oversized first baseman's mitt. He eventually transitioned away from playing altogether, but remained associated with the Clowns until his retirement in 1959.

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an
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Indianapolis Clowns players Cincinnati Clowns players 1904 births 1966 deaths Baseball shortstops Baseball players from Florida 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{Negro-league-baseball-infielder-stub