William George Sloan (September 27, 1886 – June 3, 1931) 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 ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in the 1900s. Sloan was a native of

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

Negro league career

In 1908, Sloan was on the pitching staff of the semi-pro Cleveland Giants. In 1909, Sloan played for at least 4 teams: the Cuban Stars of Havana,

Illinois Giants Illinois Giants were a barnstorming Negro league baseball team in the 1920s. The Illinois Giants are noted as having played in 1910 and 1919 to 1929. Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe joined the team in 1920 Events January * January 1 ** Pol ...

, Kansas City Giants, and

Leland Giants The Leland Giants, originally the Chicago Union Giants, were a Negro league baseball team that competed independently during the first decade of the 20th century. The team was formed via a merge of the Chicago Unions and the Chicago Columbia Gian ...

in 1909. In five recorded games, he posted six hits in 20 plate appearances.

Dayton Marcos

In 1910, Sloan returned to his hometown and served as team captain of the

Dayton Marcos The Dayton Marcos were a Negro league baseball team based from Dayton, Ohio that played during the early twentieth century. Founding and early years The Dayton Marcos history predates the formal organized leagues of Negro league baseball. As an ...

.In 1912, Sloan and owner/manager John Matthews had a brief dispute and he was briefly benched, returning in August and remaining on the pitching staff through 1914.

Dayton flood of 1913

During the

Great Dayton Flood The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 resulted from flooding by the Great Miami River reaching Dayton, Ohio, and the surrounding area, causing the greatest natural disaster in Ohio history. In response, the General Assembly passed the Vonderheide Act to ...

of 1913, Sloan, also an employee at the Kuhns Brothers Foundry in the offseason, walked to the nearby Dayton D Handle Company and asked for permission to use their small boat to rescue residents trapped in the flood waters. When the owner refused, Sloan produced a handgun and commandeered the boat with two other men.Over 3 days, Sloan rescued at least 317 people including his own 1 year old son Jamesand Leroy Crandall, the owner of the boat.For his efforts, Sloan was recommended for the Carnegie Medal.

Injury and retirement

In 1914, Sloan was injured in a work accident when he was stuck under an elevator on a construction site. He was hospitalized with a bruised stomach and hips.Sloan never returned to the Marcos.

Death and legacy

Sloan died in

in 1931 at age 44 and buried in an unmarked grave at Woodland Cemetery in Dayton.In 1997, he was depicted in the play "1913-The Great Dayton Flood" at Wright State University. The play was revived in 2013.A historic marker detailing Sloan's role in the 1913 flood was erected on the banks of the Great Miami River in Dayton. In 2013, an anonymous Good Samaritan donated and placed a headstone on Sloan's grave.

References

External links

*Baseball statistics and player information fro
Baseball-Reference Black Baseball Stats
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Seamheads
1886 births 1931 deaths Illinois Giants players Kansas City Giants players Leland Giants players {{negro-league-baseball-bio-stub Cuban Stars (West) players Dayton Marcos players