For more than 50 years at Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Bill Greason was a beloved pastor. He baptized children, officiated weddings, and saved souls while reconciling people to God.
But long before that, Greason was a Negro Leaguer — a right-handed pitcher whose skills wowed crowds at Rickwood Field, a ballpark in Birmingham where some of the best players of the early 20th century played, according to the Times.
One of baseball’s heroes whose story is largely forgotten, Greason served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and eventually became a professional baseball player for more than 10 years despite not having received any formal training in the sport, as reported by MLB.
Now, following the passing of Ron “Schoolboy” Teasley last Tuesday, 101-year-old Greason is believed to be the last living player from the Negro Leagues era.
In the 1800s, African-American baseball players were battling to make it into the major leagues because there was a ban on their participation. The segregation of the game confined African Americans who wished to play baseball to the Negro Leagues. This moratorium on the major leagues for Black players lasted for 50 years.
Even when economic reasons forced sponsors and regulators of the sport to integrate Black players, the process was slow, according to history.
From a humble beginning in segregated Atlanta, Greason grew up across the street from Martin Luther King Jr. and learned to pitch in the early 1930s after imitating older ballplayers on sandlots. He played semipro baseball for a pencil factory team in his teens before being drafted into service during World War II.
In 1943, he reported to Montford Point, a segregated camp in North Carolina, and became one of the first Black Marines. He watched many of his fellow Marines die while serving at Iwo Jima and witnessed the famous raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945.
Thinking he would also die like his fellow Marines, he promised God that he would do whatever he [God] asked of him should he make it out alive. He came back to the game of baseball following the war and climbed through the Negro minor leagues before earning a contract with the Black Barons in the spring of 1948. Greason joined a team of veterans, but his talent and skills won him his first three starts at just 23 years old. A newspaper even nicknamed him “The Whiz Kid.”
All in all, Greason played for the Atlanta Black Crackers, Nashville Cubs and Asheville Blues before he pitched for the Birmingham Black Barons in 1948; the team won the Negro American League pennant that season. Greason produced a 2.84 ERA over 69 2/3 innings for the Black Barons and also had six hits in 23 at-bats and a .393 on-base percentage, according to MLB.
In 1954, Greason made history for himself and the Cardinals as the franchise’s first Black pitcher. He pitched in three games for St. Louis, allowing eight runs (six earned) over four innings. He spent a few more years in the Minors and met a future icon, Bob Gibson, in 1958 while they were teammates at Triple-A Rochester.
Retiring after the 1959 season, Greason returned to Birmingham, where he became the pastor for Bethel Baptist Church in 1971.
Not too long ago, he was pleased to have been made a guest of honor for MLB’s game between the Giants and his former team Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham. He tossed out the ceremonial first pitch.
“I have many memories of this place, because we were the only team that played here other than the white team,” Greason said to FOX at the time. “It was a pleasure to be a part of such an experience that we had here.”
Turning 100 years old in 2024 and being one of the last surviving veterans of the Negro Leagues was also a humbling experience for Greason.
“I’m just thankful that God allowed me to be here this long,” the right-handed pitcher said that year. “I’m thankful for life: God’s been good to me, and He is good to me. Allowed me to live the age that I am and to have the activities of my life. It’s surprising to me. I never thought I’d live this long after being in two wars, baseball and traveling. It’s been a blessing,” he added.
