Willard Brown on a 1953 Dallas Eagles team ball
 

I was at at Past Times Collectibles in Fullerton (CA) this afternoon and picked up a signed Texas League ball in a box of old baseballs. I initially grabbed it because it had "Wilcy Moore" on it. Moore was pitcher on the 1927 Yankees and had a long minor league career. It was on an official Spalding Texas League ball so I grabbed it thinking it would be fun to research.

When I got home I found that Wilcy Moore wasn't the old Yankee but a younger player who never made the majors. He played on the 1952-1953 Dallas Eagles, and the other names matched to 1953. I looked up the roster and found that Negro Leaguer and Hall of Famer Willard Brown played on that team. Spinning the ball around I found him!

The 1953 Eagles won the Texas League pennant, defeating the Tulsa Oilers 4 games to 1 in the playoffs.


I recommend anyone in SoCal to stop in at Past Times, it's a really great store and the owner if a very nice guy who loves to talk baseball. Nice pre-1970 pennant selection, small but significant selection of vintage cards, scorecards, framed prints, etc.

I stop there every time I am in town.

Here's the ball:

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The Willard Brown signature is a little worn but easily readable.

Other players I could make out are:

Bob Bareford catcher and I think was manager that year
Wilcy Moore left fielder and not sure if he is related to the 1927 Yankees pitcher
Jose Santiago Puerto Rican pitcher who played with Cleveland and Kansas City
Pete Mazar 12-year minor league pitcher from New Jersey
Buzz Clarkson Negro League infielder with the Crawfords and had a cup of coffee with Boston in 1952
Howard Anderson journeyman pitcher with the Braves organization
Al Stringer had a decade long pitching career in the high minors
Eddie Knoblauch centerfielder
Jodie Beeler utilityman who played 3 games for Cincinnati in 1944
Joe Kotrany pitched for Dallas from 1952 to 1959 but didn't make the majors
Homer Gibson long career as a pitcher in the western leagues
Ben Taylor first baseman played a few games for Detroit in 1952 and Milwaukee in 1955
Red Murff pitched for Milwaukee in 1956 and 1957
Phil Masi catcher in the majors from 1939 to 1952 with the Braves, Pirates and White Sox
Frank Tornay infielder with a 10-year pot war career in the mid-minors

I'm looking forward to researching the rest of the team.

Amazing find!

That's an awesome find, Gary. I dream of finding a Home Run Brown autograph somewhere. The Wilcy Moore on your ball is not the old Yankees pitcher, but an outfielder who played for the Eagles.

I see Red Murff above Brown....the Met scout who discovered Nolan Ryan.

I may/must have been completely in the dark, but prior to his induction, I have zero recollection of anyone caring about Willard Brown's autograph. He was just a player who completist collectors would get a copy of to fill his spot in their 1947 debut year sets. You just found one, added it to the 1947 pile and carried on.

I've owned a handful of his autographs over the years. Strangely, regardless of if it was pre- or post-induction, I've never paid more than $10 for any of them. Just lucky with him, I guess.