But the reserve clause gave Flood no choice in the matter. Flood had little desire to be part of that team. The Phillies were a team going nowhere, with a fan base and management that were hostile to Black players. Louis Cardinals hat, called him "Baseball's Best Centerfielder." / THF76590įlood's stellar 12-year career with the Cardinals ended suddenly in 1969, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. The issue, pictured here with Flood’s St. Flood also joined Jackie Robinson at NAACP rallies across the South.Ĭurt Flood was featured on the August 19, 1968, cover of Sports Illustrated. These men successfully pressed the organization to patronize integrated hotels and restaurants. He and two of his new teammates, Bill White and Bob Gibson, became increasingly outspoken about segregationist aspects of the Cardinals operation. It was the courage shown by Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson (the player famous for breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier), and others that gave Flood the strength to persevere through his two-year minor league stint.įlood joined the Major Leagues when he was signed by the St. In 1956, as a 19-year-old minor leaguer in the Deep South, Flood came face-to-face with the virulent racial hatred that had arisen in the wake of the 1955 Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation in schools, and from the ongoing Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott inspired by Rosa Parks. He was among the first generation of Black players in Major League Baseball. The ball is part of a story of inspiration, courage, and perseverance.Ĭurt Flood grew up in Oakland, California, and had no direct experience with the intense racism of the Jim Crow South. So why would Flood save a baseball signed by Rosa Parks among his personal effects? He undoubtedly signed thousands of baseballs during and after his career. Louis Cardinals baseball team of the 1960s. THF96558Ĭurt Flood was an All-Star, Gold-Glove centerfielder for the powerhouse St. Archive Insight Baseball autographed for All-Star centerfielder Curt Flood by one of his heroes, civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
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