Willard Brown

CTL-E-6960 · Person · other · 1915–1996

VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-07832 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-6960.

Willard Jessie Brown (June 26, 1915 – August 4, 1996) was an American outfielder from Shreveport, Louisiana, nicknamed "Home Run" Brown — a name the Hall of Fame says Josh Gibson gave him. A center fielder for the Kansas City Monarchs from the mid-1930s, interrupted by U.S. Army service in World War II, he returned to star for the Monarchs in 1946. In July 1947 the St. Louis Browns signed Brown and Monarchs teammate Hank Thompson, the club's first Black players; on July 20, 1947, they became the first Black teammates to play together in a major league game. On August 13, 1947, Brown hit an inside-the-park home run off Hal Newhouser — the first home run hit by a Black player in the American League. The Browns released him after about a month, and he returned to the Monarchs and later starred in Puerto Rican winter ball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

The record

• Also known as: Willard Jessie Brown, Home Run Brown

Notes

Sports Encyclopedia roster CTL-SPE-0261. Firsts disposition: ASSERTED — 'first home run hit by a Black player in the American League (August 13, 1947, inside-the-park, off Hal Newhouser),' supported by two National Baseball Hall of Fame accounts in this record; 'first Black teammates to play together in a major league game (with Hank Thompson, July 20, 1947)' likewise Hall-supported. The task lead's 'first Black player for the Browns' was verified in its exact form and is stated as such in the description: Brown and Thompson were signed together as the St. Louis Browns' first Black players (secondary accounts note Thompson appeared in a game first, on July 17, 1947); no solo 'first for the Browns' claim is made for Brown. Curator's Judgment (DRAFT): Brown's major-league record is twenty-one games and one immortal swing; his Negro Leagues record is a decade and a half of center-field power for the Monarchs. The Browns gave the prize signing of 1947 a month — the brevity of the chance is part of the evidence. Photo: HELD — namesake trap and unconfirmed depiction (see visual asset basis).

Relationships

• Kansas City Monarchs — played for
  Willard Brown began his professional career with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1935, returned to the Monarchs after Army service in 1946, and was signed from the Monarchs by the St. Louis Browns in July 1947 — per the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sources

• National Baseball Hall of Fame. "Brown's lone big league homer made history." Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• National Baseball Hall of Fame. "GI World Series of 1945 featured diverse heroes of the diamond." Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• Baseball-Reference. "Willard Brown" (BR Bullpen). Accessed 2026-11-03. (build store)

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Record CTL-E-6960 · Combined Graph record U-07832 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 3 sources · 1 mapped relationship.
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Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.

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