Willie Mays, 1940s

Willie Mays played for the Birmingham Black Barons in the Negro Leagues, beginning in 1947 as a part-time player so he could finish high school. He left the team in 1950 to play major league ball for the New York Giants.

Willie Mays as a young player in the 1940s
Courtesy of the Birmingham Public Library Archives and Faye Davis
Willie Mays as a young player in the 1940s