Joe Durham

{{Short description|American baseball player and coach (1931–2016)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Joe Durham

|image=Joe Durham Cardinals.jpg

|position=Outfielder

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{birth date|1931|7|31}}

|birth_place=Newport News, Virginia, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|2016|4|28|1931|7|31|mf=yes}}

|death_place=Randallstown, Maryland, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 10

|debutyear=1954

|debutteam=Baltimore Orioles

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=May 6

|finalyear=1959

|finalteam=St. Louis Cardinal

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.188

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=5

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=20

|teams=

Baltimore Orioles ({{baseball year|1954}}, {{baseball year|1957}})
St. Louis Cardinals ({{baseball year|1959}})

}}

Joseph Vann Durham (July 31, 1931 – April 28, 2016){{cite web|url=http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/joe-durham-first-african-american-position-player-orioles-dies|title= Joe Durham, first African American position player for Orioles, dies |work=CSN Mid-Atlantic|date=April 28, 2016|first= Rich|last= Dubroff|accessdate=April 28, 2016}} was an American professional baseball player and coach. An outfielder, he appeared in Major League Baseball in 93 games for the Baltimore Orioles (1954 and 1957) and St. Louis Cardinals (1959).[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/durhajo02.shtml "Joe Durham Statistics and History"]. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-15. Durham attended Huntington High School in his native city of Newport News, Virginia, and Shaw University.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} He threw and batted right-handed and was listed as {{convert|6|ft|1|in}} tall and {{convert|186|lb}}.

Durham began his professional career in the Negro leagues with the Chicago American Giants,[https://archive.today/20131001123824/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-09-21/sports/1995264134_1 The Baltimore Sun, 1995.09.21] then was signed by Bill Veeck, president of the St. Louis Browns, prior to the 1953 season. He was in the Browns' farm system when the franchise moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in {{baseball year|1954}}. After an outstanding season in the Double-A Texas League in 1954, he was recalled by the Orioles in September and in ten games collected nine hits in 44 plate appearances, including his first Major League home run off Al Sima of the Philadelphia Athletics on September 12.[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1954/Idurhj1010011954.htm 1954-9-12 box score] from Retrosheet Durham was one of the two African-American players on the Orioles roster in 1954. The other was Jay Heard.Integrating the Orioles: Baseball and Race in Baltimore Author:Bob Luke ASIN : B01BI71SDQ

Print Length : 216 pages

Publisher : McFarland (February 5, 2016)

Publication Date : February 5, 2016 Durham then missed the 1955–1956 seasons performing military service.

He began the {{baseball year|1957}} season in the Texas League — but was recalled by Baltimore in June after batting a torrid .391 over the first 50 games of the season. He then appeared in 77 games for the Orioles over the rest of the year, starting 40 games as an outfielder, but he batted only .186 and was sent to the Triple-A Vancouver Mounties for 1958. A solid season there (.285 and 85 runs batted in) resulted in Durham's selection by the Cardinals in the 1958 Rule 5 draft. He began {{baseball year|1959}} on the Cardinals' roster, but appeared in only six games, starting one. He went hitless in five at bats and scored two runs. He was then returned to Vancouver and the Orioles' system. Apart from 1963, which he spent in the New York Yankees' system, Durham played at the top level of the Baltimore organization through 1964, then became the team's batting practice pitcher. He moved into the Orioles' front office in 1986, then became a coach for the Class A Frederick Keys of the Carolina League.