Joe Durham, 84, first African-American to hit a home run for the Baltimore Orioles

Joe Durham, the first African-American position player in Baltimore Orioles history, passed away April 28, 2016 in Randallstown, Maryland. He was 84.

Joe Durham

Durham followed pitcher Jehosie Heard, who broke the color barrier for the Orioles earlier in the 1954 season as a pioneer during the team's inaugural season. Prior to joining the Orioles, Durham was an All-Star in the Negro Leagues with the Chicago American Giants.

In my column for The Sports Post, I profiled Durham from a 2010 interview that I conducted with him, where he explains his career experiences from playing in the East-West All-Star Game, to the hardships he faced integrating the Piedmont League in 1953, one year prior to his major league debut.

"Joe Durham was a Negro League All-Star Before he made History with the Baltimore Orioles." - The Sports Post