[audio:http://www.wdde.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Whittington-D-Seg.mp3|titles= Delaware Public Media's Cathy Carter interviews Ron Whittington.]
An outstanding fielder and clutch hitter, William Julius “Judy” Johnson is a baseball icon and beloved figure in First State sports history.
His statue greets fans entering Wilmington’s Frawley Stadium where the Blue Rocks play on Judy Johnson Field.
Raised in Wilmington, Johnson is considered to be one of the greatest third basemen in Negro League baseball history.
He was the Captain of the 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords which featured seven future Baseball Hall of Famers, including himself.
He later became a scout, coach and manager.
On Saturday, Ron Whittington, a University of Delaware professor and speaker for the Delaware Humanities Forum will talk about Johnson and the history of the Negro League baseball.
Whittington says Johnson was not only one of the best baseball players in history, but an ambassador for the game.
“Particularly locally,” he says. “If you would ever see a baseball game, it wouldn’t matter whether that game was down in Sussex County or down at Delaware State University or up in Wilmington, if it was a major game, you would see Judy in the stands.”
Ron Whittington’s presentation is Saturday at 2:30 at the Kirkwood Library in Wilmington. He’ll also talk baseball at this year’s Dover Days celebration in May.
This piece is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.