Oscar “Heavy” Johnson

Born in Atchison in 1896, Oscar “Heavy” Johnson was a 235-pound slugger who was a premier hitter during the 1920s.  

Johnson started his career as a catcher with the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Wreckers, where he played for eight seasons and was a teammate of “Bullet” Rogan.  He briefly played with the St. Louis Giants in the Negro National League in 1920.

In 1922, Johnson signed with the Kansas City Monarchs and shifted to the outfield.  He won back-to-back Negro National League batting titles, hitting .406 in each season.  In 1923, he won the Triple Crown with 20 home runs and 120 runs batted in.  On June 4, he hit the first home run at Kansas City’s Muehlebach Field.

After each season, Johnson played winter ball.  In 1922, he was with the Los Angeles White Sox of the integrated California Winter League.  His team won the championship and Johnson led the league in hitting at .340.  In 1923, he played with the legendary Santa Clara Leopardos in the Cuban League.  Johnson hit .370 for Leopardos, which included Hall of Famers Oscar Charleston and Jose Mendez.

In 1924, Johnson hit .366 and led the Monarchs to a third straight Negro League pennant.  This year they played in the first Colored World Series against Hilldale of the Eastern Colored League.  World Series championship.  The Monarchs won the series, with Johnson hitting and playing spectacular outfield defense.

In 1925, Johnson moved to the Baltimore Black Sox of the Eastern Colored League.  He hit .327 and .350 in two seasons and moved on to play for the Harrisburg Giants, Cleveland Tigers, Memphis Red Sox, Louisville White Sox and Newark Browns.  In eleven Negro League seasons, Johnson hit .370.

Johnson died in Cleveland in 1960 at the age of 65.

For more, read Heavy Johnson’s Society for American Baseball Research bio.