Former Phillie Bill White's Journey to First Black NL President

In 1989, former Phillie Bill White made history when he was elected as the first Black president of the National League.

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On Feb. 3, 1989, Bill White made history when he was elected unanimously as the first Black president of the National League.

"Bill had no choice but to accept that job," his friend, Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, said. "Not for himself, but for other people."

For it was only a few years prior that Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Al Campanis said on ABC's Nightline that Black people "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager."

Campanis' comment rightfully sparked outrage. Atlanta Braves great Hank Aaron spoke out against Campanis' comments stating that baseball could never eradicate racial prejudice "because you still have people like Campanis with his beliefs."

Frank Robinson, the first Black manager in the majors said, "[Campanis] just said what a lot of baseball people have been thinking for years; I’m glad it’s finally out in the open, so we can address it."

Dodgers president Peter O'Malley forced Campanis to resign two days after his racist comments. And two years later, O'Malley sought out the former St. Louis Cardinal in White to interview him for the job as president of the National League. 

At first, White declined to interview, but after considering the state of baseball at the time, and Campanis' comment that had occurred so recently, he agreed to speak with the search committee. White later commented, "Let’s face it, they wanted a Black National League president."

Not only was White the first Black league president, but he was the first former player to assume the position since John Tener 76 years prior.

White made his debut with the New York Giants on May 7, 1956 at age 22. He slugged a home run in his first major league at-bat, and also doubled and singled in the game. He finished the 1956 season with 22 homers in total, including two off of Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts on the last day of the season.

White was then drafted by the Army in 1957 and missed the entire season. He returned to the Giants in July 1958 following their move to San Francisco. There was no room for White on the team anymore, and he had no interest in becoming a pinch-hitter or occasional first baseman, the role manager Bill Rigney imagined for him. He finished the season with the Giants before being traded to the Cardinals on March 25, 1959.

White initially spurned a trade to St. Louis, they were the last major league team to integrate seating at their home stadium. Plus, the Cardinals already had three options at first base. But by 1960, White became the Cardinals' everyday first baseman after playing left field primarily in 1959. The following year, White batted .286 with an .826 OPS, hit 20 homers and drove in 90 runs. It was also the third consecutive season he was elected to the All-Star Game.

Until 1965, White remained in St. Louis. With the Cardinals, he won six Gold Glove Awards, was named an All-Star five times, and became a World Series champion in 1964. Of his time there, White later said, "It would turn out to be one of the best moves of my life."

Following the '65 season, on Oct. 27, White was traded to the Phillies along with Dick Groat and Bob Uecker in exchange for Pat Corrales, Alex Johnson, and Art Mahaffey.

White had a standout season in 1966 for the Phillies, blasting 22 home runs, collecting 103 RBI, and slashing .276/.352/.451. He finished 23rd in MVP voting and won his seventh consecutive Gold Glove.

This would be his last solid season, as a torn right Achilles tendon initiated a quick decline. He appeared in 237 more games for the Phillies until 1968, with just 17 home runs and 73 RBI in 800 plate appearances. His final career game was with the Cardinals on Sept. 24, 1969, having been traded by Philadelphia in April of that season. 

White then returned to Philadelphia to work as a sportscaster for WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV). During his tenure, he came the first Black broadcaster to call a National Hockey League game, covering several Philadelphia Flyers games.

He then joined the New York Yankees broadcast team in 1971, working alongside Phil Rizzuto and Frank Messer and becoming the first Black play-by-play announcer to work regularly for a major league sports team. 

Additionally, he called five World Series on CBS Radio in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1987, and 1988, worked as a Monday Night Baseball announcer for ABC in the 1970s, locally covered the ALCS in New York in the late-1970s and early-1980s, and covered the Winter Olympics in 1980 and 1984. 

White retired in 1994. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, when MLB owners wanted to give him a farewell dinner, he told his successor, Leonard Coleman, "You can tell the owners I said the hell with them." He believed the owners "understood the business of baseball. But I don’t think they ever truly understood the game."

White is now 88-years-old and resides in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania, where he enjoys fishing and spending time with his partner, Nancy McKee. 

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