BORN: July 7, 1906, in Mobile, Alabama
DIED: June 8, 1982, in Kansas City, Missouri
NICKNAME: Satchel ¡ª he earned his nickname, Satchel, when he was a young boy carrying bags (and satchels) at railroad stations for passengers.
POSITION: Pitcher
PLAYED NEGRO LEAGUE YEARS: 1926¨C1947
Years Played in MLB: 1948-1966
Satchel Paige was born in Mobile, Alabama, on July 7, 1906. He was the seventh of 12 children. According to Paige, his mother sent him to earn money carrying luggage for business people at the train station. He was frustrated with how little it paid, so he got creative and fixed a pole so it would take several bags at once to help earn more money faster. His co-workers told him, "You look like a walking satchel tree." His unique nickname was born.
A run-in with the law (petty theft and truancy) got Paige in reform school at age 12. His stay at the Industrial School for Negro Children in Mount Meigs, Alabama, may have been a blessing in disguise. His school's coach identified and nurtured his baseball talent, along with large hands and feet on his long, slender physique (he would grow to be 6'4").
With African American players barred from MLB, Paige began his professional career in 1926 in the Negro Southern League. His record with the Birmingham Black Barons stood out, and he moved quickly through the ranks of the Negro National League teams. He became a top-rated player with fans because of his mighty arm.
In 1948, at 42, Paige made his Major League debut for the Cleveland Indians. Paige was the first Black pitcher to play in the American League and the seventh Black player in Major League Baseball. In 1971, Paige became the first former Negro League star elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Paige ended up playing 40 years of professional baseball.