Satchel Paige Biography

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Leroy Robert “Satchel “Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) born in Mobile, AL.

Born to John and Lula Page a gardener and a washer woman. He had ten siblings.

1934 Married:  Janet  Howard in Pittsburg

1946 Married: LaHoma Jean Brown Miller; in Kansas City, Missouri; seven children. 

At the age of 12 he was sentenced to six years or his eighteenth birthday, whichever came first, to the Alabama Reform School for Juvenile Negro Law Breakers for shoplifting trinkets from store. There he learned to pitch a baseball.

Satchel Paige was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball.  He got the nickname “Satchel” as a boy working as a luggage carrier at the train station in Mobile, AL.  He began his professional baseball career in the Negro Leagues in 1926 with the Chattanooga Black Barons and became the Negro Leagues most popular player. Paige finally broke through to the Majors at age 42 and became Rookie of the Year.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. 

Began his baseball career playing for the semi-professional team: Negro League:  Semi-professional team Mobile Tigers; Negro League :Professional baseball teams played for:  Chattanooga White Sox; New Orleans Black Pelicans; Birmingham Black Barons; Santa Clara Leopards; Baltimore Black Sox; Nashville Elite Giants; Cleveland Cubs; Pittsburg Crawford; Kansas City Monarchs; Trujillo All Stars; New York Black Yankees; Memphis Red Sox; Philadelphia Stars; Dominican League; Mexican League, Cuban League; California Winter League, Mexican League; Puerto Rican Winter League. Major League: Cleveland Indians; St. Louis Browns; Kansas City Athletics

1948 Sporting News name Satchel Rookie of the Year

Inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 1971.

Statue of Satchel Paige in honor of the contributions of the Negro leagues players to the game of baseball.

Satchel Paige's rules originally appeared in the June 13, 1953 issue of Collier's. The version below is taken from his autobiography Maybe I'll Pitch Forever (as told to David Lipman, 1962):

1.  Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood.

2.  If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.

3.  Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move.

4.  Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society -- the social ramble ain't restful.

5.  Avoid running at all times.

6.  And don't look back -- something might be gaining on you.