Monte Irvin
Hall of Famers at War
| Date and Place of Birth: | February 25, 1919 Haleburg, AL |
| Date and Place of Death: | January 11, 2016 Houston, TX |
| Baseball Experience: | Hall of Fame |
| Position: | Second Base |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | 1313th Battalion, General Service Engineers US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operation |
Montford M. "Monte" Irvin was born in Haleburg, Alabama on February
25, 1919. Irvin earned all-state honors in four sports at East Orange
High School, New Jersey, and became a four-time all-star with the Negro
League Newark Eagles.
Irvin was drafted by the Army in 1942. He spent three years with the
1313th Battalion, General Service Engineers. The battalion was first
sent to England, then after D-Day to France and Belgium, where they
built bridges and repaired roads. In late 1944, his unit was deployed in
Reims, France, as a secondary line in case the Germans broke through at
Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.
Irvin explained that black soldiers had a rough time in the Army because
white soldiers treated them badly. "The black troops were treated better
in Europe than they were in the US," Irvin said. "They got a taste of
freedom over there."
He agrees, however, that many white American soldiers realized the
incongruity of fighting in Europe to free oppressed people while blacks
were oppressed at home, and that may have made things a little easier
for the black soldiers when they returned.
In addition to the psychological trauma Irvin faced in combat, he also
developed tinnitus, a ringing in the ears, that affected his dexterity.
That and three years away from baseball made his return to the game
difficult.
When he returned to the Negro Leagues in 1946, he was approached by
Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but having been away from
baseball for three years, Irvin felt he was not ready and needed to get
into shape. Had he accepted Rickey's offer he may have been the first
black major leaguer.
Irvin led the Negro National League hitters in 1946 with a .346 average.
In 1949, aged 30, he signed with the New York Giants. He spent eight
years in the major leagues with the Giants and Cubs and finished with a
lifetime batting average of .293.
A back injury forced Irvin to retire after the 1956 season. He became a
scout for the Mets in 1967 and in 1968 he became Assistant Director of
Public Relations on the Baseball Commissioner's staff.
Monte Irvin was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by a special Negro
Leagues committee in 1973. Irvin is also an inductee in the Alabama
Sports Hall of Fame. He passed away in Houston, Texas, on January 11,
2016, aged 95.
Date Added July 26, 2016
Monte Irvin at Baseball-Almanac
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