As far as professional athletes being community-minded, Willie Horton was ahead of his time.
If you want to know a story about an athlete who put his money where his mouth is, and for every home run hit or game-saving catch made also looked out for the community that his team called home, then the former Detroit Tigers' all-star outfielder's story is for you.
Willie Horton: Detroit's Own Willie The Wonder, The Tigers' First Black Great is 219 pages of baseball pride to devour.
At first, when Horton's name pops up in discussion among longtime baseball fans, the 1968 World Series comes to mind. How could it not? The Tigers captured their first pennant since 1945 and came from behind to win MLB's championship over the mighty St. Louis Cardinals, led by their great pitching sensation Bob Gibson.
So many Tiger names from the past were part of the 1968 club. Pitching greats Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich led the pack, along with Al Kaline, Norm Cash and Jim Northrup. McLain won 31 games that season and took home the American League MVP and Cy Young Awards.
In the Fall of 1968, at least at Tiger Stadium, sporting life was rosy. In the streets of Detroit, not so much.
Horton, one of 21 children, at age 24 cared as much for the city that he grew up in as he did for the team's uniform he wore.
Details in Detroit's Own remind readers what a great man Horton, who played in parts of 15 of his 18 MLB seasons with the Tigers, is. When the City of Detroit was experiencing riots in 1967, Horton did his part to bring calm to the streets.
Coming straight from the playing surface of Tiger Stadium, still in uniform, Horton stood on the hood of his car, surrounded by burning homes and overturned vehicles, pleading for an end to the violence.
For Horton, he has never forgotten his roots in Detroit's inner city; the Jeffries Projects. The memories shared in his new book serve as a positive reminder that those with notoriety have an obligation to use their influence outside of their chosen profession.
Chapter 8 gives an outstanding account of the civil unrest experienced in 1967. Addressing looters and rioters could have gone south for Horton, both with the threat of physical harm and professional demise. Horton, who has been employed by the Tigers in their front office for the past two decades, took a great risk and won.
With peace restored in the 'Motor City', Horton and his teammates restored harmony on the battleground of a year earlier. The uniform Horton wore proved to be more powerful than a politician squawking through a megaphone.
From his experiences on the baseball diamond that spanned 1963 through 1980, Horton lets readers in on his trials managing in Puerto Rico and Venezuela, his relationship with managing mastermind Billy Martin, and his personal thoughts on Tigers' executive Jim Campbell.
One story Horton goes into detail concerning Detroit's president and general manager occurs when he was 22 years old. When Horton's parents perished in an automobile accident, along with other relatives injured, it was Campbell that handed him a check for $20,000 for funeral and hospital expenses.
Horton's fascinating life story is one of triumph over struggles. The pages are one continuous reminder that one person can make a difference, in more ways than one, whatever their skin color or occupation.
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