James Timothy Grant Jr. was born on Aug. 13, 1935, in Lacoochee, Fla., a town some 40 miles north of Tampa. At age 13 or so, Grant played third base for a local semipro team but also worked part-time in a mill. Grant was a third baseman and pitcher and also played football and basketball at Moore Academy, a Black school in Dade City, Fla., then received an athletic scholarship to the historically Black Florida A&M. His best season with the Indians came in 1961, when he was 15-9 and voted to the All-Star team for the first time. When Grant reached the major leagues, Black players were often barred by hotels and restaurants at spring training sites in the South and even in some major-league cities.

Source: International New York Times June 12, 2021 21:22 UTC