Interview with Monte Irvin, May 12, 1977

Interview Summary

Monte Irvin is a retired baseball player who played for both the negro and the major leagues. In this interview, he talks about his early aspirations to play baseball, his playing for the Newark Eagles, his experiences in the negro leagues, the caliber of play in the negro leagues compared to the major leagues, and his frustration at not being able to play in the major leagues due to segregation. He talks about some of the arguments against integration, the effect of integration on the negro leagues, his signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers being blocked by the Newark Eagles, and Effa Manley, the owner of the Newark Eagles. He describes his first spring training camp with Jersey City in 1949, also discussing Ford Smith, his early experiences playing in the major leagues, his relationship with his teammates, playing for Leo Durocher, his first major league season, his relationship with other black major league players, and the fight with the Philadelphia Phillies. He discusses Andy Seminick, Sal Maglie and the Mexican League, as well as his own experiences as a player in the Mexican League. He also responds to theories about the physical superiority of different racial or ethnic groups.

Interview Keyword

Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler Baseball Commissioner Baseball Chicago Cubs Mexican League New York Giants Newark Eagles

Interview LC Subject

Baseball--United States Chandler, Happy, 1898-1991 Irvin, Monte, 1919- --Interviews Irvin, Monte, 1919- Negro leagues African Americans

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.