Wiley Griggs
Wiley Lee Griggs III (born March 24, 1925 in Union Springs, Bullock County; died August 23, 1996 in Birmingham was a World War II veteran, an infielder for the Birmingham Black Barons, and a long-time employee of the Birmingham Water Works Board.
Griggs was the son of a carpenter who relocated to Titusville before 1930. He grew up playing "rag ball" in the streets with his brothers, Acie and Bennie and attended Parker High School. His ballplaying landed him a position with the Ingalls Iron Works Industrial League team before World War II. He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and completed basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was discharged in April 1946.
Griggs made his professional debut with the Chattanooga Choo Choos of the Negro Southern League in 1947. The following year he was recruited by Piper Davis to join the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons at spring training and was rostered as a utility infielder. Pitcher Alonzo Perry gave him the nickname "Diamond Jim". He appeared in 14 of 76 games during the 1948 season, and went 8 for 33 (.242) at the plate, with two doubles and six runs for the team that played the 1948 Negro World Series.
Griggs was cut from the 1949 Birmingham Black Barons roster due to injury and joined the Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League in 1950. He finished that season with the Houston Eagles of the Negro National League. He remained with the Eagles through their move to New Orleans, but returned to Birmingham and played for the Black Barons from 1951 until his retirement after the 1958 season.
Griggs was employed by the Birmingham Water Works from 1959 to 1987. He and his wife, Frances, had five children. Late in life he used a wheelchair, having lost both legs to amputation.
Griggs died in 1996 and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery.
References
- Powell, Larry (2009) Black Barons of Birmingham: The South's Greatest Negro League Team and Its Players Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland ISBN 0786454806
- Dahlberg, William (2017) "Wiley Griggs", chapter 8 in Frederick C. Bush & Bill Nowlin, ed's (2017) Bittersweet Goodbye: The Black Barons, The Grays, and the 1948 Negro League World Series. Sociaety for American Baseball Research ISBN 9781943816552, pp. 47-50.
External links
- Wiley Griggs at Baseball-Reference.com
- Wiley Griggs at Findagrave.com