Discover Black Heritage

Oak Cliff stadium honors Dallas civil rights leader, baseball legend

The state-of-the-art facility will serve young athletes while preserving the legacy of a player once known as 'skinny legs'

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A new $5 million baseball field in Oak Cliff honors William "Bill" Blair Jr., a former Negro Leagues pitcher who went on to become a civil rights icon.

On Monday afternoon, the legacy of the late William “Skinny Legs” Blair Jr, a Dallas native and famous Negro Leagues Baseball pitcher from the ’40s, was honored with a new baseball field. Blair died in April 2014 at the age of 92.

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Blair helped found the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and was later inducted into the museum for his achievement and helping revolutionize the game of baseball.

The South Oak Cliff Golden Bears baseball team dreamed of bright lights and maybe new turf for their baseball diamond on the corner of 52nd and Horizon Street behind Frederick D. Todd Middle School.

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After two and a half years of work and five million dollars later, the Golden Bears have what Dallas ISD said is a jewel.

The old dirt baseball field now has crisp turf lines, the stadium lights the golden bears longed for, but most importantly is the name it now bears, William “Bill” Blair Jr Field.

“The work that my father poured into this community, this city, and this region at large, I’m immensely grateful,” Darryl E. Blair, Sr. said. “He would be greatly humbled.”

The stadium, according to event organizers, was commissioned and built by the DISD Board and Trustee Maxie Johnson.

The president of the Negro Baseball League Museum, Bob Kendrick, was present Monday afternoon for the dedication of the field.

“I challenge every athlete and every person that when you take this field and you see the name on this field, you are now motivated to learn something about the history of the Negro Leagues. A history Mr. Blair was so proud to be a part of.”

Blair became a civil rights legend in Dallas years after making a name for himself on the baseball field. He helped start the MLK Parade in Dallas. He was also the Founder and Publisher of Elite News, a successful Black newspaper in Texas.

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