Bubba Morton

Wycliffe Nathaniel "Bubba" Morton (December 13, 1931 – January 14, 2006) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers (1961–1963), Milwaukee Braves and California Angels (1966–1969). He batted and threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . He became the first African American coach in any sport at the University of Washington.

Early life Morton was born in Washington, D.C. on December 13, 1931 or December 13, 1932. Morton later graduated from Howard University in 1957, having played on the football and baseball teams. He also had a four year stint in the United States Coast Guard.

Minor league baseball In 1955, Morton became the third black player signed by the Detroit Tigers (though others beat him to the major leagues). It has also been stated he was the first black player signed by the Tigers.

He was one of the first black men to play for the post-war Terre Haute franchise of the Three-I League in 1956. Morton was one of the first two black men to play for the Class-B Durham Bulls, He played Triple-A ball again in 1960, for the Denver Bears, batting .296, with nine home runs, 10 triples, 35 doubles and 107 runs.

Major league baseball A light-hitting, strong-armed outfielder, Morton played with the Tigers as a reserve in parts of three seasons (all of 1961-62, and part of 1963). In 1961, he hit .287 in 108 at bats; and .262 in 195 at bats the following year. During his brief 15-game tenure with the Braves, he was the roommate of Hank Aaron. He did play in 15 games for the major league Angels that year.

Morton saw considerable action with the Angels between 1967 and 1969, the only seasons after 1961-62 where he played the entire season on a major league roster. In 1968, he hit .270 in 163 at bats, and in 1969 (his final year in the major leagues) he hit seven home runs with 32 RBIs in only 172 at bats.

In a seven-season major league career, Morton was a .267 hitter with 14 home runs and 128 RBIs in 451 games. He finished his career with a .989 fielding percentage. He is distinguished as UW's first black head coach in any sport.

Personal life After his retirement from baseball, Morton worked as a director of boys sports at the Bush School in Seattle. He also worked for Boeing and was a retired Coast Guard reservist.

Death Morton died in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 74.