Clint Thomas

Clinton Cyrus Thomas (November 25, 1896 – December 2, 1990), nicknamed "Hawk", was an American professional baseball center fielder, left fielder, and second baseman born in Greenup, Kentucky. He played in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1938, where he earned the nickname "Hawk" for his sharp-eyed hitting and fielding skills.

Career Thomas played for the Brooklyn Royal Giants, Columbus Buckeyes, Detroit Stars, Hilldale Club, He joined the New York Black Yankees in 1931 and, the following year, "ruined" the opening of Greenlee Field by scoring the only run and making a game-saving catch in the Black Yankees defeat of Satchel Paige's Pittsburgh Crawfords. Nicknamed "the Black DiMaggio", he once hit a home run off Fidel Castro in an exhibition game in Cuba.

After his baseball career ended, Thomas worked as a custodian and staff supervisor for the West Virginia Department of Mines and as a messenger for the State Senate. He died on December 2, 1990, in Charleston, West Virginia.