Bill Lucas

Who was Bill Lucas?

William DeVaughn Lucas was the first African-American general manager in Major League Baseball as front-office boss of the Atlanta Braves from mid-September 1976 until his death at age 43 in May 1979. His official title was vice president of player personnel, but owner Ted Turner gave him all the duties of a general manager.

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Lucas was a graduate of Florida A&M University and served as an officer in the United States Army. An infielder, he signed with the then-Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and played for six seasons in the club's farm system, batting .273 in 655 games. He joined the Braves front office in 1965, working in the sales and promotions department initially before switching to the player development department in 1967. He was named the director of the Braves' farm system in 1972, and was promoted to GM responsibilities on September 17, 1976.

He died unexpectedly of a massive cerebral hemorrhage in 1979 after spending 23 years with the Braves organization. He was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2006. Bill Lucas was the former brother-in-law of Hall of Fame outfielder and Braves legend Hank Aaron.