Chappie Johnson

Who was Chappie Johnson?

George "Chappie" Johnson Jr. was an African-American baseball catcher and field manager in the Negro leagues. He played for many of the best teams from 1895 to 1920 and he crossed racial boundaries as a teacher and coach.

Johnson was born and raised in the village of Bellaire, Ohio, on the upper Ohio River. In 1895, he debuted at the age of 17 with the Page Fence Giants, where he played short stop, left field, then first base, then moved to catcher where he stayed for most of his career. Most of the team moved to Chicago and formed the Chicago Columbia Giants in 1899. There, Johnson often caught for George Wilson, and the two became a powerful battery for the baseball club.

Johnson moved on to the Chicago Union Giants, and played on and off with the Algona Brownies, then moved with George Wilson to a baseball team in Renville, Minnesota and the famous battery won the state championship in 1905, playing against mostly white teams.

Previous to the 1906 season, Johnson traveled to Palm Beach, Florida and became head trainer for the Boston Red Sox. The Baseball color line excluded Johnson from playing in Major League Baseball games, but did not bar him from using his skills as a trainer.