Profile Text
Mays in 2004, photo by Prphotos.com
Birth Name: Willie Howard Mays, Jr.
Date of Birth: May 6, 1931
Place of Birth: Westfield, Alabama, U.S.
Date of Death: June 18, 2024
Place of Death: Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Ethnicity: African-American
Willie Mays was an American professional baseball player. A center fielder, he played for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, and the New York/San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a coach of the New York Mets. Regarded as one of the sport’s greatest players, he was Rookie of the Year for 1951, won twelve consecutive Gold Glove Awards, and was a 24-time All-Star, among many other records held, and kept. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. He was nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid.”
Willie was born in Westfield, a mostly black company town, the son of Annie and Cat Mays, who also played baseball, and was a railway and steel mill worker. Willie was married to Mae Louise Allen, until her death. He had a son with his former wife Marghuerite Wendell Chapman.
Willie’s maternal grandfather was named Charlie/Charley Satterwhite.
Willie’s maternal grandmother was named Sarah/Sara Miller.
Sources: http://www.aaregistry.org
Genealogy of Willie Mays (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com