Jim Gilliam

James William "Junior" Gilliam (October 17, 1928 – October 8, 1978) was an American second baseman, third baseman, and coach in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he attended Pearl High School, where he played baseball, and began his professional career in the Negro leagues in 1946, becoming an All-Star second baseman with the Baltimore Elite Giants. The Brooklyn Dodgers signed him in 1951, and he reached the major leagues in 1953, when he was named the National League Rookie of the Year. As the Dodgers' leadoff hitter for most of the 1950s, he scored over 100 runs in each of his first four seasons, led the National League in triples in 1953 and in walks in 1959, and collected more than 2,000 hits over his major league career. He was a key member of ten National League championship teams from 1953 to 1978, spanning the franchise's years in Brooklyn and later Los Angeles. In 1964, while still an active player, Gilliam became one of the first African American coaches, and he took on a full-time role as first-base coach in 1966, a position he held until his death on October 8, 1978.