Fred Bankhead (November 22, 1912 – December 17, 1972) was an American Negro league second baseman in the 1930s and 1940s.
A native of Sulligent, Alabama, Bankhead's brothers Sam, Joe, and Garnett all also played in the Negro leagues, and his brother Dan played Major League Baseball. Bankhead joined the Negro leagues in 1936.Black Barons of Birmingham: The South's Greatest Negro League Team and Its Players, by Larry Powell, published McFarland, (June 13, 2009), He made his debut playing as a reserve infielder for the Birmingham Black Barons. He played second base for the Memphis Red Sox from 1938 to 1947.
Bankhead received 490,000 votes for third place in the 1939 East-West All Star Game. In 1942, Bankhead was again selected to the East-West All Star Game.
Personal life Bankhead was born in Sulligent to Garnett and Eva Bankhead in 1912. He was the second oldest of 7 children, having an older brother, Sam, and younger siblings; Robert, Mildred, Frances, Calvin, and Garnett.Year: 1930; Census Place: Precinct 16, Walker, Alabama; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0024; FHL microfilm: 2339788Year: 1920; Census Place: Jasper, Walker, Alabama; Roll: T625_44; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 115
In 1938, he moved to Memphis with his wife, Emma, to play for the Red Sox.Year: 1940; Census Place: Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee; Roll: m-t0627-03961; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 98-48 In the early 1940s, Bankhead visited Puerto Rico a number of times.The National Archives At Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving At San Juan, Puerto Rico, 10/07/1901 - 06/30/1948; NAI Number: A3533; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels Departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico; NAI Number: 3249873; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: A4106; NARA Roll Number: 50Year: 1941; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 10; Page Number: 29
He died in Memphis, Tennessee in 1972 at age 60.Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File
References
External links , or Baseball-Reference Black Baseball Stats, or Seamheads