Mill Village Baseball, Rudy York

Jerry Bell Family Collection

Signed by Rudy York given to Terry Lipscomb Studdard

http://www.sonsofsamhorn.net/wiki/index.php/Rudy_York

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/the_month_of_rudy_york.shtml

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/meta/html/nge/ngen/meta_nge_ngen_m-8607.html?

" Preston Rudolph York was born on August 17, 1913 in Ragland, Alabama. When he was very young, his family moved to a small mill town outside of Cartersville, Georgia. He left school in the third grade to support his family working at the American Textile Company (ATCO). He was playing for ATCO's baseball team by the age of 13 and more than held his own against much older players.

He signed to play professionally at the age of 17 with Knoxville of the Southern Association but saw very little action. In 1933, at the age of 19, he signed with the Tigers and they assigned him to Shreveport of the Dixie League. He advanced through their system playing almost every position on the field finally getting established as a first baseman in 1935. He had his major league debut with the Tigers in 1934 but lasted only six at bats before he returned to the minors for more seasoning. He was the league MVP in 1935 (Texas League) and 1936 (American Association). He returned to the Tigers in 1937.

He was part American Indian, and playing in an era adverse to cultural diversity, this was a challenge at times. He was very proud of his heritage though and he said this about his background: "They say in that record book that I'm Indian-Irish, but there is durn little Irish in me. I'm a Cherokee Indian, and I'm proud of it. Of course when I was in the big Leagues that didn't help me out much. Any time an Indian puts on a baseball uniform, he's twice an interesting character as the other fellow."

York is buried in Sunset Memory Gardens