Wendell Smith was a prominent African-American sportswriter who campaigned for the integration of major league baseball in the 1940s. He was instrumental in arranging tryouts for black players, including Jackie Robinson, who became the first African-American to play in the majors in 1947. Smith also covered Robinson’s historic debut and subsequent career for the Pittsburgh Courier, a leading black newspaper. Smith later became one of the first black sportswriters to work for a mainstream daily newspaper and a television broadcaster. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1972, at the age of 58, just a month after Robinson.
Early Life and Career
Wendell Smith was born on June 27, 1914, in Detroit, Michigan. He was an only child of John Henry Smith, a chef who worked for Henry Ford, and Lena Gertrude Thompson, a housewife and a church volunteer. Smith grew up in a predominantly white, working-class neighborhood and developed a passion for baseball. He was a talented pitcher who played in sandlot games with his friends, including future major leaguer Mike Tresh. However, Smith faced racial discrimination that prevented him from pursuing a professional baseball career. According to his widow, Wyonella Smith, he decided to become a sportswriter instead, to advocate for the inclusion of black players in the majors.
Smith studied journalism at West Virginia State College, where he also played baseball and basketball. He graduated in 1937 and joined the Pittsburgh Courier as a sportswriter. The Courier was one of the most influential black newspapers in the country, with a national circulation of over 300,000. Smith quickly established himself as a leading voice for racial equality in sports. He wrote columns and editorials that criticized the segregation of baseball and urged the owners and commissioners to open the doors for black players. He also reported on the achievements and struggles of black athletes in the Negro Leagues and other sports.
The Jackie Robinson Story
One of Smith’s most significant contributions to the integration of baseball was his role in facilitating the tryouts of black players for major league teams. In 1945, he contacted Boston councilman Isadore Muchnick, who was running for re-election, and suggested that he could gain popularity by arranging a tryout for black players with the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Braves. Muchnick agreed and Smith selected three players to participate: Jackie Robinson, Sam Jethroe, and Marvin Williams. The tryout, however, was a sham, as the teams had no intention of signing any of the players. Smith later said that Robinson was not the best player, but the best suited for the situation, because of his college education, military service, and temperament2.
Smith also maintained contact with Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who was secretly planning to break the color barrier in baseball. Rickey asked Smith to recommend some black players who could handle the pressure and hostility that they would face in the majors. Smith again suggested Robinson, among others, and accompanied him to his meeting with Rickey in August 1945. Rickey signed Robinson to a contract with the Dodgers’ minor league affiliate, the Montreal Royals, and announced his intention to bring him to the majors in 1947. Smith was assigned by the Courier to cover Robinson’s debut and his first season with the Dodgers. Smith also acted as Robinson’s confidant and adviser, helping him cope with the racism and abuse that he encountered on and off the field. Smith and Robinson developed a close friendship that lasted until their deaths.
Later Years and Death
Smith continued to write for the Courier until 1948, when he moved to Chicago and joined the Chicago American, a mainstream daily newspaper. He became one of the first black sportswriters to work for a white publication, and one of the few to be admitted to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). He also became a television broadcaster, working for WGN-TV and CBS. He covered various sports, including boxing, golf, and football, as well as baseball. He also wrote a syndicated column that appeared in several newspapers across the country. He remained an advocate for civil rights and social justice, and mentored many young black journalists and athletes.
Smith died of pancreatic cancer on January 26, 1972, in Chicago. He was survived by his wife, Wyonella, whom he married in 1946, and his son, David. He was buried at the Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois. He received many posthumous honors, including the J.G. Taylor Spink Award from the BBWAA in 1993, and the Sam Lacy-Wendell Smith Award from the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism in 2014. He was also portrayed by Andre Holland in the 2013 film 42, which depicted the story of Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey.
