Gabe Patterson (September 9, 1919 – October 26, 1991) was an American professional multi-sport athlete who played Canadian football and Negro league baseball.
 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Galloping Gabe" |
|---|---|
| Born: | September 9, 1919 Greenwood, South Carolina |
| Died: | October 26, 1991 (aged 72) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | Halfback, Kicker |
| College | Kentucky State, Pittsburgh |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1947–48 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL All-Star | 1947, 1948 |
| Gabe Patterson | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Negro league baseball debut | |
| 1941, for the New York Black Yankees | |
| Last appearance | |
| 1948, for the Philadelphia Stars | |
| Teams | |
|
Career
editPatterson played high school football at Schenley High School in Pittsburgh,[1][2] and his college football at Kentucky State and the University of Pittsburgh.[3] He was signed by the Montreal Alouettes in 1947, but was released.[4] He then signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, playing two seasons and was selected an all-star in both seasons.[5] Patterson was the first African-American to play for the Roughriders, breaking the colour barrier, like Herb Trawick.[6]
Patterson also played professional baseball for the New York Black Yankees in 1941 and 1947, and for the Philadelphia Stars in 1947 and 1948.[2] He had a wife and three daughters,[3] and died in Pittsburgh in 1991 at age 72. His previously unmarked grave was marked by the Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project in 2009.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Gabe Patterson". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Gabe Patterson". seamheads.com. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Regina Grid Fans Blow Gabe's Horn". The Winnipeg Tribune. October 18, 1948. p. 15. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Regina Lays Claim to Charlton: Riders set sights on 1948, by George Foster, Ottawa Citizen, Jan. 27, 1948
- ^ CFLAPEDIA entry - Saskatchewan Roughriders and Gabe Gets Major Score for Regina, Ottawa Citizen, Sept. 29, 1947
- ^ The Rider Pride 100th anniversary book states that Robert "Stonewall" Jackson was the first African-American Rider player, in 1930. He was a porter with the railways and is in a team picture from that year. See: The Migration of African Americans to the Canadian Football League during the mid-20th Century: An Escape from Discrimination? by Neil Longley, Todd Crosset and Steve Jefferson (all Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts), IASE/NAASE Working Paper Series, Paper No. 07-13, June 2007.
- ^ "Completed Grave Marker Projects". nlbgmp.com. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Archives
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors) and Seamheads