Marquis Grissom | The Story of Sam "The Jet" Jethroe

Black Diamonds

How fast was Sam "The Jet" Jethroe? He was the fastest man in the Negro Leagues. He was the fastest man in the National League. And when you put him on the track with an Olympian? He was the fastest man on that track too. Bob Kendrick tells the story of the Jet's journey from a championship with the Cleveland Buckeyes, to becoming the first Black player to take the field for the Braves and capturing the NL Rookie of the Year in 1950.

Plus, Bob sits down with a man who followed in the Jet's footsteps and didn't even realize it - from Montreal, to the Braves, with two NL stolen base titles along the way - the great Marquis Grissom. The two discuss the importance of telling these stories of Black baseball to future generations, Sam Jethroe's role in paving the way for Marquis in the Braves' organization, his relationship with Henry Aaron, his rise from rags to riches, the art of the stolen base and learning from Otis Nixon and Tim Raines in Montreal, why the city of Montreal remains so important in Black baseball history, stories on top of stories on top of stories, and a nod to this summer's Hall of Fame inductee, Fred McGriff.

Interviews with Sam Jethroe appear courtesy of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries

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