Willie Mays was born on May 6, 1931, in Fairfield, Alabama. His father, William Howard, was a steelworker who mined in the all-black town of Fairfield, only thirteen miles from Birmingham. His parents, gifted athletes in their own right, were only sixteen at the time of his birth. Willie's father played center field for the Birmingham Industrial League Semi Pro team, while his mother Anna had been a high school track star. Willie stood to inherit quite a bit of athletic talent from his bloodlines. Even his grandfather pitched for a Negro League baseball team.
Willie's parents divorced when he was three, and he went to live with his father, who, to care for Willie while he was at work, brought in a homeless woman. Even at the age of three, his father had him playing catch, or placed him in the dugout at the Semi Pro games he played in. By the time Willie Mays was a young man, he'd already had more baseball education than most players receive in a lifetime. Since his high school had no baseball team, Willie was playing in the semi-pro leagues around Birmingham. Even if his school had a team, chances are he wouldn't have been challenged by the high school players.
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User Comments Add a comment…
about 9 hours ago
I am Willie Mays niece. His mother Anna was my grandmother and his sister Annie Pearl was my mother. I was told that I had not seen him since I was a little baby. I would love to talk with him as an adult. If someone could put me in contact it would be wonderful.
about 1 year ago
I am a mays by birth. My father's name was Roosevelt Mays. He was born in Alabama 1908. I have been told all of my life that Mr. Willie Mays was my cousin. I don't want anything from Mr. Mays except to verify if he is related to me or not. All of the Mays family is dying off and I am a 1st cousin. All of these people are in thier 70's and 80's. The history is dying with them. Was one of my father's sisters Mr. Mays' second wife? The names I know are Ida, Sue and Nancy. The last of my father's first set of children passed this Febuary. His name was Arthur Earl Mays. My other siblings names were Janie Ruth, Ida Mae, Roosevelt Jr. and Johnnie V.. Please help me. Thank you and Be Blessed