Willie Mays
Chronology
| 1931 | Born May 6 in Fairfield, Alabama, the only child of William Howard and Anna Sattlewhite Mays |
| 1934 | Moves with his father after parents divorce; remains close to his mother |
| 1937 | Begins education in segregated school in Alabama |
| 1944 | Plays semiprofessional baseball at age 13 with the Gray Sox |
| 1946 | Enters Fairfield Industrial High School, takes courses in dry cleaning |
| 1946 | Plays center field for Birmingham Industrial League while his father plays left field |
| 1947 | Begins play for Birmingham Black Barons, playing baseball with men ten years his senior |
| 1948 | Makes professional Negro Leagues debut on July 4 |
| 1950 | Graduates from Fairfield High School |
| 1950 | New York Giants buy out Mays' Black Barons Contract. He is youngest black man ever signed by the major leagues |
| 1950 | Racial bias in Sioux City prevents Mays from joining their minor league team |
| 1950 | Puts up impressive numbers with Class B Inter-State League in Trenton, New Jersey, hitting .477 and 8 home runs in 35 games |
| 1951 | Becomes #3 batter in Giants' starting lineup on May 25 |
| 1952 | Drafted by U.S. Army in May. Continues to play baseball |
| 1954 | Receives honorable discharge and returns to Giants |
| 1954 | Makes spectacular over-the-shoulder no-look catch, known simply as "The Catch" |
| 1954 | Makes appearances on Ed Sullivan Show and Colgate Comedy Hour |
| 1955 | Bus boycott in Alabama, started by Rosa Parks, gains world's attention |
| 1955 | Moves to Englewood, New Jersey |
| 1956 | Marries Marguerite Wendell |
| 1957 | New York Giants move to San Francisco |
| 1958 | Adopts infant son Michael |
| 1963 | Divorces Marguerite Wendell |
| 1964 | Appointed captain of the Giants |
| 1965 | Becomes national spokeperson for the Job Corps |
| 1965 | Mays remains silent and uninvolved in Civil Rights struggles, says "I don't picket … I'm not mad at the people who do. Maybe they shouldn't be mad at the people who don't" |
| 1971 | Marries Mae Louise Allen |
| 1972 | Traded to New York Mets |
| 1973 | Retires from Baseball |
| 1973-79 | Becomes coach and goodwill ambassador for New York Mets; would become public relations worker and make public appearances on behalf of many companies in 1980s and 1990s |
| 1974 | Inducted into the Black Hall of Fame |
| 1979 | Only player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year |
| 2000 | Honored with "Say Hey Day" at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco |
| 2002 | Sees his godson, San Francisco Giants left fielder Barry Bonds, make it to the World Series |
Additional topics
Famous Sports StarsBaseballWillie Mays Biography - Growing Up, A Way Out, Tough Times In The North, Chronology, The First Full Season - Several Father Figures, CONTACT INFORMATION