Grover Jones has spent more than a half century in baseball, serving the game at almost every level and in nearly every capacity. While he played in the Majors briefly and coached there for more than a decade, his greatest accomplishments may well have come far away from the bright lights of the big leagues.Jones, who is better known by his nickname "Deacon," is one of the legendary figures in the history of Midwest League. He set a league record in 1956 then had one of the finest seasons in circuit history in 1966 before helping break down a racial barrier in the spring of 1973. While his place in baseball history may not be as prominent as some, Jones remains one of the great Minor League figures over the last half century.
"It's nice to be mentioned that way," said Jones, now 73 and living in Houston. "The game is bigger than all of us, though, and it goes on without Deacon Jones. I have a great passion for the game. It's always been about the game, and no one ever gets that."
The article covers his early career including hitting over .400 in 1956, two years in the Army that he did not enjoy, and getting the call up to the big leagues. We'll pick the story up where he starts in Appleton.
Jones found himself back in the Midwest League in 1966, this time in Fox Cities playing for legendary Minor League manager Stan Wasiak. He once again won the batting title, hitting .353 to lead the Foxes to the league title. Jones also led the league in RBIs (80), on-base percentage (.484) and extra-base hits (58).
He returned to the Class A circuit the following season as a player-coach, but it became clear that his career had peaked. Jones bounced around the Minor Leagues for five more seasons before the White Sox made him an offer in January of 1973. They wanted him to manage their Midwest League affiliate in Appleton.
"They called me in the office in Spring Training and I thought I was finally getting my papers," he said. "But they said they wanted me to consider being the player-manager in Appleton. My heart jumped."
Danville had made Bernie Smith the first African-American manager in Midwest League history a few days before the Sox gave Jones the job in Appleton. While Danville went on to finish in first place and reach the league finals, Jones was let go midway through the season as Appleton headed to a last-place finish.
"I can't say that it didn't make me feel good," Jones said of the opportunity. "But I don't make a big deal out of it. It was something that was going to happen to someone somewhere. We just happened to be the first two. But I don't think it had much of an impact on me because I can't hardly remember it."
The story wraps up with the mention of Jones being in five different halls of fame. Oddly, it mentions that Jones is in the Midwest League Hall of Fame, which I don't think exists, and does not mention that Jones is in the Appleton Baseball Hall of Fame. [Second name from the top].
Here is the wrap up to the article.
The honor in which he seems to take the most pride, however, is his mention in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Jones was honored as the American Legion Player of the Year in 1951 when he hit .408 as a catcher. He became the first black player recognized by the Hall.
"I got everything I wanted out of the game," he said. "I was good to it, and it was very good to me."
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