Sam Thompson was born to Rosa and Sam Thompson Sr. in Columbia, South Carolina, on July 7, 1937. His family moved to New York City in 1945 where he grew up alongside three sisters. Sam so admired his parents. His mom was an incredibly organized person; a homemaker, a seamstress, and a hospital worker. Her faith was her foundation; she loved the Lord with all her heart. She encouraged her children in all that they did and instilled confidence in them. Sam's dad was a butcher for more than forty years. He was a fearless family man with great leadership qualities; he never missed a day of church or work.
Sam and his baseball buddies spent many mornings sneaking around the Polo Grounds (home of the New York Giants) in hopes of finding a baseball that they could play with later in the afternoon. On many occasions, the boys raced across New York City to claim the best sandlots for there important games. They would grab an older man along the way to umpire these games in order to keep arguing over close calls to a minimum. Sam's baseball heroes included Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey, and Satchel Paige.
Sam believed he was just an average student that just enjoyed being in school. He attended George Washington High, a true melting pot of diversity, culture and ethnicity, where Blacks, Whites, Italians, Latinos, Greeks and Jews alike all traveled the schools hallways. Mr. Arthur Flynn was Sam's math teacher. He was a family man at heart, a good teacher, a fierce disciplinarian, and his baseball coach.
Sam was primarily a pitcher and an outfielder with a strong will and desire to go places. He played his way across the baseball diamonds of the Mobile Alabama Shippers for manager Wesley Barrow. The Shippers chased down games on the fields of Florida in an old broken down bus. Compensation for their effort came in the way of meals; Sam developed an appreciation for beans and bologna. Sam's parents supported his desire to chase baseball dreams and sent him a few dollars now and then. His travels soon led him to the roster of music store and dry cleaner owner Arthur Dove's Raleigh Tigers of the Negro Leagues. The Tigers kept up a pretty active schedule, taking on all comers including prison teams.
It was no secret that Jim Crow was still alive and kicking in the South. The bus drivers navigated their way carefully, knowing where it was safe to stop for gas and food. It was not uncommon for to be stranded in small towns for three and four days at a time due to mechanical problems with the bus, lack of money, or lack of communication.
In 1959, Sam split his season between Ted Rasberry's Kansas City Monarchs and Detroit Stars organizations. Mr. Thompson finally received a steady salary for his efforts on the field. Herman Green and Sherwood Brewer were managing the teams at this time. The team zigzagged across the eastern states to maximize their schedule money making potential. Baseball scouts attended games on a regular basis in hopes of finding the talent they needed for their clubs. Sam was selected for the East-West games that were played in Yankee Stadium and Comiskey Park. The fan turnout was quite large, due to the fact that the legendary pitching sensation Leroy Satchel Paige climbed the mound to hurl.
The Cincinnati Reds minor league organization landed Sam in 1960. He opened for them in the Palatka Florida State League with a win. By season's end, his contribution helped the team capture the league pennant and in doing so garnered All-Star status. In 1961, he led the teams pitching, hurling 19 wins and 10 losses in route to another league pennant before he entered the armed services.
In November of 1961, Sam entered into the U. S. Army. He was a military policeman assigned to the 4th Armored Division in Germany. During his two years of service, he traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, Venice and Berlin. His background in baseball came in handy during his tour of service. He pitched, played first base and outfield for the Southern Command where he captured a batting title among other things. Sam attended the University of Maryland (overseas division) at Draughons Jr. College majoring in business administration with a minor in auxiliary machines.
Sam returned from the service in late 1963. In June of 1964, he returned to baseball to fill a whole in the roster, playing outfield for his Florida State League Cincinnati Reds organization. In 1965, he played out the season with the Peninsula Grays of the Carolina League with great success. The Grays won the pennant and Sam once again grabbed All-Star recognition while leading his team in stolen bases and runs. In 1966, he took to the outfield of the Knoxville Smokies and delivered a league leading statistics in hits, runs, stolen bases, and triples. Sam married the Chary in 1967 and his baseball career was a part of his past.
In 1968, Sam and Chary moved to New York where he worked as a broker on Wall St. They soon had a son and a daughter and after several years, the couple returned to the simpler life that they new in the South. Sam remains active in the church where reading and singing are the focus of his ministry. His dad had always been his role model and his upbringing greatly influenced the choices he has had to make over the years. Sam revealed that his dad died in 1986. He has always wished for himself, to be just half of what his father exemplified.
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