Clinton “Butch” McCord is a native of Nashville, Tennessee, whose baseball career spanned three decades. He began his career as a first baseman with the Negro Southern League (organized by Tom Wilson in 1920) Nashville Cubs in 1946. Later he played for the Nashville Black Vols, the Baltimore Elite Giants (1948-1950) – including the club’s 1949 National Negro League championship team – and Chicago American Giants (1950). His tenure with the Negro Southern League ended in 1950. After a stellar year with the Chicago American Giants, he advanced to the minor leagues in Paris, Illinois, playing with the Paris Lakers until 1952. The following year McCord played with the Denver Bears, where he remained through the 1954 season. From 1955 to 1961, the consummate first-baser played with the Richmond Virginians, Columbus Jets, Louisville Colonels, Macon Dodgers, Victoria Rosebuds, St. Paul Saints, and Victoria/Ardmore Rosebuds. Like Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, McCord became the first black to play AAA ball when he joined the Richmond Virginians in 1955. With a batting average just under .400, he was the first minor league player ever to win the Silver Glove in two consecutive years when he played with the Macon Dodgers (1958) and the Victoria Rosebuds (1959), establishing him as the best defensive first baseman in all of the minor leagues. Only “one step away,” from advancing to the major leagues, McCord never overcame the racially divided system that prevented many Negro League stars from gaining the broader notoriety they richly deserved. He ended his professional career with the Victoria/Ardmore Rosebuds of the Texas League in 1961, where he broke the league’s record for fielding.
A graduate of Pearl High School and Tennessee State University, McCord served his country in the United States Navy during World War II. After leaving the game, he worked with the YMCA and was a postal clerk for 24 years, retiring in 1988. On September 19, 1995, Tennessee State University dedicated its new baseball field to him, naming it the Clinton “Butch” McCord Field. A former player in the Negro Leagues and in Minor League Baseball, Clinton “Butch” McCord is a baseball legend. A season ticket holder, he is an avid Nashville Sounds fan. He has dedicated his life to sports and sports education. A community crusader, McCord has done much to teach youth and their parents the value in being involved in sports. His contributions are never-ending as he still gives his time and resources to Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI). McCord and his wife, Christine Pearson McCord, have been married for 58 years.
