1896-1963
Earnest Judson Wilson
Professional Baseball Player VA/VA
As compiler and czar of The Judson Legacy Project, I have chosen on only four occasions to allow someone into this listing who did not meet the standard of being verifiably named for Ann or Adoniram Judson. I choose to do this with Earnest Judson Wilson who is the only Black person thus far included in The Judson Legacy. I see him playing second base every time I visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. Records were scanty at the end of the 19th century on Black Americans and thus we do not know why his parents named him Judson. He served nobly in WWI and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Therefore, I choose to declare his parents named him in honor of Adoniram Judson, Jr., whom they learned about in church. His story is best told by the Society for American Baseball Research.
Jud Wilson was one of the greatest hitters in the history of Negro League baseball, known for his fierce hitting style as well as his explosive temper and his penchant for brawling with both players and umpires. He stood only 5-feet-8 inches tall but weighed a solid 195 pounds, with broad shoulders, a small waist and tiny calves that left him bowlegged and pigeon-toed. He was a slashing left-handed hitter who often drove the ball to the opposite field. Wilson played for 23 seasons, from 1922 through 1945, beginning with the Baltimore Black Sox before moving on to the Homestead Grays, Pittsburgh Crawfords, and Philadelphia Stars. He finished with a lifetime batting average of .351 that was the fifth highest in Negro league history, and batted over .300 in 16 seasons and over .400 four times.1 He spent six seasons in the Cuban Winter League and compiled an average there of .372. On July 30, 2006, Wilson was posthumously elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[i]
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[i] https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jud-wilson/