View source for Jud Wilson

{{short description|American baseball player}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name          = Jud Wilson
| image         = Jud Wilson 1931.jpg
| image_size    = 
| caption       = Wilson in 1931
| position      = [[First baseman]] / [[Third baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1894|2|28|mf=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Remington, Virginia]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1963|6|24|1894|2|28|mf=y}}
| death_place   = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| bats          = Left
| throws        = Right
| debutleague   = Negro leagues
| debutdate     = 
| debutyear     = 1922
| debutteam     = Baltimore Black Sox
| finalleague   = Negro leagues
| finaldate     = 
| finalyear     = 1945
| finalteam     = Homestead Grays
| statyear      = 
| statleague    = Negro leagues{{efn|On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared certain Negro leagues, from the span of 1920–1948, to be "Major League".<ref>{{cite web|title=MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League'|url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-mlb-officially-designates-the-negro-leagues-as-major-league|website=MLB.com|date=December 16, 2020|accessdate=December 5, 2024}}</ref> Wilson's statistics reflect his time in the Negro leagues from 1923 to 1929, and 1932 until the end of his career.}}
| stat1label  = [[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
| stat1value  = .350
| stat2label  = [[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
| stat2value  = 1,080
| stat3label  = [[Home run]]s
| stat3value  = 77
| stat4label  = [[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
| stat4value  = 728
| stat5label  = [[Stolen base]]s
| stat5value  = 104
| stat6label  = Managerial record
| stat6value  = 105–102–6
| stat7label  = Winning percentage 
| stat7value  = .507
| teams         = 
;As player
*[[Baltimore Black Sox]] ({{by|1922}}–{{by|1930}})
*[[New York Lincoln Giants]] ({{by|1927}})
*[[Homestead Grays]] ({{by|1931}}–{{by|1932}}, {{by|1940}}–{{by|1945}})
*[[Pittsburgh Crawfords]] ({{by|1932}}–{{by|1933}})
*[[Philadelphia Stars (baseball)|Philadelphia Stars]] ({{by|1933}}–{{by|1939}})
*[[New York Cubans]] ({{by|1936}})
;As manager
*[[Homestead Grays]] ({{by|1932}})
*[[Philadelphia Stars (baseball)|Philadelphia Stars]] ({{by|1937}}–{{by|1939}})
| highlights    = 
* 2× [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions#Negro leagues|Eastern Colored League batting champion]] (1927, 1928)
* 2× [[Negro World Series]] champion ([[1943 Negro World Series|1943]], [[1944 Negro World Series|1944]])
* [[Washington Nationals#Ring of Honor|Washington Nationals Ring of Honor]] 
| hoflink       = National Baseball Hall of Fame
| hoftype       = National
| hofdate       = [[2006 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2006]]
| hofvote       = 
| hofmethod     = Committee on African-American Baseball
}}

'''Ernest Judson Wilson''' (February 28, 1894 – June 24, 1963), nicknamed "'''Boojum'''", was an American [[third baseman]], [[first baseman]], and [[manager (baseball)|manager]] in [[Negro league baseball]]. He played for the [[Baltimore Black Sox]], the [[Homestead Grays]], and the [[Philadelphia Stars (baseball)|Philadelphia Stars]] between 1922 and 1945. Wilson was known for possessing a unique physique, a quick temper, and outstanding hitting skills. One of the Negro leagues' most powerful hitters, his career [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] of .351 ranks him among the top five players.

Wilson was posthumously elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 2006, one of 17 black Negro league or pre-Negro league players inducted that year.

==Early life==
Wilson was born in [[Remington, Virginia]].

As a teenager, he moved to [[Foggy Bottom]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name=Pioneering>{{cite web|title=Pioneering Ballplayer, Unsung Star|url=http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2001/062001/06092001/296438|publisher=Free Lance-Star Publishing Company|access-date=August 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130808005548/http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2001/062001/06092001/296438|archive-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref>

The first mention of Wilson's early life was his induction into the United States Army on June 29, 1918, where he served in World War I as a corporal in Company D, 417th Service Battalion.

==Career==
Wilson debuted for the [[Baltimore Black Sox]] in 1922. Though Wilson was referred to as "Babe Ruth Wilson" by the media, his teammates nicknamed him "Boojum" after the noise his line drives made after striking the outfield fences. The team went on a 12-game winning streak after Wilson joined the club. He finished his first season with a .390 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] and a team high in home runs. The Black Sox joined the [[Eastern Colored League]] in 1923.<ref name=Monarchs/> Wilson hit .373 that season, leading the league.<ref name=Bready>{{cite book|last1=Bready|first1=James|title=Baseball in Baltimore: The First Hundred Years|year=1998|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]]|isbn=080185833X|page=163|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kt3T2ArsotAC&pg=PA161|access-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref> However, the team finished in last place, prompting the hiring of [[Pete Hill]] as the team's manager.<ref name=Monarchs>{{cite book|last1=Riley|first1=James|title=Of Monarchs and Black Barons: Essays on Baseball's Negro Leagues|year=2012|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0786491308|pages=94–95|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RbF37P3D8cYC&pg=PA94|access-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref>

During the 1920s, Wilson was also enjoying remarkable success playing winter baseball in the [[Cuban League]]. His career batting average there was the highest in league history.<ref name=McNeil>{{cite book|last1=McNeil|first1=William|title=Baseball's Other All-Stars: The Greatest Players from the Negro Leagues, the Japanese Leagues, the Mexican League, and the Pre-1960 Winter Leagues in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic|date=2000|publisher=McFarland|isbn=0786407840|page=[https://archive.org/details/baseballsotheral0000mcne/page/106 106]|url=https://archive.org/details/baseballsotheral0000mcne|url-access=registration|access-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref>

Wilson moved to the [[Homestead Grays]] for 1931 and part of 1932, finishing that season with the [[Pittsburgh Crawfords]]. He joined the [[Philadelphia Stars (baseball)|Philadelphia Stars]] in 1933.<ref name=BR/> In the 1934 [[Negro National League (1933–48)|Negro National League]] playoffs, Wilson struck an umpire but was not removed from the game. The incident raised questions about the league's ability to enforce rules against the top players and the most influential teams.<ref name=Lanctot>{{cite book|last1=Lanctot|first1=Neil|title=Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution|year=2008|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|isbn=978-0812202564|pages=36–37|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VH_x_ASNli8C|access-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref> In 1940, Wilson returned to the Homestead Grays. He played with the team through 1945, when he was 49 years old.<ref name=BR>{{cite web|title=Jud Wilson Negro League Statistics & History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/nlb/player.cgi?id=wilson001jud|publisher=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref>

Struggling with his fielding skills, Wilson often blocked or knocked down batted balls rather than catching them with his glove. Because of his strong arm, he was still able to throw runners out on such plays. He had an unusual physique, standing 5'8" and weighing 195 pounds with a large torso, a small waist, bowed legs and [[pigeon toe]].<ref name=Porter>{{cite book|editor-last=Porter|editor-first=David L. |title=Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Q-Z|year=2000|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|isbn=0313311765|page=1694|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXAxPvFtwqIC&pg=PA1694}}</ref> [[Pitcher]] [[Satchel Paige]] claimed that Wilson and [[Chino Smith]] were the two toughest outs he ever faced (Wilson hit .375 against Paige). [[Catcher]] [[Josh Gibson]] said that Wilson was the best hitter in baseball.<ref name=HOF>{{cite web|title=Wilson, Jud|url=http://baseballhall.org/hof/wilson-jud|publisher=[[Baseball Hall of Fame]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref>

Wilson was known for a bad temper and a willingness to get into physical altercations. His friend [[Jake Stephens]] said, "The minute he saw an umpire, he became a maniac."<ref name=NLBPA>{{cite web|title=Ernest Judson "Boojum" Wilson|url=http://www.nlbpa.com/the-athletes/wilson-ernest-judson-boojum|publisher=Negro League Baseball Players Association|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> A well-circulated story involved Wilson holding Stephens out of a 16th story window by one leg after Stephens came in late and woke him. Others, including [[Judy Johnson]] and [[Ted Page (baseball)|Ted Page]], described him as different off the field. "He'd do anything in the world for you," Johnson said.<ref name=Pioneering/> Late in his career, Wilson developed epilepsy. During a [[Negro World Series]] game, Wilson began to draw circles in the dirt and was said to be unaware of his surroundings.

==Later life==
After retiring, he worked on a road construction crew in Washington, D.C.<ref name=NLBM>{{cite web|title=Jud Wilson|url=http://www.coe.ksu.edu/annex/nlbemuseum/history/players/wilsonj.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130808005603/http://www.coe.ksu.edu/annex/nlbemuseum/history/players/wilsonj.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 8, 2013|publisher=Negro Leagues Baseball Museum|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> He had to be institutionalized late in life.<ref name=Pioneering/> Wilson died at age 69 in Washington, D.C., and was buried in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgZ3aWxzb24SBmVybmVzdA--/|website=ANC Explorer|title=ANC Explorer}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Wilson was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] by the Negro Leagues Committee in [[Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2006|2006]].<ref name=HOF/> Wilson was elected in a class of 17 Negro league and black pre-Negro league inductees, the largest such group inducted in Hall of Fame history.<ref name=Utica>{{cite web|title=Year-By-Year Inductees into Baseball Hall of Fame|url=http://www.uticaod.com/sports/baseball/x1767505204/Year-by-year-inductees-into-Baseball-Hall-of-Fame|newspaper=[[Utica Observer-Dispatch]]|access-date=August 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130808005624/http://www.uticaod.com/sports/baseball/x1767505204/Year-by-year-inductees-into-Baseball-Hall-of-Fame|archive-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref> Hall of Fame officials did not think that Wilson had any living relatives, but a great-niece heard about his scheduled induction and was able to attend the ceremony on his behalf.<ref name=Sheinin>{{cite news|last=Sheinin|first=Dave|title=D.C.'s 'Boojum' Gets His Day in Hall of Fame|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-139187.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314061233/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-139187.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 14, 2016|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=July 31, 2006}}</ref> In 2010, the [[Washington Nationals]] honored Wilson and five other Homestead Grays in the Hall of Fame by including them in a Hall of Fame Ring of Honor at [[Nationals Park]].<ref name=WBOC>{{cite web|title=Nationals Pay Tribute to Hall of Famers with Ring of Honor|url=http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=12957654|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130808005607/http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=12957654|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 8, 2013|publisher=[[Worldnow]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Negro league baseball players]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{bbhof|wilson-jud}}
* {{Baseballstats|mlb=816505|br=w/wilsoju99}} and [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=wilson001jud Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats] and [https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=wilso01jud Seamheads]
* {{baseball-reference manager|wilsoju99}} and [https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/manager.php?playerID=wilso01jud Seamheads]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100124104645/http://www.nlbpa.com/wilson__jud.html Negro League Baseball Players Association] - biography

{{Philadelphia Stars}}
{{2006 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{Negro league baseball batting champions}}
{{1943 Homestead Grays}}
{{1944 Homestead Grays}}
{{Washington Nationals Ring of Honor}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Jud}}
[[Category:1894 births]]
[[Category:1963 deaths]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Baltimore Black Sox players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Crawfords players]]
[[Category:Homestead Grays players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Virginia]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Fauquier County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Stars players]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:New York Lincoln Giants players]]