Connie Johnson

Connie Johnson (December 27, 1922 – November 28, 2004) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball. He was born Clifford Johnson Jr. in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Baseball career Negro leagues In 1940, Johnson initially played for the minor league Atlanta Black Crackers, then quickly moved up to the Toledo-Indianapolis Crawfords before ending up on the Kansas City Monarchs, all at the age of 17. After a solid season, he was selected to the East-West All-Star Game, being the youngest player ever to achieve that distinction. Afterwards, Johnson played a key role in the 1941 and 1942 Negro League World Series titles won by the Monarchs, a team that included future Hall of Famers Satchel Paige and Hilton Smith. In 1943, Johnson enlisted in the Army during World War II for three years.