The following three years saw his playing time reduced as he struggled with undiagnosed mental illness. During his rookie year he played in 66 games, hitting. That caught the eye of the Cardinals, who bought his contract for $100,000 and four players and promoted him to the major leagues. After graduation from A&T, he signed a professional contract in 1952 to play for San Diego in the Pacific Coast League. Alston was also an outstanding player with the Goshen Red Wings, an all-Black semi-pro team in the Greensboro area, playing while a high school and college student against barnstorming Negro League teams.

He went on to star for four years at North Carolina A&T. A native of Greensboro, Alston attended Dudley High School in the early 1940s when it had no baseball team. The 6-foot-5, 210 Alston earned the nickname of “Long Tom’ due to his height and reach as a first baseman. Thomas Alston, a World War II Navy veteran, was the first African-American baseball player to break the color barrier with the St. They can be ordered online at the GCSHOF website ().īiographies of the Class of 2022 follow in alphabetical order: Tickets for the reception and banquet are $90 while tables for 10 are $900. The induction reception and banquet will be held on Tuesday, Sept. The GCSHOF presented charitable contributions of $1,000 each to the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Foundation and First Tee of Central Carolina, continuing a commitment of giving back to the Guilford County community since the inception of the GCSHOF.

The inductees were introduced at a press conference at the Greensboro Coliseum. This is the 17th class of athletes, coaches and contributors to be inducted into the Hall, which was created in 2005. There are nine laureates and two members of the Legends Class for those deceased. The class is loaded with athletes who played multiple sports and coaches who coached multiple sports. GREENSBORO – The Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame added 11 new members with the Class of 2022 announced Wednesday. GUIFLORD COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME SELECTS 11 FOR CLASS OF 2022

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