Louisville Honors Former Infielder Felton Snow
September 6, 2022 – International League (IL) – Louisville Bats News Release
The Louisville Bats hosted an event to celebrate the life of Felton Snow, former infielder for the Louisville White Sox of the Negro National League, at Louisville Slugger Field on Friday, September 2 as part of “The Nine” initiative with Minor League Baseball.
Prior to the event at Louisville Slugger Field, a gravestone dedication for Snow took place on Thursday afternoon (September 1) at Eastern Cemetery on Baxter Avenue. The event was organized by the Pee Wee Reese Chapter of SABR, and was moderated by Dr. Wayne Tuckson, with words from Billy Snow (nephew of Felton Snow), Larry Lester (co-founder of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO), Greg Galiette (President of the Louisville Bats), Greg Fischer (Mayor of Louisville), and Ken Draut (SABR: Pee Wee Reese Chapter and original sponsor of the Felton Snow little league team).
“What Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball are trying to do is go around and shine a light on these pioneers who played Negro League Baseball,” said Greg Galiette. “These African-Americans who were so talented and went unrecognized for so long — we are now trying to shine a light on their stories.”
However, Galiette’s connection to “The Nine” runs much deeper than simply being the President of Louisville’s Triple-A baseball team…
“Growing up as a young child in Middletown, Kentucky in the 1960’s, we only had one stop light, so you had to go to St. Matthews for everything.” recalled Galiette. “When I was born, my father was slowly dying of cancer, but he was so proud to have a son. He took me with him everywhere he went, and one of those places was to watch him get his haircut every Saturday at a barbershop in St. Matthews, becoming close friends with the barber.”
“As my father’s condition worsened, this gentleman would come over to our house to help out my father with anything he needed. He would help out with chores, play catch with me, and even buy ice cream for me and my sister when the ice cream truck would come around. As a young child I couldn’t say his name, so I always just called him by his last name, which was Snow. Felton Snow was a large part of my life as a young child and really helped start my love for baseball.”
The gameday event on September 2 took place prior to a matchup with the Indianapolis Indians (Triple-A Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates) and featured a slew of pregame events, including
– The retiring of Felton Snow’s jersey (#2)
– Felton Snow trading card giveaway (courtesy of Studio Gary C and the Pee Wee Reese SABR Chapter)
– Display of a lathe machine and banners featuring the Louisville Unions that will remain in the Hall of Fame for the duration of the month of September (courtesy of Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory)
– Ceremonial first pitches from special guests Larry Lester and Billy Snow
– On-field parades from West Louisville Sports and Portland Baseball and Softball teams with TARC providing transportation to and from the game
Felton Snow (pictured middle-right), a native of Alabama, moved to Louisville when he was 10 years old and was a notable manager and player in the Negro Leagues from 1931-1947. His career began in Louisville in 1931 with the Louisville White Sox, and the following year with the Louisville Black Caps. He then spent 15 years as a player for the Elite Giants, a team initially playing out of Nashville before relocating to Columbus, Washington D.C. and, finally, to Baltimore. Snow was a two-time All-Star (1935 and 1936). During his career, Snow played on teams with Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, and Cool Papa Bell, all immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“The Nine” is a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide.
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