Biography · Sports & Achievement
John Kennedy (shortstop)
1926–1998
United States
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Biography
John Irvin Kennedy (October 12, 1926 – April 27, 1998) was an American professional baseball shortstop. Kennedy was the first African-American player to be signed by and play for the Philadelphia Phillies, the last National League baseball team to support anti-Black segregation. The Phillies had fielded all-White teams through the 1956 season.
Sources & collection details
Wikipedia contributors — original record ↗
Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-20
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