Wally Yonamine, Nisei Baseball and 49ers Pioneer, Dead at 85

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Ernie

Wally Yonamine, a pioneer in sports for Asian Americans, passed away Monday in Honolulu at the age of 85. A two-sport star for the San Francisco 49ers and Tokyo Giants, “his ability to keep off-field pressures at bay and excel in the game has led many to refer to Yonamine as the ‘Japanese Jackie Robinson,’ making his professional sports debut in 1947, the same year as the Dodgers’ star.” Yonamine also became the first American to play professional sports in Japan following World War II. (Hat tip: Joe)

Thanks for rating this! Now tell the world how you feel - .
(Nah, it's cool; just take me back.)
How does this post make you feel?
  • Excited
  • Fascinated
  • Amused
  • Disgusted
  • Sad
  • Angry

About Ernie

I'm the creator of 8 Asians and one of the editors. While I'm a regular blogger to the site as well, think of my role as Barbara Walters on "The View," except without the weird white hair. During the day, I'm a Developer for a major Internet company and live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've also been writing in my blog, littleyellowdifferent.com, for seven years.
This entry was posted in (simple), Discrimination, History, Sports. Bookmark the permalink.