Francis Oliver "Fran" Matthews
Born: November 2, 1916, Barbados,West Indies
Died: August 24, 1999, Los Angeles,CA

Francis Oliver Matthews was born in Barbados, West Indies on November 2, 1916. Matthews attended an integrated high school called Rindge Technical School. Left-handed hitting Matthews was a standout on the baseball field at Rindge and excelled as a first baseman and batter. After high school, Matthews played alongside Will “Cannonball” Jackman for the segregated semi-pro Philadelphia Giants. Known to teammates as “Fran”, Matthews played with the Newark Eagles between 1938 and 1945 as a part of the Negro National League. Matthews got the opportunity to play a few games in Yankee Stadium when the Newark Eagles were able to use the venue while the Yankees were on the road. He also had a short stint with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League and played with Boston’s Colored Giants until 1950. In that same year, Matthews enlisted in the United States Army. He served in the military for more than 20 years and did a tour of duty in Korea and Vietnam. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals for his service. Matthews retired from the military in 1972 at the rank of 1st Sgt. After retirement, he moved to Los Angeles, California. In 1993, Matthews threw out the first pitch before a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Matthews was on hand as part of a ceremony to honor the 50th anniversary of the first integrated baseball game to be played at Fenway in 1943. It was in that year that Matthews played his one and only game with the Kansas City Monarchs.

Sources: The Society for American Baseball Research, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball, Encyclopedia Britannica, Library of Congress, National Public Radio, and the Newark Public Library were the primary research sources for the biographical information contained in this exhibition label.