Monford Merrill "Monte" Irvin
Born: February 25, 1919, Halesburg, AL
Died: January 11, 2016, Houston, TX

Monford Merrill “Monte” Irvin played in the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues with the Newark Eagles, New York Giants, and the Chicago Cubs. He was a left fielder, first baseman and shortstop. Irvin served in Europe in World War II from 1943 to 1945. On July 8, 1949, at the age of 30, he made his major league debut with the New York Giants, and in 1954 he won a World Series with the team. After retiring from baseball, he worked as a scout for the New York Mets and in public relations in the Commisioner’s Office under Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Irvin’s Number 20 was retired by the Giants in 201. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

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