Morton, Richardson broke Bulls color barrier in 1957

On April 18, 1957, outfielder Bubba Morton was joined by pitcher Ted Richardson in becoming the first Black players to play for the Durham Bulls in a 4-1 victory over the Greensboro Patriots. Together they helped lead the Bulls to the club’s first Carolina League title, with Durham finishing at a 79-61 clip.

Wycliffe Nathaniel “Bubba” Morton was born in Washington D.C. and went on to serve a stint in the Coast Guard before becoming the third Black player signed by the Detroit Tigers after attending Howard University.

In his lone season with Durham, Morton hit .310 (138-445) in 126 contests, adding 93 runs, 24 doubles, eight triples, 18 homers and 82 RBI, in addition to 18 steals and 71 walks. He would go on to be named a Carolina League All-Star after pacing the club in runs scored and stolen bases, Morton finished the 1957 campaign second on the team in hits, triples, home runs and RBI.

On April 19, 1961, Morton made his Major League debut with the Tigers, playing there for parts of three seasons before being purchased by the Milwaukee Braves during the 1963 campaign. During his brief 15-game tenure with Milwaukee, Morton would be roommates with the late Hall of Famer Hank Aaron. His playing career would also include stints with the Cleveland Indians and California Angels, playing in a total of 451 Major League contests, batting .267 with 14 home runs and 128 RBI. After retiring he was named head coach of the University of Washington’s baseball program in 1972, becoming the school’s first Black head coach in any sport.

Morton would also go on to work at Boeing in Washington, and was also a retired Coast Guard reservist. He passed away in Seattle, Washington at the age of 74 on January 14, 2006.

While Morton’s baseball career was just getting started in Durham, the 1957 campaign served as the second-to-last season in Richardson’s career. Five years prior, Richardson was the ace of the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro Leagues and earned a nod to the East roster of the 1952 Negro Leagues All-Star Game. Earlier that year in April, the Clowns signed a young 18-year-old shortstop who would go on to be Bubba Morton's roommate for a brief spell in Milwaukee; none other than the late Hank Aaron.

He would pitch in the Negro Leagues through the 1955 season before being signed by the Tigers in 1956. The next season, Richardson joined the Bulls and posted a 6-4 record and 3.10 ERA (31 ER/90.0 IP), adding 65 strikeouts in 14 appearances, all but one of which were starts.

He would spend the rest of the 1957 season in the Florida State League with the Orlando Flyers, compiling a 10-9 record and 2.00 ERA (40 ER/180.0 IP), adding 169 strikeouts in 27 games (18 starts). The 1958 campaign would be Richardson’s last in baseball, splitting the year with the Lancaster Red Roses and Idaho Falls Russets.

Richardson sadly passed away at the age of 46 in May 1974 in Cincinnati, Ohio.