Willie Horton Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles
WILLIE HORTON
Born: October 18, 1942 in Arno, Virginia
Willie Horton
This article was written by Dan Holmes and is presented in part, courtesy of the Society for American Baseball Research
A standout on the sandlots of Detroit, Willie Horton became the first black superstar for his hometown Tigers and spent parts of 15 seasons with the team. A tremendously powerful right-handed slugger, Horton was one of the strongest men in the game and launched 325 homers in his career. Extremely popular in Detroit, Horton worked in the Tigers front office after his playing career, where he helped bridge relations between the club and the African American community.
Born in Arno, Virginia, on October 18, 1942, William Wattison Horton was the youngest of 14 children—eight of them boys—of Clinton and Lillian Horton. His father moved the family to Detroit when Willie was five years old. Raised in the shadows of Briggs Stadium in the Jefferson Projects in downtown Detroit, Horton was a talented athlete despite his short, stocky frame that carried extra baby fat. Horton was a left-handed batter until age 10, when his father changed him to right-handed in Little League.
As a 17-year-old in 1960, he played outfield for the Detroit Lundquist team that won the national sandlot championship in a tournament in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Horton batted third on that team, directly in front of Bill Freehan, who would later be a teammate of Willie’s on the Tigers. As a star slugger at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Horton hit a home run at Tiger Stadium in the city championship game, and earned the nickname “Willie the Wonder.” After his senior year, the Tigers signed Horton to a $50,000 bonus.
This article was written by Dan Holmes and is presented in part, courtesy of the Society for American Baseball Research
A standout on the sandlots of Detroit, Willie Horton became the first black superstar for his hometown Tigers and spent parts of 15 seasons with the team. A tremendously powerful right-handed slugger, Horton was one of the strongest men in the game and launched 325 homers in his career. Extremely popular in Detroit, Horton worked in the Tigers front office after his playing career, where he helped bridge relations between the club and the African American community.
Born in Arno, Virginia, on October 18, 1942, William Wattison Horton was the youngest of 14 children—eight of them boys—of Clinton and Lillian Horton. His father moved the family to Detroit when Willie was five years old. Raised in the shadows of Briggs Stadium in the Jefferson Projects in downtown Detroit, Horton was a talented athlete despite his short, stocky frame that carried extra baby fat. Horton was a left-handed batter until age 10, when his father changed him to right-handed in Little League.
As a 17-year-old in 1960, he played outfield for the Detroit Lundquist team that won the national sandlot championship in a tournament in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Horton batted third on that team, directly in front of Bill Freehan, who would later be a teammate of Willie’s on the Tigers. As a star slugger at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Horton hit a home run at Tiger Stadium in the city championship game, and earned the nickname “Willie the Wonder.” After his senior year, the Tigers signed Horton to a $50,000 bonus.
2003-100-Years-of-the-World-Series (in person), 1972-1972-American-League-Championship-Series (in person), 1970-1970-MLB-All-Star-Game (in person), 1968-1968-World-Series (in person), 2005-2005-MLB-All-Star-Game (in person), 2002-A-City-on-Fire:-The-Story-of-the-'68-Detroit-Tigers (Other), 2002-A-City-on-Fire:-The-Story-of-the-'68-Detroit-Tigers (in person), 1973-1973-MLB-All-Star-Game (in person), 1965-1965-MLB-All-Star-Game (in person), 2009-2011-Prime-9 (in person), 2000-ESPN-SportsCentury (in person), 1968-1968-MLB-All-Star-Game (in person)
Style
-
WILLIE HORTON - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED BASEBALL - HFSID 274727Home grown hero of Detroit's 1968 World Series. Baseball signed: "Willie Horton". Rawlings official American League ball, Bobby Brown President.Sale Price $144.00
$160.00
-
WILLIE HORTON - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH - HFSID 296277Shown finishing his swing in Mariners uniform, watching the ball in flight Photograph signed: "Willie Horton". Color, 8x10. Willie Horton, who grew up in Detroit and sneaked into Tiger Stadium as a kid, spent his first 15 of 18 Major League seasons (1963-1980) with the Tigers.
Sale Price $81.00
$90.00
-
CURT FLOOD - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED BASEBALL WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID 291570Twenty-one players from the 7-game Series, including Hall of Famers Kaline and Brock; and other stars including Curt Flood, Orlando Cepeda and Bill Freehan and Willie Horton.
Sale Price $765.00
$900.00
-
THE DETROIT TIGERS - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED BASEBALL CIRCA 1967 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID 13725532 signatures from members of the 1967 team Baseball Signed: "Ray Oyler", "Willie Horton", "Pat Dobson", "Tony Cuccinello", "Dick McAuliffe", "Hank Aguirre", "Mickey Lolich", "Joe Sparma", "Norm Cash",
Sale Price $488.75
$575.00
-
THE NEW YORK YANKEES - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED BASEBALL CIRCA 1985 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID 100440Official Brown American League Baseball signed: "Willie Horton", "Mike Pagliarulo", "Phil Niekro", "Jeff Torborg", "Billy Martin", "Joe Cowley", "Ron Hassey", "Butch Wynegar", "Bobby Meacham", "Scott Bradley", "Dave Righetti", "Rich Bordi", "Brian Fisher", "Willie Randolph", "Andre Robert…"
Sale Price $680.00
$800.00
