Here is an interesting entry from theolballgame about MLB’s second player to cross the color line in the 1940s.
By Michael LeCompte
A sometimes unfortunate aspect of history is that the second person to do something is often forgotten. Eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League baseball, Larry Doby joined the Cleveland Indians.
Although largely overlooked in 1947 as the national media followed the trials and feats of Robinson with the Dodgers in the National League, Doby was the first black player in the American League.
Larry Doby was born in Camden, South Carolina in 1923 and grew up in New Jersey. Like Robinson, Doby was also a three sport star in high school. According to teammates and coaches he had professional level talent in football and baseball.
However, Doby initially harbored professional aspirations of a different kind. Hoping to follow the example of an influential high school coach, he planned to go to college, with the ultimate goal of becoming a P.E. teacher.
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Charlie R. Claywell 