June 8, 2007
Unveiling of memorial to Herbert "Rap" Dixon
 A monument celebrating the accomplishments of noted Negro
League baseball player Herbert "Rap" Dixon was dedicated at his gravesite in
historic Midland Cemetery on June 8, 2007. A beautiful black granite
monument was installed on the Dixon family plot, and unveiled by surviving
Negro League veterans in a 2 pm. ceremony. Among the contributors who
helped pay the cost of the monument were Neidich Systems, the National
Sports Hall of Fame and Giant Foods.
Helping to celebrate the occasion were many local
citizens and dignitaries, including representatives of Swatara Township and
Steelton Borough, members of the Harrisburg Senators, former Negro League
players and representatives of the Negro League Baseball Museum and the
National Baseball Hall of Fame.
 State
Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola presented Friends of Midland President Barbara B.
Barksdale with an official proclamation from the Senate of Pennsylvania,
paying tribute to the late Herbert Dixon.
The event was covered by regional news networks.
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Biography of Rap Dixon
Ted Knorr
Steelton's Rap Dixon was an outstanding outfielder in the
Negro Leagues from 1922 through 1938. Dixon, born on September 2, 1902
at Kingston, Georgia, came north with his family just prior to World War
One. He made his professional baseball debut in 1922 with his hometown
Harrisburg Giants.
During his time with Harrisburg he played outfield with
the great Oscar Charleston and Fats Jenkins in one of the greatest outfields
of all time in any league. Subsequently he toured Japan with an
all-star team selected by Hall of Famer Biz Mackey. In Japan his brand
of baseball was so impressive that no less a personage than Emperor Hirohito
himself provided him with a trophy.
 In
1929 Rap cracked 14 consecutive hits against the Homestead Grays; that feat:
14 straight hits, remains today a professional baseball record. The
next year, on July 2, 1930, when Yankee Stadium was opened to Negro League
play, Rap Dixon hit the very first homerun there by an African American
player. Three years later, in the first Negro League all-star game,
Dixon stole the first base in the history of that competition. In
1934, Rap became the first manager of future Hall of Fame pitcher Leon Day's
career.
Rap's playing career came to an end in 1937 but he
continued to manage. In 1943, Dixon managed an integrated version of
the Harrisburg Giants, foreshadowing the future of baseball. Rap Dixon
died on a street car on July 20, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan, where he was
managing the Detroit Stars.
Rap played on many great ball clubs including the
Harrisburg Giants, Baltimore Black Sox, Hilldale Giants, original Pittsburgh
Crawfords, Philadelphia Stars and the Homestead Grays. For his career,
Dixon hit .315 with 16 homers and 26 steals for every 150 games played.
In 1999, Rap Dixon was named to the Patriot News Central Pennsylvania
All-Century Team. Earlier this spring, Rap Dixon was installed in the
Capital Area Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Last
year, he was on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but
unfortunately he was not elected.
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