EARL WEBB

“I was born to the coal mines and escaped only because of my ability to play baseball. Bon Air, a little coal mining community in central Tennessee is where I was born. September 17, 1899.  And my father, William Webb, was a coal digger. We moved to a nearby town, Ravenscroft, when I was quite small and I roamed the mountains, haunted the mines and attended school. In those days I could think of no work as thrilling as laboring in the coal mines. And during my school days, I idled away my time, waiting until I should be big enough to go down in the ground.”

                                                     Earl Webb

William Earl Webb (September 17, 1897 – May 23, 1965) played right field in the baseball major leagues from 1925 to 1933. He played for five teams including three years for the Boston Red Sox. He was born in the coal mining town of Bon Air on the Cumberland Plateau in White County, Tennessee.  He died on May 23, 1965 in Jamestown, Tennessee. In 1931, while playing for the Red Sox, he hit a record 67 doubles which is a major league record that still stands today. He had a career batting average of .306 with 56 home runs. In 1931, Webb finished second in the league in extra base hits with 84. His .333 batting average in 1931 was seventh-highest in the American League. He also finished sixth in the 1931 American League Most Valuable Player voting. He batted left-handed, and threw right-handed.