Ernest Johnson, Last Surviving 1940s Kansas City Monarchs Player, Dies At 92

Ernest “Schoolboy” Johnson, the last living Kansas City Monarchs player from the 1940s, died January 19, 2021, in Des Moines. He was 92. His death leaves only a handful of living Negro Leaguers that played in the 1940s, a list that includes Hall of Famer Willie Mays.

Johnson debuted with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1949 after their business manager Dizzy Dismukes spotted him as a teenager playing for the legendary House of David. Joining the Monarchs as a pitcher-outfielder, the team had high hopes for the two-way player.

His first run with the Monarchs, however, was short lived, as the United States Army drafted him in 1950. While stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, Johnson managed to pitch with Kansas City when they were home during his military service.

During Johnson’s Monarchs tenure from 1949-1953, his teammates included future Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, as well as American League MVP Elston Howard. He explained how manager Buck O’Neil’s careful eye and nurturing presence helped them all develop their skills.

“He was the type of person that wanted you to play your best all the time,” Johnson said during a 2007 interview.

Historically, the Monarchs were a breeding ground for prospects, as the franchise spawned the most Major League players from any team in the Negro Leagues. When Banks and Johnson played their final season together in 1953, he felt their team could hang with anyone on the junior circuit.

“The team we had in ’53, I think we could’ve beat anyone in the minor leagues,” Johnson told author Brent P. Kelley in I Will Never Forget. “We had that much talent.”

As MLB scouts scoured Negro Leagues rosters for talent, Johnson’s breakout came during the 1953 East-West All-Star Game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. He was leading the league in home runs and was ready to put his wares on full display at the league’s premier event.

Growing up in Chicago, playing in the East-West All-Star Game was a thrill for a local kid. Johnson lashed a two-RBI single in his only at-bat to provide the West with a 5-1 lead.

“I was very happy,” he said in the 2007 interview. “I was raised on the South Side of Chicago, so it was a great day to play in that game.”

After his All-Star performance, Johnson knew his time in the Negro Leagues was quickly numbered. The St. Louis Browns swooped in and bought his contract from the Monarchs at the end of season. They sent him to their Canadian team in the Provincial League in 1954.

He played only one season with the Browns before the Cubs signed him in 1955. During his six minor league seasons, Johnson batted over .300 multiple times. Despite his formidable stroke at the plate, Johnson never advanced past Class A. When the Cubs tried to send him to the Texas League, he asked to stay in Des Moines rather than go to cities like Shreveport, Louisiana that did not allow integrated teams on the field.

After spending four consecutive seasons in Class A, Johnson knew he was not going to make the major leagues. Approaching his late 20s, he hung up his spikes instead of holding on the slim hopes he would break through.

Johnson tucked away his baseball career and worked for Armstrong Tire and Rubber for 28 years. When interest in the Negro Leagues surged during the 1990s, Johnson experienced an awakening that he, “never even visualized.”

Even though Johnson did not follow teammates like Banks and Howard major league stardom, he enjoyed having a baseball player’s life as a young man.

“I played baseball, and I got a chance to travel this whole country,” he told Kelley. “People live their whole lives and don’t see the country like I’ve seen it, and I got paid to do it.”