09/08/2026
Reverend Williams H. Bill Greason Turns 102!
The nation's eldest professional major league baseball player lives in Birmingham, Alabama, not far from the nation's oldest professional Major League Ballpark, Rickwood Field. He celebrated 102 years of living on September, 3, 2026.
Greason says, "Sundays, the park would be overflowing with people."
These days,Greason leads the Bethel Baptist Church - Berney Points (formerly Southside).
Greason grew up on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia across the street from Martin Luther King.
As a teenager, he was a natural athlete and got his start playing baseball for the Scripto company sponsored community team. He signed up for the armed forces and was selected to become a leader in the first integrated Marine Corps unit, the Montford Point Marines where he served during the battles of Iwo Jima and saw the historic raising of the victory flag and lost many friends.
He made a promise to serve God for life if he could make it home. When he eventually returned home, Greason played professional baseball getting his start with the Negro Southern League, Ashville Blues.
After a successful series of games he was signed to the Birmingham Black Barons. He became the first black player to play integrated baseball in Oklahoma as a member of the Oklahoma Indians.
He later went on to become the first black pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He also played extensively in Puerto Rico where he was teammates with Clemente and Mays as well as Rochester, New York where he mentored a young Bob Gibson.
After his baseball career, Greason became a minister at the historic 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.
Wish Reverend Greason a happy 102nd Birthday!
Bill Greason is a former baseball player, pastor, and marine vet wh...
