On the evening of August 16, 1952, when 28-year-old Lancaster native David Mobley took the field for the Rock Hill Chiefs, he helped change the course of race relations not only in South Carolina, but across the nation by becoming the first African American to integrate baseball’s minor leagues.

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He was well known for his baseball prowess in the Lancaster and York County region having had recently played for the semiprofessional Lancaster Tigers and organizing an African American semiprofessional team, the Bluejays, in Rock Hill. Being familiar with Mobley’s playing abilities and his experience playing on integrated teams were the main reasons why the ownership of the Chiefs signed him to become the Class B Tri-State League’s first Black player.

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There was considerable excitement in Rock Hill and York County when word got out that Mobley had been added to Chiefs’ roster. A huge crowd - both Black and white - showed up for the game that night to witness history in the making. The Knoxville Smokies, the Chiefs’ opponents that game, were fine with competing against an integrated team and Mobley’s white teammates were mostly accepting of him. Reaction from the other South Carolina teams was not so enthusiastic; the Spartanburg Peaches and the Greenville Spinners threatened to leave the Tri-State League if Mobley played. At first the Chiefs bowed to the pressure and Mobley remained in the clubhouse when the game began but later relented as local fans demanded he play. Midway through the contest, Mobley made his appearance to the delight of the crowd.

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The lefthander showed considerable grace and poise in the face of such pressure. Patrolling left field, he had one successful fielding opportunity - a grounder - and he came to bat twice in the five innings he played, going one for two. But that marked the end of his career with the Rock Hill Chiefs.

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As fear the Tri-State League would fold due to intense opposition from South Carolina’s other teams, the Chiefs kept Mobley on their roster for the rest of the season but never played him again. He was dropped by the team early in 1953 but was signed by the Knoxville Smokies, who left the Tri-State League to become a member of the Class D Mountain States League. Mobley, one of three Black members of the team that season, played 22 games for Knoxville early in the season before leaving the team to return home to South Carolina. He moved to Charlotte in 1970 and continued to play ball in the region well into the 1980s.

 

He passed away in Charlotte, NC, at the age of 88 on February 11, 2013.