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 BIRTH
NAME: Walter Perry Johnson
NICKNAMES: Big Train, Sir Walter, White Knight
BIRTH DATE: November 6, 1887
BIRTH PLACE: Humboldt, Kansas
DEATH DATE: December 10, 1946
DEATH PLACE: Washington, D.C.
BURIAL LOCATION: Rockville Union Cemetery - Rockville, Maryland
HEIGHT: 6' 1"
WEIGHT: 200 lbs
HAIR COLOR: Brown
EYE COLOR: Blue
THREW: Right
BATTED: Right
PLAYED FOR: Washington Senators (1907-1927)
ML DEBUT: August 2, 1907 (Facing the Detroit Tigers)
FINAL GAME: September 30, 1927 (Facing the New York Yankees)
POSITIONS: Starting pitcher (666 games), Relief pitcher (about 150
times)
HONORS: AL Most Valuable Player (1913, 1924), Hall of Fame Inductee (1936)
MANAGED: Washington Senators (1929-1932), Cleveland Indians (1933-1935)
JERSEY NUMBERS: #28 in 1931, #25 in 1932 (both as Senators Manager)
STRENGTH: Speed - most estimates place his fast ball at 97-99 MPH (7-12 MPH
faster than most other great pitchers of his time)
HIGH SCHOOL: Fullerton Union High School - Olinda, California
PARENTS: Frank and Minnie Johnson
SIBLINGS: Five brothers and sisters
OCCUPATIONS: Baseball player (Senators), Baseball manager (Senators, Indians),
County commissioner (Montgomery County, Maryland), Broadcaster (Senators games), Farmer (Germantown, Maryland)
MARRIED: Hazel Lee Roberts (1914)
CHILDREN: Three boys, two girls
DID YOU KNOW?
- A high school in Bethesda, Maryland is named after Johnson, the only high school in the United
States named after a baseball player.
- When Johnson was playing baseball from 1907-1927, Major-League teams had not yet adopted uniform numbers.
The Washington Senators first added uniform numbers in 1931, so for the first two years Johnson managed the
Senators from 1929-1930, he had no uniform number. He wore #28 in 1931, and #25 in 1932, his last year as
Senators' manager.
- Johnson was elected Montgomery County Commissioner in the state of Maryland in 1938 and ran for U.S. Congress
in 1940, just barely losing to the incumbant.
- Walter was one of the first five players to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 along
with Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner and Christy Mathewson.
- He was nicknamed “The Big Train” by sportswriter Grantland Rice, who was reminded of an express train by
Walter’s size and the velocity of his pitches (some also say it was because he always seemed to be pulling
his team along).
- He was sometimes referred to as “Sir Walter” and the “White Knight” because of his gentlemanly gamesmanship.
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