Dixie Walker

Fred E. "Dixie" Walker (September 24, 1910 – May 17, 1982) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and minor league manager. He played as a right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1949. Although Walker was a five-time All-Star selection, and won a National League batting championship (1944) as well as an RBI championship (1945) as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, his accomplishments as a player were overshadowed by his attempt to keep Jackie Robinson from joining the Dodgers in 1947. He also played for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates. In 11 years in the National League, Walker posted a .310 batting average (in nine seasons in the American League, an average of .295), and .306 average overall, with 105 total home runs and 1,023 RBIs in 1,905 games. Walker's popularity with the Ebbets Field fans in the 1940s brought him the nickname "the People's Cherce" (so-called, and spelled, because "Choice" in the "Brooklynese" of the mid-20th century frequently was pronounced that way).