JIM “MUDCAT” GRANT

8/13/1935 – 6/11/2021

Jim “Mudcat” Grant was best known for his outstanding baseball career. A Major League pitcher from 1958-1971, Mudcat played primarily for the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins. He was a two-time All-Star and finished his career with 145 wins and a 3.63 ERA. Mudcat was most often remembered for his 1965 season, during which he made the American League All-Star Team, won 21 games for the Minnesota Twins and helped the Twins get to the World Series.

Throughout his career, Mudcat made history.  In 1950, he became the first African-American pitcher to win 20 games in a minor-league season. Then in 1965, he went on to become the first African-American pitcher to win 20 games in the American League, and the first African-American to win a World Series Game, winning Games 1 and 6. To this day, only 13 other African-Americans have achieved a 20-win season. Together with Mudcat, these players are known as “The Black Aces.”

In addition to his baseball career, Mudcat enjoyed a lifelong career of giving.  He started his charitable work as a child, raising money that his mother used to buy food for the poor. Throughout his life, Mudcat worked tirelessly for a number of charities, including the Diabetes Foundation, the Cancer Foundation, the NAACP, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of Lacoochee Florida, the Kaw Valley Habitat for Humanity and countless others.  He also ran “Slugout Drugs,” a program that discourages youth from using drugs and alcohol.

Mudcat was a friend to Binghamton for 20 years, visiting the area and meeting with youths and adults alike at local schools and hospitals. Together with Security Mutual, he was instrumental in creating this annual golf tournament, thereby supporting the Broome County Urban League, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Binghamton, Catholic Charities of Broome County and the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW).

With Mudcat’s death on June 11, 2021, we truly lost someone who was a light in the world and in our community. This year marks the 23th year of the Tournament, and as a tribute to “Mudcat” and his lasting contributions to the children and families of Broome County, we have renamed the tournament The Jim “Mudcat” Grant Legacy All-Star Golf Tournament. We are forever grateful to “Mudcat” for his kindness and generosity, and we are committed to helping ensure that his legacy continues to shine brightly.