Both a biography of Wilber “Bullet” Rogan and a history of his great Kansas City Monarchs teams, 1920–1938, this detailed work pays tribute to a man considered by some to be baseball’s greatest all-around player. During his career, the Monarchs won two Negro League World Series and five pennants, in addition to launching the careers of several outstanding players and conducting many barnstorming tours. The author, who interviewed many former players, covers Rogan’s Hall of Fame career in-depth and brings to light one of baseball’s greatest but often forgotten talents.

Phil S. Dixon is the author of multiple books on baseball history and is a winner of the Casey Award and the Macmillan-SABR Award for his writing and research. Formerly employed by the Kansas City Royals, he is a founder and board member of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and lives in Belton, Missouri.

Phil S. Dixon
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 227
Bibliographic Info: 81 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4425-0
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

Preface      1

1. West-3541      5

2. Uncle Sam, Uncle Tom and Boss Wilkie      16

3. Birth of a Big League Star      31

4. A Most Valuable Asset      35

5. Salute to the Long Ball      49

6. The Man on the Bench      66

7. A Surge in Popularity      85

8. Going, Going, Not Gone Yet      96

9. A Lifetime in the Sun      122

10. The Reign of Error      139

11. A Hero’s Farewell      161

12. The Supreme Monarch      181

Chapter Notes      195

Bibliography      207

Index      209

“a breakthrough book with a wealth of details and pictures never before published”—John Holway, author of Voices of the Great Black Baseball Leagues.