

Norman Thomas (Turkey) Stearnes
National Baseball Hall of Fame
Norman Thomas (Turkey) Stearnes
Detroit Stars Baseball Player (1923 – 1931, 1937)
Norman (Turkey) Stearnes was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Turkey Stearnes earned his nickname because of the way his arms moved when he ran. He started his career in 1920 with the Nashville Giants of the Negro League and over the next 20 years played with a total of seven different teams. He is considered by many experts to be one of the great all-around players in the history of baseball. He batted over .400 three times, led the Negro League in home runs seven times, was a very fast base runner and one of the best outfielders of his generation. He was a five-time All Star, ending his career with a .344 batting average, 176 home runs and a .621 slugging percentage in only 750 games. In 2001, Bill James a baseball writer, ranked Stearnes as the 25th greatest player of all-time and the best left fielder of the Negro Leagues. Norman Stearnes was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000 and was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He passed away on September 4, 1979 at 78 years of age.