RIP Jules Tygiel

I regret to report that Jules Tygiel passed away on Wednesday.

In his day job, he was a history professor at San Francisco State.

To most of us, he was one of the foremost teachers on Jackie Robinson and integration in baseball. His 1983 book, "Baseball's Great Experiment," was listed by SI as one of the 50 most important sports books ever written. His papers, on the Negro Leagues and otherwise, reside at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He was an influential SABR member and won the Seymour Award for his book "Past Time." He was also involved in the effort to get Jackie Robinson's HOF plaque changed to include his contributions to history, rather than just his on-field exploits; the new plaque was unveiled just last week.

An incredible legacy. RIP to a great baseball scholar.

 

Damn, RIP. I read "Baseball's Great Experiment" for a history class in college. Just a wonderfully researched and written work.

 

Wow, just in time to see the new plaque in the Hall. RIP.

 

This was an exceptionally well-researched book. I remember posting that nobody could really write anything new about Jackie Robinson, since Jules Tygiel had pretty much wrapped up the story. However, I must acknowledge that Jonathan Eig did a good job in his book, Opening Day.