[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1618-S1619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 121--HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF 
                          GEORGE DANIEL CROWE

  Mr. BRAUN (for himself, Mr. Young, Mr. Brown, Ms. Warren, and Mr. 
Markey) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
agreed to:

                              S. Res. 121

       Whereas George Daniel Crowe (referred to in this preamble 
     as ``Mr. Crowe'')--
       (1) was an extraordinary athlete;
       (2) excelled at both basketball and baseball; and
       (3) holds the rare status of having played both basketball 
     and baseball at the professional level;
       Whereas Mr. Crowe was born in Whiteland, Indiana, on March 
     22, 1921;
       Whereas Mr. Crowe was raised in nearby Franklin, Indiana, 
     where he was a standout on the football, baseball, and 
     basketball teams;
       Whereas Mr. Crowe led his basketball team to the 1939 
     Indiana State championship game, where, although his team 
     lost to Frankfort High School, Mr. Crowe displayed his 
     talents to a State-wide audience and became the first player 
     to ever earn the prestigious distinction of Indiana Mr. 
     Basketball;
       Whereas Mr. Crowe earned an athletic scholarship to attend 
     Indiana Central College, known today as the University of 
     Indianapolis, where he played basketball, baseball, and ran 
     track;
       Whereas higher education was rare for an African American 
     in the 1930s and 1940s, and Mr. Crowe took advantage of the 
     opportunity to be a student athlete and graduated in 1943;
       Whereas, after graduation, Mr. Crowe entered the Army 
     during World War II and served the United States admirably 
     until 1946;
       Whereas, following his service to the United States in 
     World War II, Mr. Crowe began playing professional basketball 
     on a series of Negro League basketball teams between 1946 and 
     1953, including the Los Angeles Red Devils and the New York 
     Renaissance (commonly known as the ``Harlem Renaissance'');
       Whereas, in 1947, Mr. Crowe joined the New York Black 
     Yankees, which was a baseball team in the Negro Leagues;
       Whereas, after joining the New York Black Yankees, Mr. 
     Crowe played 2 professional sports simultaneously;

[[Page S1619]]

       Whereas, in 1949, 2 years after Jackie Robinson integrated 
     Major League baseball, Mr. Crowe was picked up by the Minor 
     League Hartford Chiefs, where he won the batting title with a 
     .353 average;
       Whereas Mr. Crowe was called up by the Boston Braves in 
     1952 and played in the Major Leagues for 9 years on that 
     team, the Cincinnati Redlegs, and the St. Louis Cardinals;
       Whereas, during his Major League baseball career, Mr. Crowe 
     played primarily as a first baseman and a pinch hitter;
       Whereas, upon his retirement from Major League baseball, 
     Mr. Crowe held the Major League record of 14 career pinch hit 
     home runs and had a .990 fielding percentage;
       Whereas the most successful period of Mr. Crowe's career in 
     the Major Leagues was in 1957, when he hit 31 home runs, and 
     1958, when he was selected as a National League All Star;
       Whereas Mr. Crowe also played winter baseball for the 
     Santurce Crabbers in the Puerto Rico baseball league;
       Whereas Mr. Crowe and his teammates on the Santurce 
     Crabbers, who included Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente, won 
     the Caribbean World Series;
       Whereas Mr. Crowe was a pioneer in civil rights and quietly 
     but firmly paved the way for wider opportunities in society 
     in the United States by proving his ability as an athlete and 
     student in college and as a professional athlete;
       Whereas, in 1946, soon after his discharge from the Army, 
     Mr. Crowe forced the integration of the movie theater in 
     Franklin, Indiana, when he refused to leave his seat on the 
     main floor and move to the designated Negro section in the 
     back of the theater;
       Whereas the prominence of Mr. Crowe in the Franklin, 
     Indiana, community and his service in World War II, which was 
     a war against fascism, led the movie theater to be 
     permanently integrated 1 week after Mr. Crowe refused to 
     leave his seat; and
       Whereas, after his retirement from professional sports, Mr. 
     Crowe began new careers as an insurance salesman and then a 
     school teacher in New York: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) George Daniel Crowe--
       (A) achieved a rarely matched record of athletic excellence 
     at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels; and
       (B) set an example for all Hoosiers and people of the 
     United States--
       (i) with his dogged determination and hard work;
       (ii) by taking advantage of opportunities as they arose; 
     and
       (iii) by making the careers of countless people of the 
     United States who followed him possible;
       (2) the story of George Daniel Crowe is--
       (A) the story of the United States in the 20th century;
       (B) a story of overcoming oppression;
       (C) a story of demanding what President Lincoln called the 
     ``Right to Rise'';
       (D) a story of developing talent and achieving greatness 
     through hard work; and
       (E) a story of trying to leave the world a better place 
     than he found it; and
       (3) on March 22, 2021, which is the 100th anniversary of 
     his birth, the Senate recognizes George Daniel Crowe as--
       (A) a great Hoosier;
       (B) a man of respect and achievement; and
       (C) a man whose example can help guide the people of the 
     United States.

                          ____________________