Richard Byas

Negro league baseball player. Graduated from Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago, where he earned All-City honors in baseball and basketball. Began his career with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1931, and would soon play for Gilkerson's Union Giants in 1933 and the Newark Dodgers in 1934. The next season he began a 5 years stint with the Chicago American Giants. The catcher played well enough to be named to the East-West All-Star team in 1936 and 1937. He led all position players in votes for the 1936 game, earning over 2,000 more votes than fellow catcher Josh Gibson. In 1941, he would play for the Memphis Red Sox, before ending his career back with Chicago in 1942.