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Reggie Jackson recalls harrowing stories of racist abuse he suffered at Rickwood Field before historic MLB game: 'Coming back here is not easy'
Reggie Jackson was present at Rickwood Field on Thursday night as Willie Mays and other black baseball players were honored, and the Hall of Famer revealed some harrowing stories of the racist abuse he dealt with as a player.
Jackson, who's most well-known for his time with the Kansas City/Oakland A's and the New York Yankees, spent a season with the Birmingham A's in the minors.
And the 78-year-old admitted it was difficult being back at his former home stadium Rickwood, as he described the discrimination he used to face.
'Coming back here is not easy,' he said on the FOX Sports broadcast ahead of the Cardinals-Giants game at Rickwood - the first time an MLB game has been played there.
'The racism that I played [under] here... Fortunately I had a manager, and I had players on the team that helped me get through it. But I wouldn't wish it on anybody.'
Reggie Jackson shared harrowing stories of the past racial abuse he suffered as a player
Rickwood Field is 114 years old and was previously the home of the Birmingham Black Barons
Jackson continued, 'I walked into restaurants and they would point at me and said, 'The n***er can't eat here.' I would go to a hotel and they say 'the n***er can't stay here.'
The former rightfielder added that he was once prohibited from entering A's owner Charlie Finley's country club by staff there during a team dinner.
On the other hand, Jackson credited his teammates, coaches and team execs for standing by him.
'If I couldn't eat in the place, nobody would eat, we'd get food to travel. If I couldn't stay in a hotel, they'd drive to the next hotel and find a place where I could stay.'
He also shared how former A's teammate Joe Rudi and his wife, Sharon, allowed him to sleep on their couch 3-4 nights per week for a short period.
However, he said that after about six weeks someone threatened to burn the apartment complex down unless he left.
Jackson is seen circa 1974 with the Oakland A's, with whom he spent 10 seasons in MLB
Willie Mays, one of baseball's all-time greats, passed away this week at the age of 93
Players like Mays, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson played in the Negro Leagues, which existed because black players were previously not allowed in Major League Baseball.
But the stories from Jackson - who played until 1987 - showed that racism permeated even after MLB became racially integrated.
Speaking about the legendary Mays, who passed this week at the age of 93, Jackson said on Fox Sports, 'We all wanted to be like Willie. When one played against him, one got caught up in watching Willie. He was pure baseball, my all-time favorite. I loved the guy, I wanted to be like Willie.'
Mays, considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all-time, was the oldest living Hall of Famer before his death.