Willard “Home Run” Brown was a Negro League baseball player not as well known as Josh Gibson. But, he was reputed to be as good, and by some, a greater home run hitter. In fact, it was Josh Gibson who gave Brown the nickname “Home Run.” The actual records are scant, but he is said to have had a .355 lifetime batting average, though his home run total is unknown. He was among the few Negro League players to make the jump to major league baseball in 1947. He played briefly for the lowly St. Louis Browns at the age of 36, and was the first Negro Leaguer to hit an American League home run.