Two Countries, Two Sports

Pretty much any whisper of football will grab the attention of the Flea Flicker. That was the case when I read of the passing of Wally Yonamine on Monday at the age of 85. Yonamine's name should be more well known and should never be forgotten. I hope that my adorable wife will forgive me, but Yonamine's story has a fair amount of baseball.

Born in Maui, Hawaii, Wally Yonamine starred in football and baseball at Fairington High School in Honolulu. Although he never went to college, he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers because coach Buck Shaw considered him an outstanding breakaway runner. Yonamine became the first Asian-American athlete to play professional football when he lined up as a running back for the 49ers in 1947. At the time, many Japanese-Americans were just returning to their homes after spending the war in internment camps. At a dark time, Yonamine brought them a little hope. In 12 games, with 3 starts, he rushed for 74 yards on 19 carries, caught 3 passes for 40 yards, and recorded one interception for a 20 yard return.

A fractured wrist playing exhibition baseball ended his football career after one season. Switching to baseball full time, he played for the San Francisco Seals Salt Lake farm team and a year for the Hawaiian Asahi team. At the suggestion of Seals manager Lefty O'Doul, Yonamine went abroad to play for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan. He became the first American to play in Japan after World War II. He adapted his football skills to baseball and played hard-stealing bases, sliding hard and knocking down opponents. The Japanese were aghast at the aggressive American. Opposing fans hurled insults and rocks at him, but he quickly became one of the most dominant players in the league. His success changed the way the Japanese played the game, and opened the door for other Americans to come to Japan. A seven-time all-star in his 11 seasons with the Giants and Chunichi Dragons, he won three batting titles, and was part of three Japan Series championship teams. Yonamine went on to coach or manage various professional teams for 26 years. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.

The 49ers established the Perry/Yonamine Unity Award in 2007 to honor an exceptional non-profit agency, youth football coach and a current 49er player who has demonstrated a commitment to promoting unity and giving back to the local community. The award is named after Yonamine and former 49er Joe Perry, one of the first African-Americans to reintegrate the NFL. It is not often that a person gets a chance to break through a barrier, to change things into something better. Yonamine did it twice in two different countries in two different sports.