Downtown in St. Louis, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Alston Breaks Barrier

April 13, 1954

— Greatest Moments —

Alston Breaks Barrier Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Jason Voigt, June 17, 2020

1. Alston Breaks Barrier Marker

Inscription. Tom Alston became the first black player for the Cardinals, following in the footsteps of the Brooklyn Dodgers' Jackie Robinson, who broke the Major League Baseball color barrier in 1947 after he was signed by former Cardinals General Manager Branch Rickey.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Missouri, St. Louis Cardinals Greatest Moments series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 13, 1954.

Location. 38° 37.406′ N, 90° 11.64′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is in Downtown. Marker is on South 8th Street south of Clark Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 700 Clark Avenue, Saint Louis MO 63102, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Five for Musial (here, next to this marker); Red Rips a Winner (here, next to this marker); World Champions (here, next to this marker); Musial Ends Marathon (here, next to this marker); NL Pennant (here, next to this marker); 3,000 Hits (a few steps from this marker); One Million (a few steps from this marker); 4 Great Swings (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Louis.

Also see . . . Tom Alston on Wikipedia.

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On April 13, 1954, the Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates became the 9th/10th Major League Baseball teams to have an African-American player. It was team owner August Busch's idea to have a black player join the Cardinals, and he asked team manager Eddie Stanky to find one. Alston (1926-1993) played for the Cardinals until the end of the 1957 season. (Submitted on January 28, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 121 times since then and 13 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on January 28, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.