Raymond Johnson spent many years in the sports department at the Nashville Tennessean, the local morning newspaper.
I remember pouring over his columns, Fred Russell’s, and George Leonard’s, too, among others, when I was young. Now, I relive those articles and columns with envy for each one’s writing style and dedication to all sports, but especially baseball.
Johnson joined the Tennessean as a copy boy in 1918 and retired as sports editor in 1970. During that period, he built a monumental career as a sportswriter and editor. A native of Humphreys County and a Hume Fogg High School graduate, Johnson had a significant impact on sports in Tennessee and around the nation.
Upon his passing in 1991, glowing testimonies were served up, especially this one:
“Through his sports reporting, “The Tennessean” gained a national reputation for its coverage of sports.”
Those words were from “Tennessean” publisher John Seigenthaler sum up the proud legacy Raymond Johnson left during his illustrious career.
As a member of the Nashville Old Timers Association, I am connected to the organization’s history through Johnson and the early days of Old Timers.
In 1938, Harry “War Horse” Rogers presented an idea Johnson to publicize a “Hot Stove” event, where players and fans could discuss baseball during the winter.
Johnson took the idea to the public in his reporting and in his columns, and a gathering announced a meeting for December 1, 1938, at Shacklett’s Restaurant, markied the inaugural meeting of the Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association.
Rogers was elected president and held the office until he died in 1951 and who would you guess took his place? Johnson became president of Old Timers and began the practice of having a well-known baseball figure as a guest speaker at each banquet. Nashville manager Hugh Poland and former major leaguer Hub Perdue were first.
Johnson stayed in office through 1956 but set the organization in motion to have top-name baseball figures as the primary guests at the banquet, and each have been special through out last banquet in January of 2025
Johnson would often revisit the past in his “One Man’s Opinion” sports columns. Although he loved all sports, from football to horse racing, and from basketball to softball, I particularly enjoy reading what he writes about baseball.
His column published on January 1, 1950, is the first of the new year, and he is waxing reminiscent as he begins with these words:
“Let’s turn the calendar back a half century and take a peep at some of the happenings that have taken place in sports locally in the last 50 years.”
Johnson could not possibly have been around for some of those events, but he explains how he knows about them.
“It has been my pleasure to have seen many of the events which have made history and to have known many of the characters, but in order to give you facts in the early part of the century it was necessary to dig into the musty files.”
He begins by expounding on the great Vanderbilt football coach, Dan McGugin, and rightfully so. But then he writes about baseball, starting with legendary Nashville Vols manager, Larry Gilbert.
“The next name that strikes me would be Larry Gilbert. The grand old man of the Southern Association was lured here from New Orleans in 1939 by the late Fay Murray. In 10 years as manager Larry gave Nashville four pennants and three Dixie series titles. Then as general manager last year he obtained the players that enabled Rollie Hemsley to guide Those Vols to another pennant, the playoff crown and the Dixie Series diadem.”
Johnson then asks readers, “Who’d be next to pop into your mind?” before listing:
Veddor Sitton, star of Nashville’s 1-0 win over New Orleans in 1908 to capture the Southern Association pennant.
Hugh Hill, who hit .416 while dividing his time pitching and playing the outfield for Nashville in 1901.
Doc Wiseman, who famously roamed the rightfield dump at Athletic Park before it became known as Sulphur Dell.
Boots Poffenberger, who won 29 games, including the playoffs, for Nashville in 1940.
Hub Purdue, who pitched in his stocking feet in 1907 and managed Nashville in 1921
Les Fleming, who hit .414 in 1941, even while having a broken wrist.
New Fisher, owner of Nashville’s team in the inaugural Southern Association season in 1901, continued to manage into 1903.
Tommy Tatum, who hit three home runs over Sulphur Dell’s left field fence in a single game on June 1, 1941.
Dick Wade, who hit four consecutive homers in 1928.
Jim Poole, who hit 50 home runs in 1930.
Bill Schwartz, who managed Nashville and then Vanderbilt when he left professional baseball.
Hazen “Kiki” Cuyler, centerfielder of one of the most fantastic outfield combinations in 1923 between Lance Richbourg in right and Bevo LeBourveau in left
The Jonnards, twin battery of the Vols, Claude and Clarence.
Charley Workman, who slugged 52 homers in 1948.
Johnson goes on to mention 14 more Nashville pros, too, before turning back to football, basketball, golf, tennis, professional boxing and Golden Glove participants, wrestling, horse racing, and all-stars in his mind. He turns to great games and events, too, before closing out his story with this.
“I’m merely listing some I think will remain in the hearts of spectators for many years, and I hope the old timers will re-live some of theirs as the above names brings back memories of long ago.
My admiration for Johnson does not end there, because he was also a visionary. Let me give you just one instance, with many parts, from an article he wrote in his “One Man’s Opinion” sports column, published over 85 years ago on January 29, 1950. See if you agree that he was a visionary.
Here is what he wrote, and I believe you will be astounded, as I was. Remember, this was published in 1950:
“What will sports be like in 2000 AD? Will television screens replace the stadia for the spectators?
Will baseball do away with its most colorful figure, the umpire?
Will colleges have professional football teams with their players compelled to attend classes?
Will we have huge double-decked stadia with roofs over the playing field that can be opened by pushing a button and which will heated for cold weather and air-cooled for summer?
The electrical eye probably will be calling balls and strikes in the not-too-distant future but I don’t believe the umpire will ever join the dodo bird although I have seen some that should. The ump is as much a part of the game as is a baseball. It would be difficult for a pitcher or manager to charge up to the plate and start arguing with an electrical eye that the call on a pitch was wrong.?
Johnson spends another paragraph writing about changes to football, but he circles back to baseball in his column.
He almost gets this one right:
“Fiber glass bats are another possibility for baseball.
And this one he nearly nails it on the head, just missing it by a couple.
“Babe Ruth’s home run record of 60 will be wiped out with some gent hitting 75 in a season and several others beating the current mark.”
Can you say Roger Maris, Aaron Judge, and Barry Bonds?
Johnson is doing some great thinking. Where he asked his readers to look back 50 years in his January 1 column, in this one, later in the month, he is asking them to look forward. He closes with this:
“All the above sounds like Johnson’s wildest dream but a lot of it probably will come true. I hope you are around to see it.”
Agree with change or not, according to Raymond Johnson, change is inevitable. Even in the timeless sports we have grown to love, and I am glad he brought attention to them over 85 years ago.
Changes are here to stay, and new ones are on the horizon.
Johnson died on August 10, 1991, at the age of 87, and was buried in Nashville Woodlawn Memorial Park.
In 1973 Raymond Johnson was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and chosen to the Tennessee Sports Writers Hall of Fame in 2007.
I wish I could speak to Raymond Johnson to hear what he would think about today’s sports, and to tell him his “wild dreams” are not so wild these days.
© 2025 by Skip Nipper. All Rights Reserved.
