Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger

Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten DodgerRaised by his mother in the Jim Crow South, Jim Gilliams passion was baseball. His career was a journey beginning on the sandlots of Nashville to a pro career launched in the Negro Leagues to the first wave of Black players breaking the segregated gates of Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jim "Junior" Gilliam never commanded the spotlight, yet he was instrumental in the Brooklyn Los Angeles Dodgers reaching seven World Series, winning

Raised by his mother in the Jim Crow South, Jim Gilliam’s passion was baseball. His career was a journey beginning on the sandlots of Nashville to a pro career launched in the Negro Leagues to the first wave of Black players breaking the segregated gates of Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers. 

Jim "Junior" Gilliam never commanded the spotlight, yet he was instrumental in the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers reaching seven World Series, winning four, during his career. He never had a permanent position and was frequently the subject of trade rumors. Remembered as a role player, Gilliam sacrificed his statistics for the good of the team.

His career as a player and a coach with the Dodger franchise spanned three decades. He often entered spring training without a permanent position in the lineup or as trade bait, but still averaged 140 games played over 14 seasons, including two seasons as a player-coach. Gilliam would have likely surpassed half a century or more with the organization had he not died from complications of a brain hemorrhage at age 49, on the eve of the 1978 World Series, where he was slated to coach first base.

In the first book-length biography of the Dodgers great, Stephen W. Dittmore tells the story of Gilliam’s rise in the baseball world, from rough times in the Negro Leagues to more glamorous times in the majors. Gilliam’s story parallels the many changes in Major League Baseball, from segregated rosters to the first Black stars, as told in this deeply researched account of the forgotten Dodger.

About the Author

Steve Dittmore has more than 20 years of experience working as a higher education administrator and professor. Dittmore received a PhD from the University of Louisville in 2007 and holds bachelor's and master’s degrees in journalism from Drake University. He is an assistant editor at AthleticDirectorU, a vertical website from D1.Ticker designed to promote thought leadership ideas among intercollegiate athletic directors, and also writes for his Substack newsletter, “Glory Days.” A recognized researcher in the areas of sport media and intercollegiate athletics, he is a co-author of a Sport Public Relations textbook and is preparing revisions for a fourth edition. He is an author on nearly 50 peer reviewed journal articles, 12 book chapters, and more than 70 peer reviewed presentations.

Born in Southern California, he is a lifelong fan of Dodgers baseball and enjoys studying the history of baseball as an active member of the Society for American Baseball Research. In August 2023, he was part of the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the 1948 Cleveland Indians World Series championship, presenting a historical perspective of Dale Mitchell, an Indians outfielder inducted into the team's Hall of Fame that evening.

Fast Facts

Distribution via Ingram, Overdrive and August Publications.
Print ISBN: 978-1-938532-82-5.
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-938532-83-2.
Format: 6x9, 340 pages.
Introduction: Fred Claire, former Los Angeles Dodgers GM.

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Booksellers and Libraries: This title is available from Ingram and Overdrive.

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