A native of Maui and alumnus of Farrington High School, Wally Yonamine was a trailblazer in two sports. First, he was the first Asian-American to play pro football, spending a season with the San Francisco 49ers as a running back. After a year playing baseball for Salt Lake City in the Pioneer League and batting .335 in 492 at bats, Yonamine journeyed across the Pacific to join the Yomiuri Giants at age 26, batting .354 and introducing the American style of play to the Japanese audience. He was a superstar right from the beginning. 1953 was a down year for him, as he batted "only" .307--his worst season during his first seven years in Japan. Yonamine, a left handed batter, is shown here at the end of his swing.

Size: 1 5/8" x 2 1/4"

Condition: Good