Bullet Rogan
Rogan in 1924
Pitcher /Outfielder /Manager
Born:(1893-07-28)July 28, 1893 Oklahoma City,Indian Territory
Died: March 4, 1967(1967-03-04) (aged 73) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Negro leagues debut
1920, Kansas City Monarchs
Last Negro leagues appearance
1938, Kansas City Monarchs
Negro leagues[a] statistics
Win–loss record	120–52
Earned run average	2.65
Strikeouts	918
Batting average	.338
Home runs	50
Runs batted in	419
Managerial record	257–111–1
Winning %	.698
Teams
As player Kansas City Monarchs (1920–1930,1933–1938) As manager Kansas City Monarchs (1926–1931,1933–1934)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (1936) Negro World Series champion (1924) 4×Negro National League pennant (1923,1924,1925,1929) Negro American League pennant (1937) 2× Negro National Leaguewins leader (1923, 1924) Negro National LeagueERA leader (1921) 2× Negro National Leaguestrikeout leader (1923, 1925) Pitched a combinedno-hitter withJosé Méndez against theMilwaukee Bears on August 6, 1923 Played in first night game in baseball history, April 29, 1930 Toured thePhilippines,Japan, andChina in 1933–34 with thePhiladelphia Royal Giants
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1998
Election method	Veterans Committee

Charles Wilber Rogan (July 28, 1893 – March 4, 1967), nicknamed "Bullet Joe", was an Americanpitcher,outfielder,second baseman andplayer-manager for theKansas City Monarchs in theNegro baseball leagues from 1920 to 1938. Renowned as atwo-way player who could both hit and pitch successfully, one statistical compilation shows Rogan winning more games than any other pitcher in Negro leagues history and ranking fourth highest in careerbatting average.^[2] He was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in1998.

Rogan's early baseball career took place in theU.S. Army, where he played for a famous team in the all-black25th Infantry. After joining the Kansas City Monarchs, he was the top pitcher and one of the best hitters on a team that won three pennants from 1923 to 1925 and the1924 Colored World Series. In addition to pitching and hitting, Rogan startedmanaging in 1926 and led his team to another league title in 1929.

"Charleston was everything—but Rogan was more", said William "Big C" Johnson, one of Rogan's Army teammates. "Rogan could do everything, everywhere."^[3] "He was the onliest pitcher I ever saw, I ever heard of in my life, was pitching and hitting in the cleanup place", saidSatchel Paige.^[4] According to Rogan's longtimecatcherFrank Duncan, "If you had to choose between Rogan and Paige, you'd pick Rogan, because he could hit. The pitching, you'd as soon have Satchel as Rogan, understand? But Rogan'shitting was so terrific. Get my point?"^[5]Casey Stengel called Rogan "one of the best—if not the best—pitcher that ever lived."^[6]

Charles Wilber Rogan was born inOklahoma City, Oklahoma.

After the death of his mother and his father's remarriage in 1908, he moved with his family toKansas City, Kansas, where he attendedSumner High School.^[7] He began his baseball career there in 1911 as acatcher with Fred Palace's Colts, a semipro team composed mostly of teenagers. Also joining the Colts that season was Dick Whitworth, who would, like Rogan, go on to pitch for many years in the Negro leagues.^[8]

Friction with his stepmother and unhappiness with the segregated high school he attended led Rogan to drop out of school before graduation and enlist in the Army on October 19, 1911. He lied about his age to do so.^[9] This would cause later confusion about Rogan's age, as some records (along with his Hall of Fame plaque) give his birth year as 1889, others as 1893; recent histories, such as Phil Dixon's, conclude that the latter date is correct.^[10]

Rogan served inthe Philippines during American colonization with the24th Infantry Regiment, anall-black regiment, for three years. He was honorably discharged in 1914.^[11]

Before returning to the United States, Rogan reenlisted, this time with the25th Infantry, another African American unit, at that time stationed atSchofield Barracks in Hawaii. He was specifically recruited to play for the regiment's famous baseball team, known as the "Wreckers."^[11] He made his debut with the Wreckers on July 4, 1915.^[12]

His Army teammates included a number of later Negro league stars, such asDobie Moore,Heavy Johnson, Bob Fagan,Lemuel Hawkins, and William "Big C" Johnson. Over the next three seasons, the Wreckers won the Post League championship, the United States Army Series, and the Oahu League.^[13] In February 1917 Rogan twice defeated thePortland Beavers of thePacific Coast League, who were visiting the islands for spring training.^[14] On furlough for several months in 1917, Rogan played professionally for the Los Angeles White Sox, the Kansas City, Kansas, Giants, andJ. L. Wilkinson'sAll Nations Club, but returned to the army for three more years.^[15]

In August 1918 Rogan and the rest of the 25th Infantry were moved to Camp Stephen D. Little in Nogales, Arizona. Researchers John Holway and James Riley report that in 1919, Casey Stengel played against Rogan in Arizona, and subsequently recommended him to Wilkinson for his newNegro National League team, the Kansas City Monarchs.^[16] However, Rogan had already played in the California Winter League and for Wilkinson's All-Nations team in 1917, and had already been noted by African American newspapers as early as 1916.^[17]

In July 1920, Rogan and Dobie Moore joined the Monarchs. Rogan quickly became the premier pitcher and biggest box-office draw in the young league. By his third season with the Monarchs, 1922, he hit .390, and his 13home runs were good for second in the league.^[18] On August 6, 1923, Rogan combined with teammate and managerJosé Méndez to pitch a no-hitter against theMilwaukee Bears, Méndez pitching the first five innings and Rogan the last four. That season he hit .364 with a league-leading 16 wins and 151strikeouts to lead the Monarchs to their first pennant.^[19]

In 1924 Rogan hit .395 while compiling an 18–6 record and leading the Monarchs to their second league title.^[18] He starred in the firstBlack World Series, leading the Monarchs with 13 hits and winning two games as Kansas City defeated theEastern Colored League championHilldales.^[20] That winter he led the 1924/25Cuban League with nine victories for the championAlmendares club.^[21]

Rogan may have reached his peak in 1925, leading Kansas City to its third straight league championship with a 17–2 record and a .381 batting average.^[18] In the playoffs against theSt. Louis Stars he hit .450 and won three more games, including oneshutout.^[22] However, before the World Series rematch with Hilldale, Rogan suffered a knee injury while playing with his young son. Forced to undergo surgery, he missed the series. Without their star, the Monarchs were defeated in six games.^[23]

The following season, Rogan took over from José Méndez as manager of the Kansas City Monarchs. In that season's NNL playoffs against theChicago American Giants, he pitched and lost both games of a series-deciding doubleheader to the youngerBill Foster.^[24] As late as 1928 at the age of 34, Bullet Rogan was the best hitter (.358) and arguably the best pitcher (10–2) on the Monarchs.^[18] That year he slammed three home runs in a game against theDetroit Stars.^[25]

Rogan continued at the Monarchs' helm in 1929 when they won their fourth NNL championship and recorded the best record (62–17) in the history of the league.^[26] On April 29, 1930, inEnid, Oklahoma, Rogan played for the Monarchs in baseball's first night game.^[27] In August he was hospitalized with an undisclosed illness. He remained out of the lineup for more than a year, finally returning on September 28, 1931.^[28]

When Wilkinson did not organize a Kansas City Monarchs team for 1932, Rogan joined a white independent team inJamestown, North Dakota, where he played until August. He batted .315 and went 20–3 as a pitcher before returning to the reorganized Monarchs in September.^[29] In the winter of 1933 and 1934, Rogan returned to Hawaii and the Philippines as a member of the Philadelphia Royal Giants, a black all-star team. The Royal Giants toured Japan and China as well.^[30] In 1936, at the age of 43, Rogan appeared in theEast-West All-Star Game.^[31]

Relatively small (5 foot 7, 160 pounds (72.6 kg)), Rogan was solidly built and strong, with thin legs and a narrow waist but broad shoulders.^[32] He threw and batted right-handed, and used an unusually heavy bat. "You sawErnie Banks hit in his prime, then you saw Rogan", saidBuck O'Neil. "He could hit that ball...He was the type of guy that stood a long way from the plate. Not too close, because they'd jam you."^[33] According to his longtime teammate Frank Duncan, "Rogan was one of the best low-ball hitters I ever saw, and one of the best curve-ball hitters. Rogan taughtBob andIrish Meusel how to hit curve balls."^[5] While not extremely fast, he ran the bases well andstole when necessary.

As a pitcher, Rogan used a no-windup delivery and both overhand and sidearm motions, and relied on an array ofcurveballs, aspitball, apalmball, aforkball, and thefastball that gave him his nickname.^[34] According to the sportswriter A.S. "Doc" Young, "Joe Rogan possessed as much natural ability asSmokey Joe orSatch, but his control was not up to theirs."^[6][35] Frank Duncan, who caught both Paige and Rogan, said,

Satchel was easier to catch. He could throw it in a quart cup. But Rogan was all over the plate—high, low, inside, outside. He'd walk five-six men, but he didn't give up many runs. Bullet had a little more steam on the ball than Paige—and he had a better-breaking curve. The batters thought it was a fastball heading for them and they would jump back from the plate and all of a sudden, it would break sharply for a strike. I would rank him with today's best. I have never seen a pitcher like him, and I have caught some of the best pitchers in the business.^[36]

Another Monarchs teammate, George Carr, said,

Rogan was the greatest pitcher that ever threw a ball. He had not only an arm to pitch with but a head to think with. Rogan was a smart pitcher with a wonderful memory. Once Rogan pitched to a batter, he never forgot that batter's weaknesses and strong points. And don't think Rogan was nicknamed "Bullet" for nothing. That guy had a ball that was almost too fast to catch. He would really burn 'em in there.^[6][35]

As a manager, he was a strict disciplinarian, possibly a result of his military background. Carroll "Dink" Mothell maintained that "Rogan wanted to run the ball club like they did it in the army. He liked to give orders too much, even before he was managing. He used to bawl players out for different things. I could take it, but we had ball players, when he'd get on them, they'd go into a shell, resented it, and didn't give him their best." Another Monarchs pitcher,Chet Brewer, said that "Rogan wasn't the best manager because he was such a great ball player himself. He couldn't teach pitchers much, because he'd say, 'All you have to do is go out and throw the man what I threw'."^[37] According to historian Phil Dixon, "In Rogan's first few years as manager he was reluctant to pinch-hit for many of the veterans on his roster because they were his friends." He did not trust younger players, often inserting himself to pitch or pinch-hit for them.^[38] He sometimes treated rookies harshly.^[39] Eventually Rogan "discarded his distant approach" and became increasingly known for teaching and developing less experienced players.^[40]

On October 22, 1922, Wilber Rogan married Kathrine McWilliams, a Colorado farm girl. Their son Wilber Rogan, Jr., was born right after the 1924 World Series.^[41] Between the 1923 and 1924 seasons, it was reported that Rogan spent the winter writing life insurance.^[42] After his retirement as a player, Rogan became anumpire in theNegro American League until 1946, then worked in the post office.^[43] He died in Kansas City, Missouri on March 4, 1967, at age 73. The Baseball Hall of Fame first admitted Negro league players in the 1970s, but did not honor Rogan until 1998, 31 years after his death.

• 
  Wilber Rogan smoking a pipe at camp in the Philippines
• 
  Wilbur Rogan at camp with the 24th Infantry
• 
  Wilbur Rogan at camp with the 24th Infantry
• 
  Wilbur Rogan at camp with the 24th Infantry

• Negro league baseball statistics and player information fromSeamheads.com, or Baseball Reference (Negro leagues)

And Major League Baseball:https://www.mlb.com/player/bullet-rogan-492581

Batting

Pitching

Rogan spent five seasons in the integratedCalifornia Winter League between 1920 and 1930 against teams of white major and minor leaguers. Rogan's team won the championship every year.^[44]

Source:^[21]

Historian Phil Dixon puts Rogan's lifetime totals against all competition, includingsemipro and Army teams, at more than 350 games won, 2000 strikeouts, 2500 hits, 350 home runs, and 500 stolen bases.^[45]

• Bruce, Janet (1985).The Kansas City Monarchs: Champions of Black Baseball. Kansas City: University Press of Kansas.ISBN 0-7006-0273-9.
• Clark, Dick & Larry Lester (1994).The Negro Leagues Book. Cleveland: Society for American Baseball Research.ISBN 0-910137-55-2.
• Dixon, Phil S. (2002).The Monarchs 1920–1938. Sioux Falls: Mariah Press.ISBN 1-893250-08-3.
• Figueredo, Jorge S. (2003).Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878–1961. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.ISBN 0-7864-1250-X.
• Hogan, Lawrence D. (2006).Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.ISBN 0-7922-5306-X.
• Holway, John (1992).Blackball Stars: Negro League Pioneers. New York: Carroll & Graf.ISBN 0-88184-764-X.
• Holway, John (2001).The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues. Fern Park: Hastings House.ISBN 0-8038-2007-0.
• Lester, Larry (2001).Black Baseball's National Showcase: The East-West All-Star Game, 1933–1953. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.ISBN 0-8032-8000-9.
• Lester, Larry (2006).Baseball's First Colored World Series: The 1924 Meeting of the Hilldale Giants and Kansas City Monarchs. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.ISBN 0-7864-2617-9.
• McNeil, William F. (2002).The California Winter League. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.ISBN 0-7864-1301-8.
• Riley, James A. (2002).The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Carroll & Graf.ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.
• Rock, Patrick (2004).1923 Negro National League Yearbook. Ohiopyle:Replay Publishing. No ISBN.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBullet Rogan.

• Bullet Rogan at theBaseball Hall of Fame

• Career statistics fromMLB · Baseball Reference andBaseball-Reference Black Baseball stats andSeamheads
• Bullet Rogan atFind a Grave
• Bullet Rogan atSABR Bio Project

• 1893 births
• 1967 deaths
• 20th-century African-American sportsmen
• 20th-century American sportsmen
• All Nations players
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• Kansas City Monarchs players
• National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
• Negro league baseball ERA champions
• Negro league baseball managers
• Negro league baseball strikeout champions
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• United States Army personnel of World War I

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