Sports
Willie Horton
born 1942
· baseball player, left fielder
Detroit-raised slugger of the 1968 champion Tigers; his No. 23 is retired, his statue stands at Comerica Park and the field on the old Tiger Stadium site bears his name.
- Born
Arno, Virginia
age 83- Birth name
- William Wattison Horton
- Also known as
- Willie the Wonder
- Detroit years
- 1950s–present
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Horton's family moved to Detroit when he was a boy, and he grew up in the city's public housing. At sixteen he hit a home run at Tiger Stadium in an all-city high school game, and after winning a city title with Northwestern High School in 1959 he signed with his hometown Tigers. He reached Detroit for good in the mid-1960s as a powerful left fielder. During the July 1967 uprising, still in uniform, he went into the streets near his old neighborhood to plead for calm. A year later he hit a career-high 36 home runs for the team that many Detroiters credit with helping the city heal, and in Game 5 of the 1968 World Series his throw from left field cut down Lou Brock at the plate, turning the Series toward Detroit. He has remained a Tigers ambassador ever since.
Highlights
- 36 home runs for the 1968 World Series champions
- Four-time All-Star; 325 career home runs
- No. 23 retired and statue unveiled at Comerica Park on July 15, 2000
- The field at The Corner Ballpark is named the Willie Horton Field of Dreams
- Won a Detroit city championship with Northwestern High School in 1959
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 4
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Memorial · 2000–
Comerica Park
His statue joined those of Cobb, Gehringer, Greenberg, Kaline and Newhouser in 2000. The ballpark is due to be renamed Fifth Third Park before the 2027 season.
Memorial · 2018–
Tiger Stadium
The Detroit Police Athletic League's youth ballpark on the old Tiger Stadium site; its field is named for Horton.
Played here · 1959–1977
Tiger Stadium
Demolished · 1912–1999
Where he homered as a sixteen-year-old schoolboy and later starred for the Tigers; demolished in 2008–2009.
Studied here · late 1950s
Northwestern High School
Closed
His high school, city baseball champion in 1959; the school has since closed.