# Fran Matthews

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For other people named Francis Matthews, see [Francis Matthews (disambiguation)](/source/Francis_Matthews_(disambiguation)).

**Francis Oliver Matthews** (November 2, 1916 – August 24, 1999) was an American [baseball](/source/Baseball) [first baseman](/source/First_baseman) in the [Negro leagues](/source/Negro_league_baseball). Matthews, whose father was from [Barbados](/source/Barbados),[1] was born and raised in [Cambridge, Massachusetts](/source/Cambridge,_Massachusetts), where he attended the prestigious [Rindge Technical School](/source/Rindge_Technical_School). By the time he graduated in 1935, Matthews ability as one of the best baseball players in the Greater Boston area led to him being recognized as the first black captain of the Rindge Baseball team.

From 1935 to 1946, Matthews played with several Negro league teams, mostly the [Boston Royal Giants](/source/Boston_Royal_Giants) and the [Newark Eagles](/source/Newark_Eagles) and one game with the [Kansas City Monarchs](/source/Kansas_City_Monarchs) at [Fenway Park](/source/Fenway_Park) in 1943. The wear of travel and the low salaries of the Negro leagues got to Matthews forcing him to decide to return to Boston in 1942 to work at the [Watertown Arsenal](/source/Watertown_Arsenal). He never left baseball though. Matthews starred as one of three black players on the Watertown Arsenal [Boston Park League](/source/Boston_Park_League) team for many years.

## Military service

Matthews enlisted in the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) in 1950, and was stationed in Germany in 1952. He served in the [Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War), where was wounded by shrapnel in his leg and received a [Purple Heart](/source/Purple_Heart). He also received a [Bronze Star Medal](/source/Bronze_Star_Medal). He completed his service in 1972 as a first sergeant.

## References

1. ["Fran Matthews"](https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/1bed3501). *www.sabr.org*. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 2017-08-14.

## External links

and [Seamheads](https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=matth01fra)

- [SABR Biography](https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/1bed3501)
- [Negro League Baseball Players Association](https://web.archive.org/web/20111013175508/http://nlbpa.com/mathews__fran.html)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fran Matthews](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran_Matthews) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran_Matthews?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.