Washington State’s Black History: Dave Mann

All month, we’ll be partnering with The Black Heritage Society of Washington Sate to bring you artifacts, photos and stories from our community’s history.

Dave Mann (1933-2018) was a professional baseball player who played 12 seasons from 1952-1963. He was best known for his speed at stealing bases. Mann would achieve 217 stolen bases in his career. Building on his baseball success with various teams, Mann would often recount his time with the Miami Marlins where he roomed with Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige. An aging Paige had much to share with Mann before Dave headed west to play for the Seattle Rainiers. He would remain with the Rainiers until retiring in the mid-1960s.

Upon retirement Dave Mann remained in Seattle with strong ties to the Central District and was offered a modeling opportunity to become the first Black male model to be featured in Nordstrom catalogs. He would eventually turn to what he loved best and worked as the sports editor of the Facts Newspaper. Mann was an avid golfer with Fir State Golf Club and will forever be remembered for his contributions on and off the field.

Dave Mann contributed pieces of his personal baseball career memorabilia to Lowes Hardware at the former site of Sicks Stadium at Rainier Ave S and S McClellan St in Seattle. Mann’s memorabilia would become part of a display case collection that graced the store entrance to honor the legacy of Seattle baseball. The case was disassembled in 2014 and items went on loan for the exhibition Pitch Black at the Northwest African American Museum. When items were returned to Lowes they went into storage until acquired by BHS. Among the memorabilia are Mann’s glove, bat, cleats, Rainiers jacket and cap, and team bag.