Norman Thomas Stearnes was born on May 8, 1901, in Nashville Tennessee. He was one of five children born to Will and Mary Everett Stearnes and 129 Fairfield Avenue was their place of residence.

Norman attended Belleview Elementary School and Pearl High School, while developing a love for baseball on the sandlot fields. Sadly, his father passed away when he was 15 years old. Consequently, he needed to quit school in order to find jobs to help support his family. Norman worked as a janitor at the National Baptist Publishing Board and at a grocery store, but he still found time to play baseball with the Knoxville Giants, the Nashville White Sox, the Montgomery Grey Sox and the Memphis Red Sox. At the age of 21, he returned to Nashville and completed high school.

Norman was nicknamed “Turkey” because of the way he uniquely stuck his chest out when rounding the bases with lightning speed, but he said the origin of his name revolved around the fact that he had a pot belly as a child. In 1923 he moved to Detroit, Michigan to play for the Detroit Stars (where he would spend the majority of his career).

Turkey also played for the New York Lincoln Giants, Kansas City Monarchs, Cole’s American Giants, Philadelphia Stars, Chicago American Giants, Detroit Black Sox and the Toledo Cubs. He was selected and played in five Negro League East-West All-Star Games (including the first four of the initial five games).

In 1932, Turkey Stearnes led the Negro Southern League in doubles, triples, home runs and stolen bases, resulting in winning the “Quadruple Crown.” No other player in Major League Baseball can boast of this accomplishment. Available research shows that he also compiled a .350 career batting average, a .664 slugging average, and hit 172 homers. He led the Negro Leagues in homers seven times. In one season, he hit twenty-four home runs in just 310 at bats. Turkey won additional home run titles in 1932, 1939, and 1940. Upon his induction into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, he was acknowledged as “the greatest baseball player ever from the state of Tennessee”.

Turkey ended his baseball career in 1945 and moved to Detroit, Michigan where he married Nettie Mae McArthur in 1946 (who faithfully advocated for Turkey’s induction after his passing). Turkey and Nettie had two daughters, Rosilyn and Joyce. To support his family, Turkey played ball while simultaneously working for the Briggs Manufacturing Company. Later, he worked at the Ford Rouge Plant in Dearborn for 27 years.

During his spare time, Turkey regularly attended the home games of the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium, even though he was denied the opportunity to play Major League Baseball because of segregationist laws, racism and white supremacy. According to the Negro League Baseball Players’ Association website, “If there was an all-time Detroit outfield, he would join Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and Al Kaline in the pasture.”

Valuing a healthy lifestyle, Turkey did not smoke, drink or use drugs. However, in August of 1979 he became ill and had emergency abdominal surgery at Harper Hospital. He never regained consciousness after the surgery and days later his kidneys stopped functioning, resulting in his death. Turkey passed away on September 4, 1979. The site of his burial is at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Clinton, Township, Michigan.

Posthumously, Norman “Turkey” Stearnes has been inducted into 4 Hall of Fames:

• 1987: Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame (Detroit, MI)

• 2000: National Baseball Hall of Fame (Cooperstown, NY)

• 2007: Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (Detroit, MI)

• 2010: Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (Nashville, TN)

How did he fare against and in comparison to white Major Leaguers? 

• He had 16 plate appearances in four games against white Major Leaguers (which resulted in a .375 batting average and an OPS of 1.188).

• His 162-game Major League season batting average of .348 and 167 RBIs, are better than those same seasonal averages for three of the greatest baseball players, and fellow outfielders, of all all-time: Joe DiMaggio (.325; 143 RBIs), Ted Williams (.344; 130 RBIs), and Babe Ruth (.342, 143 RBIs). 

• His average home run total for 162 games (30) and his average OPS (1.032) are higher than the same averages for ten white Hall-of-Fame centerfielders.

• Turkey’s average OPS (1.032) is higher than twelve white Hall-of-Fame centerfielders, including Mickey Mantle and Ty Cobb.

On July 20, 2007, the Detroit Tigers unveiled a permanent plaque for Turkey Stearnes at “Gate C” of Comerica Park (located on the corner of Brush and Adams). Also, in the summer of 2020, the Hamtramck City Council voted to change the name of Hamtramck Stadium in order to honor Turkey’s legacy. It is currently known as Norman “Turkey” Stearnes Field at Historic Hamtramck Stadium. As one of baseball’s greatest players, Turkey helped to pave the way for the integration of Major League Baseball by exemplifying outstanding courage and Black excellence.