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 Leo Najo Posted by:  PeterNoG
N 26° 13.171 W 098° 19.872
14R E 566807 N 2900166
This Texas Historical Markers is at the Leo "Najo" Alaniz Baseball Park on West 13th Street, 400 feet west of North Slabaugh Avenue in Mission, Texas.
Waymark Code: WMKBMP
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/15/2014
Views: 4
Marker Title: Leo Najo
Index Entry: Leo Najo 1899-1978
Address:
City:
County: Hidalgo
Subject Codes:
Year Marker Erected: 2009
Designations: na
Marker Location:
Marker Size:
Marker Number: 15865
Marker Text:
(February 17, 1899 — April 25, 1978)
Leonardo Alaniz, better known as Leo Najo, was one of the first Mexican-Americans to play professional baseball in the United States. Born in the Mexican community of La Lajilla, Nuevo Leon, he moved to Mission with his mother, Rosario Alanis, in 1909. As a youth, he became interested in baseball and in 1918, he helped form a team called the Mission 30-30 Rifles (later Mission 30-30s).
During the early 1920s, Najo, whose nickname came from an alteration of Conejo (rabbit), played for teams in Mexico and Laredo. He was known for his high batting average and baserunning speed. In 1924, Najo joined the San Antonio Bears minor league team and played for several others before the Chicago White Sox major league franchise acquired him in 1925. He did not make the lineup and was sent back to the minor leagues. Najo continued to play impressively but suffered a serious leg injury in a collision during a game, ending his major league career possibilities.
Najo continued to play in the minors until 1933, when he returned to Mission. He helped operate his family's tavern on West 6th Street and invested in real estate. Najo managed the Mission 30-30s from 1933 to 1937, and played and managed in Mexico for two more seasons. By the early 1940s, he married Elida Garza; the two reared eleven children. Najo continued to teach and manage baseball. In 1973, "Leo Najo Day" was proclaimed, the street where he lived (7th Street) was renamed Leo Najo Street, and the high school baseball field was renamed in his honor. In 1973, he was the first player formally inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame. Today, Leo Najo is remembered as a positive role model whose skills on the diamond were only surpassed by his character and class.
Marker is Property of the State of Texas (2009)
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Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.
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