Famous Graves: The Grave of Floyd "Jelly" Gardner, Negro League Legend

Floyd "Jelly" Gardner (09/27/1895 - 3/28/1977) was a baseball player in the Negro Leagues, mostly for the Chicago American Giants. He was born in Russellville, Arkansas to Alec and Josie Gardner. Floyd attended high school at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he tried out for the baseball team.
Floyd made the team as an infielder. He may have started playing professional ball in 1913 with the Hot Spring Giants or the Missouri Pacifics. In 1916, he played with the Longview Giants in Texas.
In 1917, Floyd continued to play in Texas with the Texas All-Stars. Over the course of seven games, he gathered 7 hits with 1 RBI and a .241 batting average. In that same year he registered for the military was soon drafted to fight in WW1. Gardner was a member of Company F in the 92nd Division of the 365th Infantry. Little is known about his service, but his unit saw action in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive that began shortly before the war ended. He was discharged on March 19, 1919, and returned to Chicago, Illinois.
After working for a while in the restaurant and hotel industry, Gardner joined the Detroit Stars. In 21 games, he had 13 hits with 4 RBIs and a .213 batting average. The Stars finished the season with a record of 27-14. He left the team after the conclusion of the season as he did not see eye to eye with the team's owner, Tenny Blount.
Gardner started the 1920 season with the Dayton Macros but soon signed with the Chicago American Giants where manager Rube Foster made him the lead-off hitter. Gardner finished the season with 29 hits, a batting average of .279 and stole 5 bases. Chicago finished the season at 43-17-2 and were crowned the Champions of the Negro National League.
In 1921, Gardner batted .239 with 47 hits, 23 RBIs and he swiped 15 bases. The Chicago American Giants finished the season with a 55-28-4 record and won their 2nd pennant.
Gardner was moved out of the lead-off spot in 1922, but still had 63 hits,23 RBIs and stole 26 bases, helping the Chicago American Giants to secure another pennant with a 46-30-1 record.
In 1923, Gardner batted .280, with 83 hits, 19 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. He also drew 44 walks. Chicago finished the year at 48-29-1 but lost the pennant to the Kansas City Monarchs.
Gardner had a good season in 1924, batting .325 with 93 hits and 29 RBIs. He also had 54 walks and 13 stolen bases. When the season was over, Gardner played winter ball in Cuba.
In 1925, Gardner batted .284 with 92 hits and 44 RBIs. Chicago had another off year, finishing 3rd with the Kansas City Monarchs winning another title.
1926 saw a major change for the Chicago American Giants when manager Rube Foster was replaced by Dave Malarcher. Gardner batted .315 with 97 hits. He drew 59 walks and scored 68 runs, helping Chicago secure another pennant and winning the Negro World Series over the Kansas City Bacharach Giants.
In 1927, after getting into a contract dispute with American Giant's team owner John Schorling, Gardner signed with the Lincoln Giants. The few available box scores show he batted .286 over 5 games.
Gardner split the season in 1928 with the Chicago American Giants and the Homestead Grays. He batted .281 with 77 hits and 23 stolen bases. The following season he was back in Chicago, where he batted .314 with 80 hits.
In 1930, Gardner was no longer an everyday player. He hit .232 with 23 hits and stole only one base.
Gardner's final season came in 1931 when he signed with the Detroit Stars. He batted .215 with 26 hits and stole 6 bases.
After his playing days were over, Gardner worked for the US Post office and for various railroads as a waiter and porter. In 1949, he helped found the Old Ballplayers Association to assist former needy players. Gardner married Dorothy Hayes in 1950, and they had 2 children. He passed away on March 28, 1977, and is buried at St, Mary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Evergreen Park, Illinois.
#famousgraves #negroleagues #jellyroll
#baseball