Dero Austin Jr. was one of the few Negro League “players” who was born too late; he was added to the Indianapolis Clowns in 1964 to try to recreate the fame of one of his predecessors, Spec Bebop, who had top billing with the team well into the 1950s.
Spec Bebop, circa 1952
Austin quickly joined James “Nature Boy” Williams as one of the most popular members of the barnstorming team, but the Clowns were well past their heyday when they filled ballparks across the country. Occasionally they still drew well, in Austin’s first season, 1964, 15,797 fans saw the Clowns in Chicago’s Comiskey Park on July 10; across town 13,556 fans watched the Cubs play the San Francisco Giants.
Austin would usually bat first in each game, replicating Eddie Gaedel’s appearance for Bill Veeck’s Saint Louis Browns in 1951–occasionally Satchel Paige would pitch to Austin. While he appeared in publicity photo’s playing the field, he never appeared in the field during a game.
Satchel Paige pitching, Dero Austin at the plate. Comiskey Park 1966
Austin never became as popular as Bebop, and the Clowns continued playing to smaller crowds in smaller towns until they disbanded in the 1980s.
Austin stayed with the Clowns well into the 70s and by 1974 was billed as the team’s manager. The 31-inch tall Grandfield, Oklahoma native died in July of 1987 at age 39.
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