Galley: Coward helped blaze a brave path in Calgary

Curtis Coward (right) was one of the first Black Nova Scotian players in the professional ranks when he pitched for the Calgary Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals’ affiliate) in 1978.

April 19, 2021

By Allen Galley

Canadian Baseball Network

Below is an article from the June 15, 1978 Calgary Herald (courtesy Google News Archive). Curtis Coward played his one season of professional ball with the Calgary Cardinals of the rookie level Pioneer League in 1978.

He was one of the first Black Nova Scotians to play affiliated pro ball. Coward pitched well that season, going 7-3, 3.19 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 93 innings in 13 games (all starts). His first game was on June 28, which was a win over the Medicine Hat Blue Jays. During the previous season, Coward played for the Intercounty League’s Cambridge Terriers. He was on the same team as future New York Mets closer Jesse Orosco. Coward made the commute from Toronto and signed with the Cardinals after attending an open tryout following that 1977 season.

We know of at least two other Nova Scotia Black players who preceded him into the game’s pro ranks — one in affiliated ball, one with an independent team:

_ Arthur Dorrington (Truro, NS) was the first, playing with the Class-D Wellesville Rockets in the Penn-Ontario-New York League in 1951, after signing as a free agent with the Boston Braves.

_ John Mentis (Truro, NS) played in the Independent-Quebec and Provincial Leagues with Granby Cardinals, Acton Vale, Sherbrooke and the Trois Rivieres Aigles from 1962-1970. In 1962 he won the league batting title with a .373 average.

Coward would suffer a shoulder injury and not pitch professionally again. He was supposed to play double-A ball for Arkansas in 1979. He was eventually traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates but did not play in their system (he had worked out for their triple-A team).

Coward would return to Nova Scotia in 1979, hoping to play in the Nova Scotia Senior League. He would coach the Halifax Pelham Electric for one season before turning his focus to fast pitch. Coward would pitch the next 10 summers for the Beechville Rockets. He would write a book on baseball, the Kid’s Baseball Book, which is an instructional book for children. He would later coach basketball, in fact his daughter Rachelle would play at the NCAA level before transferring to Saint Mary’s.

In 2017, Coward was inducted into the Maritime Sports Hall of Fame.