Beyond the sports world that he once drew headlines in, Herb Washington is making positive differences in the lives of others.
One phone call to Mr. Washington, 72, and you’ve reached the maximum daily dosage of your can-do spirit. Rarely does someone randomly change the outlook of others for the better. Mr. Washington is as positive a person as you can meet, by schedule or otherwise. He is high-energy; a twist of Red Bull, with a splash of Mountain Dew.
Who knew there was this busy business machine beneath the surface of his cover story—a one-time member of MLB’s Oakland A’s who never swung a bat or played any of the nine positions on the diamond? Who took the time to know Mr. Washington’s core strengths, beyond being one of the fastest contestants on the track and field circuit?
Mr. Washington, the philanthropist, the entrepreneur, the role model for all to study and attempt to replicate with hopes of even greater success to society, is a tonic too tasty to pass on.
The success of Mr. Washington as an African American baron of business began shortly after his baseball experiment as MLB’s only-ever designated runner abruptly came to an end in May of 1975.
Just a season earlier, the American League did away with pitchers batting, in favor of a hitter in the lineup who need not bring a fielding glove with him to the ballpark. Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees holds that distinction as the first designated hitter (DH) in baseball.
Well, in 1974, Oakland A’s Owner Charlie Finley, always the innovator or antagonist, depending on what uniform players wore, took the DH trial a step further.
As a four-time NCAA All-American in track at Michigan State University and holding world records in 50- and 60-yard dashes, Mr. Washington’s speed was legendary. Before Mr. Finley’s offer to join his A’s, who at the time were enjoying back-to-back World Series championships, Mr. Washington’s fleet of foot drew attention from two professional football leagues. The Baltimore Colts in 1972 drafted Mr. Washington in the 13th round. The Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League also expressed interest in giving Mr. Washington’s speed a whirl on their offense.
What made these offers most remarkable is Mr. Washington didn’t have much experience putting on pads and catching passes since his high school football experiences in Michigan.
But, it was his experience with Mr. Finley that changed Mr. Washington’s life, for the better.
“Finley was aware of my speed. I told him that I hadn’t played baseball in several years,” Mr. Washington told The Epoch Times earlier this week from his office in Youngstown, Ohio. “So, I went to his office in Chicago, and said I wanted a no-cut contract for the first year.”
After Mr. Washington was reminded by Mr. Finley that his A’s had only three players on the 1974 squad (Jim Hunter, Vida Blue, and Reggie Jackson) who had such contract guarantees, it was then the would-be game’s first and still only designated runner’s opportunity to remind his future boss there was no one on the club’s roster who could outrun him.
“Finley lost in playing poker with me,” said Mr. Washington, who would appear in 105 games during his days with the A’s, collecting 31 stolen bases, all without ever batting, fielding, or pitching. “[Finley] folded. I had my guaranteed contract, bonus, and a car.”
An offer to the rookie runner of the A’s was also made—$2,000 bonus if he grew a mustache. Admitting that he had difficulty growing any facial hair, Mr. Washington did the next best thing that could have him reach the bonus.
“I bought an eyebrow pencil at a pharmacy and drew a mustache on my face.”
Oakland won a third consecutive World Series title in 1974, and Mr. Washington earned a championship ring. As brief as his tenure was in the dugout and on the base paths, this is when Mr. Washington began thinking about life after baseball. No coaching. No broadcasting. No uniform.
“I realized when I was playing with the A’s that I was in a holding pattern. I had the chance to think about what I wanted to do in life next,” said Mr. Washington.
While banking and investing most of his baseball earnings in tax-sheltered accounts, for the next half dozen years Mr. Washington took positions in corporate America. With his monies tucked away from any impulsive spending, Mr. Washington sought out an acquaintance who lived five blocks from him.
Dr. William S. Pickard, Ph.D, 10-years Mr. Washington’s senior, himself a successful black entrepreneur, had accepted appointments by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, operated a holding company for several automotive supplies manufacturers.
“[Pickard] was my role model growing up in Flint. William wasn’t an athlete. But he was a fantastic businessman,” recalls Mr. Washington.
Along with Mr. Pickard’s influence on capitalism, a copy of Ebony Magazine that Mr. Washington picked up while on a flight from Boston’s Logan Airport to Oakland initiated an idea that would change his life forever.
In the issue of Ebony was an article on McDonald’s restaurants. At the time, Mr. Washington wasn’t aware of any black McDonald’s franchisees. Armed with the thought of investing his baseball monies into the fast-food business, Mr. Washington paid a visit to the man he knew since he was 12 years old.
With Mr. Pickard assisting Mr. Washington in the McDonald’s interview process, it wasn’t long before the former baserunner began the training process of operating his own restaurant.
By 1980 Mr. Washington began to own and operate five restaurants in Western New York. In 2021, down from a high of 27 restaurants under his company HLW Fast Track, Inc.’s control, Mr. Washington shed the number of his holdings to 14 restaurants.
After 41 years with McDonald’s, in 2021, Mr. Washington moved on to energize his corporate ambitions. For the past decade, having a minority ownership with other African Americans of the Cincinnati Reds, owning a minor league professional hockey team, and assisting his children with owning and operating medical marijuana dispensaries in Ohio and New Jersey keep Mr. Washington on the run.
Mr. Washington’s voice tells you he has plenty more giddyap in his drive to create jobs, volunteer, and make a difference for others in his community. A person as financially successful as he has served on many high-profile boards of directors, including as the director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Mr. Washington still answers his own phone.
Role models can never be in short supply. Mr. Washington’s resume is always on-call, when spirits need lifting, whenever for whoever.
