1951 Topps Red Back #26 - Luke Easter

Luke Easter (b. 1915 - d. 1979) played in the majors from 1949 to 1954 for the Indians.  He also played in the Negro Leagues from 1947 to 1948 for the Homestead Grays.  In his MLB career, he had 472 hits, 93 home runs and a .274 batting average.  He finished 13th in the AL MVP voting in 1953.

After his playing career was over, he went to work for the airline industry, becoming the chief union steward for TRW airlines.  He was murdered by two assailants in March 1979 outside a bank in Euclid, OH when he refused to hand over $5,000 worth of payroll checks he was transporting.

Deceased: 21