1969 

With his star rising, he signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers after being selected in the 1st Round of the amateur draft. He played six years in the Tigers’ organization, reaching the major leagues in 1971. Young, a first baseman, credits Hall of Famer Rich “Goose” Gossage as the toughest pitcher he ever faced.

 

With support from the Professional Baseball Player’s Scholarship Plan throughout his athletic career, he attended college in the off seasons (Fullerton College, Bowling Green State University, Alabama State University and Auburn University). His playing career ended in 1977 as a player/coach in Little Rock, Arkansas, the AA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

1978  

He became an associate scout for the Chicago Cubs in Montgomery, Alabama. The legendary John “Buck” O’Neil served as his supervisor and mentor. From 1979 to 1983, he worked for Detroit as their minor league batting instructor, scout and baseball’s first African American Scouting Director, when the Tigers promoted him to the post in 1981. He also worked in the scouting departments for San Diego and Texas before joining the expansion Florida Marlins. From 1979 to 1987, he signed 21 major league players to their first professional contract. Three of the players (Howard Johnson, Glenn Wilson and Rob Nen) were Major League Baseball All-Stars.

 

1989

Combining his social concerns, love of baseball, and his professional skills and experience, he founded the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program in his old neighborhood of South Central, Los Angeles.

 

While working as a MLB scout, Young noticed a disturbing decrease in the number of athletes emerging from South Central Los Angeles and similar neighborhoods across the United States. After some research, he found that children in economically challenged neighborhoods usually stopped playing baseball in their early teens due to several factors including the destructive influence of gangs, drug use, and a shortage of funds for recreational and athletic programs. Young saw that baseball could be the key to reviving the hopes and aspirations of whole neighborhoods by providing an activity that could engage the energies of young people, teach them positive values and keep them away from negative influences. RBI was the result.

 

During RBI’s first tryouts, only eleven kids participated, as many of their peers opted out of partaking in the program due to the prevailing fear of playing at the gang infested parks, Harvard and Align Sutton Recreation Centers. As a result, John took action and solicited the counsel and assistance of the Los Angeles County Youth Gang Task Force. He also had his cousin, who was a former gang member arrange a meeting with local gang leaders to reach a truce. Since RBI’s inception, there has been no gang interference and gang presence at the parks has diminished significantly.

 

1992

After assisting in the launch of RBI programs in St. Louis and Harlem, NY, he handed over administration of RBI to Major League Baseball.

 

Thanks in part to Young’s vision, RBI programs stress not only sports, but also the importance of education. In many cases, school attendance and academic performance are conditions for remaining on the RBI teams. Furthermore, Young was insistent that the program helped support academic growth for participants. For instance, in the Los Angeles area, a spinoff of the RBI program has been an Academy of Excellence Program at Santa Monica College, which assesses the academic status of the Los Angeles RBI participants and provides a Human Development program.

 

Since its inception, RBI has grown to an international campaign encompassing more than 200 cities and providing more than 200,000 boys and girls the opportunity to play baseball and softball annually. The Jr. RBI playing divisions for baseball and softball players ages 5-12 have more than 90,000 children participating. Currently, there are 240 RBI programs worldwide. MLB and its 30 Clubs have provided more than $30 million worth of resources to the RBI program.

 

Following the launch of RBI, Young served as a founding board member of the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation and also as the Special Assistant to the General Manager of the Chicago Cubs from 1994-1996.

 

Today

As an athlete, leader, and mentor, Young has become a sought-after host for business and charity events, including “History Comes Alive in Compton”, a ceremony celebrating Compton’s partnership with Major League Baseball and its ongoing support for civil rights.

His role in helping to organize and host charity events, which attract some of the most famous names in sports, is similarly well known.