Melvin Sykes

Melvin Elijah Sykes (January 10, 1901 – March, 1984) was an American Negro league outfielder in 1926.

Melvin Sykes
Outfielder
Born: (1901-01-10)January 10, 1901 Decatur, Alabama, US
Died: March, 1984 Decatur, Alabama, US
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Negro league baseball debut
1926, for the Hilldale Club
Last appearance
1926, for the Lincoln Giants
Teams
Hilldale Club (1926) Lincoln Giants (1926)

A native of Decatur, Alabama, Sykes was the brother of fellow Negro leaguer Doc Sykes. Younger brother Melvin attended Morehouse College, where he was captain of the baseball and basketball teams, and graduated in 1926.^[1] His Negro league career was limited to a single season, 1926, when he split time between the Hilldale Club and the Lincoln Giants.^[2]

After his brief professional baseball career, Sykes worked in real estate in New York, but eventually returned to Decatur, where he became involved in various organizations including the Alabama Democratic Conference. Sykes died in Decatur in 1984 at age 83.