The forgotten story of the man who pushed professional golf’s integration

Seventy years ago, the first major battle in the integration of professional golf was ignited at the Richmond Country Club.

Bill Spiller, a short, slight and stylish African American golfer, came to the Bay Area in 1948 to compete in the Richmond Open, a PGA tournament. Instead, he wound up leading what NYU history Professor Dr. Calvin Sinnette told The Chronicle was “a Marine-type action. Bill stormed the beachhead.”

Spiller’s support troops included a Bay Area lawyer and several local media people, but it was Spiller who led the charge. And it was Spiller who paid the price.

Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball in 1947 and is still widely celebrated and honored.