Curt Flood Isn’t In the Hall of Fame, But His Widow Judy Pace Is Trying to Change That

He was a sensational player and an icon in the history of American labor. Now his widow leads a drive to get him enshrined with the immortals.

by Rich Watson

Curt Flood was valuable to more than the St. Louis Cardinals. As an outfielder, he was a three-time All-Star, won seven consecutive Gold Gloves, batted over .300 six times and played on two World Series-winning Cardinal teams.

More importantly, he was the first ballplayer to challenge in court Major League Baseball’s reserve clause, a provision in players’ contracts that prohibited their ability to decide their financial future for years. His legal battle helped pave the way for true free agency in professional baseball.

Over twenty years after his death, however, Flood hasn’t yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame, baseball’s highest honor. Campaigning on his behalf is someone who knows a little about being a trailblazer: Flood’s widow, actress Judy Pace.

Flood the player

Flood played professionally for fifteen seasons with St. Louis, Cincinnati and Washington. His best year was in 1964, when he won the first of his two World Series crowns: a .311 batting average, 679 at bats, which led the National League, and 211 hits, which tied for the NL lead. He won his second championship three years later. 

His first marriage, to Beverly Collins, ended in 1966, primarily due to alcoholism. They had five children.

The reserve clause

In October 1969, Flood was traded to the Phillies as part of a package deal. He had spent twelve years with the Cardinals to that point. Because of MLB’s reserve clause, he had no say in where he could finish his career.

Dating back to the 19th century, the clause stated the team retained the rights to the player when their contract expired. The player couldn’t renegotiate with anyone else and the team could decide the player’s fate. This applied to superstars (with few exceptions) and marginal players alike.

Flood chose not to report to Philadelphia. When the commissioner wouldn’t make him a free agent, he filed a lawsuit—Flood v. Kuhn—against MLB. 

His case made it all the way to the Supreme Court. Flood lost, but the players continued to push against the clause until, in a separate case in 1975, it was eliminated. 

Flood and Pace

After Flood’s divorce from Collins in 1966, he dated Pace for several years. A former Dating Game contestant (one of that show’s first black bachelorettes),  she was a model before she became an actress. She was married to actor Don Mitchell from 1972-84.

Pace appeared in films including The Fortune Cookie, Cotton Comes to Harlem and Brian’s Song. On television, she had recurring roles in Peyton Place and The Young Lawyers. In the former, she was TV’s first black villainess.

Flood, meanwhile, suffered as a result of the stress of the lawsuit, in addition to his drinking. After sitting out the 1970 season, he played thirteen games for the Senators in 1971 before retiring. He lived in Spain for a time. He stayed in a psychiatric hospital there. 

After Pace divorced, she and Flood renewed their relationship. They married in 1986 and stayed together until his death from throat cancer in 1997.

The Hall of Fame push

In 2020 (pre-pandemic), Pace, along with 102 members of Congress, petitioned the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to admit Flood. They were joined by players’ unions from the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Soccer. 

A response is still forthcoming, but Pace is confident her husband will be recognized.

“I think the holdup is that he got on a lot of people’s nerves,” she has said.

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I’m feeling better now. Sorry for the delays. They couldn’t be helped.

@byrichwatson

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Did you see Curt Flood play?