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Joe Morgan’s professional career started when he signed on with the Houston Colt .45s in November, 1962. In the collection is the team’s press release announcing the signing of the future Hall of Fame second baseman.

Having just completed their first year of competition in the National League, Houston trumpets that Morgan is, “the 102 free agent signed by the Colt .45s in the last 11 months.”

A junior college product, Morgan would initially report to the Class C Modesto team of the California League.

Morgan played in a combined 18 big league games in 1963 and ’64. By ’65 he was the team’s everyday second baseman. The following season he had a breakout year. Little Joe scored 100 runs and led the league in walks to finish second in Rookie of the Year balloting.

In ’66 Morgan made his first all star team. Houston dealt Morgan in November of ’71 as part of an 8-player trade with the Reds. The move to Cincinnati jump started his Hall of Fame career.

Each of his eight years with the Reds was an all star campaign. Over that span, Morgan helped Cincinnati make the post season five time. As NL MVP in ’75 and ’76, Morgan led the Reds to consecutive World Series triumphs.

In January of 1980, Morgan signed a free-agent deal with the Astros. He remained productive until retiring from the game in 1984.

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After signing with the Colt .45s, Joe Morgan played parts of two seasons in the minors before coming up to Houston to stay in 1965. Morgan’s first nine big league seasons were in Houston, two when they were the Colt .45s.

He also played for the Astros for the 1980 season after leaving the Reds. Shown here is Morgan’s rookie card autographed by the man better remembered for his time in Cincinnati. Morgan has added, “HOF ’90” after signing the card.

After retirement Morgan enjoyed a 25-plus year career as a broadcaster, allowing millions of younger fans to know him.

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Joe Morgan was still with Houston when this card came out in 1968. Ligament damage in his left knee limited the second baseman just ten games that season.

The Astros traded Little Joe to Cincinnati as part of an eight-player deal in November, 1971. With the Reds Morgan found stardom. He immediately started a streak of eight-straight All Star appearances.

Joe’s first five seasons in Cincinnati were truly special. From 1972-1976 he hit .303 with a .431 on-base percentage and a .499 slugging mark. Morgan averaged 118 walks, 113 runs, 22 homers, 85 RBI and 9.6 WAR per season.

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The height of Joe Morgan’s career came in 1975 and 1976. The Reds second baseman was the clear MVP each season while his teams earned back-to-back championships.

In ’75 Morgan posted career highs in walks (132), batting average (.327), on-base percentage (.466), and WAR (11.6). The Reds won 108 games to finish 20 games ahead of the second-place Dodgers.

Cincinnati swept Pittsburgh in the NLCS before taming Boston in a thrilling seven-game World Series.

After their Fall Classic triumph, Cunard Cruise Lines offered an all-expenses-paid voyage to the Reds. GM Bob Howsam, skipper Sparky Anderson, announcer Marty Brennaman and players Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Tony Perez accepted the proposition.

In return the cruise line used the Cincinnati men for advertising purposes on their sold-out cruise. Above is the baseball itinerary for the cruise line signed by the six participating members of the organization.

Among the on-board presentation was one that mentioned Morgan, “BASEBALL COMMUNICATIONS – (Signs and Signals) – the secrets of signs to and from the coaches such as ‘take’ vs. ‘hit’, ‘bunt’ vs. ‘hit’, and ‘steal’ (what about Joe Morgan on his own?). Defensive players station themselves according to the pitch called for.” The Cincinnati traveling party led three other baseball presentations during the cruise.

In ’76 Morgan repeated as NL MVP with career-bests in homers (27), RBI (111), slubbing (.576), OPS (1.020), total bases (272), and OPS+ (187). Behind Morgan the Reds cruised to 102 victories. They went undefeated in the postseason sweeping aside the Phillies in the NLCS and the Yankees in the World Series.

The back-to-back MVP performances for the World Series champs pushed Morgan and Reds to new heights. The second baseman completed his Cooperstown resumé while the Big Red Machine emerged as one of the greatest clubs of all time.

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The 1978 Reds team won 92 games, finishing 2 1/2 in back of the Dodgers. At the conclusion of the season the squad went on a goodwill tour to Japan.

In the collection is the “Visa Application Form to Enter Japan” for Cincinnati second baseman Joe Morgan. The document shows October 26, 1978 as the Reds’ date of entry and lists Morgan’s occupation as, “Professional Baseball Player”.

Morgan’s Cincinnati teams were among the best of the era. Along with Morgan, the team featured Hall of Fame players Johnny Bench and Tony Perez. They were managed by Cooperstown man Sparky Anderson. Their roster included stars all-time hit king Pete Rose, Ken Griffey, and George Foster.

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Heading into the first year of the 1990s, only 25 men reached the Baseball Hall of Fame their first time on the ballot. That summer two more baseball legends were added to the list, 3-time Cy Young Award winner and 8-time 20-game winner Jim Palmer and ten-time All Star, five-time Gold Glover, and two-time MVP Joe Morgan.

The image above is an invitation to their ceremony on the hot summer day in Cooperstown, New York. It is signed by Morgan at the bottom.