Born December 14, 1909, in Havana (Yell County ) , to Huey Bart Walkup and Annie Jane Dunlap Walkup, James Elton Walkup, was one of five children raised on a family farm.
Very little is known about his early family life but he and his four siblings --Margret, Florence, Burt and Robert -- all attended high school while helping to maintain the family farm.
James was a standout for the Havanna High School team but In the early 20th century, high school sports in rural Arkansas were not as important as they have become. Baseball was often an informal affair played on local fields rather than part of a highly organized athletic program.
After Walkup graduated from Havana High School in 1928 he attended the University of Arkansas, where he pitched for the baseball team as a sophomore in 1930. He left college after two years to pursue a professional baseball career during the Great Depression.
In 1932, Walkup signed with the Fort Smith Twins, a Class C Western League team., which later relocated to Muskogee. IWalkup was pitching for the Muskogee tam when he was discovered by Ray Cahill, a scout for the St. Louis Browns. Cahill, tasked with finding talent for the Browns, spotted Walkup during this period and was impressed by his pitching ability.
He specifically noted Walkup’s “curve like a big jug-handle,” a reference to the sharp-breaking curveball that became a hallmark of his pitching style. Cahill signed Walkup to the Browns organization that year, marking the beginning of his professional career.
This discovery led to Walkup’s development in the minors-- with stints in Milwaukee and San Antonio,--and his eventual Major League debut with the Browns on September 22, 1934.
The 5'7" fireballer, who drew early comparisons to Dizzy Dean, joined the Browns and debuted in the majors on September 22, 1934. Over five seasons with the Browns and Detroit Tigers, he compiled a 16-38 record with a 6.74 ERA. His best year was 1935, when he went 6-9 and pitched 181⅓ innings, including a shutout against the Boston Red Sox.
During his career, Walkup routinely faced sluggers like Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Jimmie Foxx and Charlie Gehringer. He finished with just134 strikeout's in an era when big bats dominated the stats for a handful of teams.
Atypical of Walkup's mound work was a game on May 28, 1935 He managed to hold Detroit's Greenberg an Gehringer to jut one hit each in four plate appearances but gave up a meaningless homerun to Greenberg in the top of the tenth.
Three days later he pitched a complete game 3-0 shutout against the Boston Red Sox. and in his next start against Cleveland he gave up fourteen hits in just five innings of work.
Traded to the Tigers in 1938, his MLB career ended in 1939.
After baseball, Walkup coached in the minor leagues until 1941. He married Anna McBride in Ontario, Canada, on January 6, 1942.
In May 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces, serving as an aviation technician and reaching the rank of sergeant. He was stationed at Newport Army Air Field in Arkansas during World War II.
Post-war, Walkup returned to Havana with his wife. The couple had two daughters, Sharon and Robin.
He lived and farmed and lived at Havana until his death in Danville in 1997.
Walkup is buried in Havana Cemetery alongside his wife, who outlived him by sixteen years.
