Joseph Vann Durham (July 31, 1931 – April 28, 2016)[1] was an American professional baseball player and coach.

[2] Durham attended Huntington High School in his native city of Newport News, Virginia, and Shaw University.

[citation needed] He threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 186 pounds (84 kg).

Durham began his professional career in the Negro leagues with the Chicago American Giants,[3] then was signed by Bill Veeck, president of the St. Louis Browns, prior to the 1953 season.

Apart from 1963, which he spent in the New York Yankees' system, Durham played at the top level of the Baltimore organization through 1964, then became the team's batting practice pitcher.