Luke Easter attended the same high school as fellow Negro league star, Quincy Trouppe, before dropping out in the ninth grade.

With World War II raging and America soon to enter the fray, Luke Easter planned to enlist in the United States Army in 1941.

Following the war's end in 1945, Luke Easter had tryouts with two Negro National League teams, the Kansas City Monarchs and the Chicago American Giants.

[1] Manager "Candy Jim" Taylor of the American Giants elected not to sign Easter, but referred him to promoter Abe Saperstein—famous for being the founder of the Harlem Globetrotters.

He started the year in the Pacific Coast League with the San Diego Padres despite a mid-season operation on the knee, and continued to be a star, prompting coach Jimmie Reese to remark, "Easter is the only player I ever saw who can hit a baseball as far as Babe Ruth.

This performance impressed the Indians so much that they called Easter up for a brief appearance at the end of the season, and, early in 1950, traded All-Star Mickey Vernon to open up first base for him.

He continued to produce in 1951 and 1952, finishing 13th in Most Valuable Player voting in the latter year, but ongoing knee and ankle problems, as well as advancing age, brought his major league career to an end.

"[5] On July 18, 1948, while with the Homestead Grays, Easter became the first player to hit a home run into the center field bleachers at New York's Polo Grounds during game action, a drive estimated at 490 feet.

[6][7][8] During his rookie season, he also hit the longest home run in the history of Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, a 477-foot blast over the auxiliary scoreboard in right field.

Future major leaguers Boog Powell, Curt Blefary, and Canadian-born Pete Ward were among the players who credited Easter as a positive influence on their careers.

After his days as a coach, Easter returned to the Cleveland area and went to work for the Aircraft Workers Alliance in 1964, eventually becoming the chief union steward for TRW in the east-side suburb of Euclid, Ohio.

He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, with that body citing his "grace and dignity on and off the field" and his "legacy as a friend to the community, a generous soul with plenty of time for any cause.

He described Easter as "an amiable, fun-loving man who gambled, wasn't 100% honest, and had a temper," with "shoulders that crossed three lanes of traffic," but also claimed that "if you could clone him and bring him back, you'd have the greatest power hitter in baseball today, if not ever."