[2] He tried out for the Kansas City Monarchs, however his brother Solly recommended Samuel to play baseball in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where racism was not much of a factor, unlike the United States.

[1] He was signed by the Cubs organization prior to the 1955 season, after impressing manager Pepper Martin in spring training.

[3] He and teammate Ernest Johnson were the first African-Americans to play for Macon, where Drake experienced the racism and Jim Crow laws first hand from the local hometown fans, something he later claimed as a motivation for a further career in Major Leagues.

[1][3] The town African-American population was supportive of the duo, but otherwise Drake nor Johnson were able to stay in the same establishments as their white teammates.

[4] When his playing career ended, Samuel became a government employee with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and a Sunday school teacher for his brother's church.