William George Sloan (September 27, 1886 – June 3, 1931) was an American Negro league outfielder and pitcher in the 1900s.
[2] In 1912, Sloan and owner/manager John Matthews had a brief dispute and he was briefly benched, returning in August and remaining on the pitching staff through 1914.
[3] During the Great Dayton Flood of 1913, Sloan, also an employee at the Kuhns Brothers Foundry in the offseason, walked to the nearby Dayton D Handle Company and asked for permission to use their small boat to rescue residents trapped in the flood waters.
[4] Over 3 days, Sloan rescued at least 317 people including his own 1-year-old son James[5] and Leroy Crandall, the owner of the boat.
[10] A historic marker detailing Sloan's role in the 1913 flood was erected on the banks of the Great Miami River in Dayton.