Born November 7, 1972 in Puyallup, Washington, Ty Phelan was the sixth child of Robert Edward and Donna May Phelan. An Auburn High School graduate, Ty attended Central Washington University’s William O. Douglas Honors College where he studied history and comparative religion under the guidance of mentor Dr. Raeburne Heimbeck.

He is a Central Washington sports memorabilia collector and historian. A self-proclaimed microfiche junkie, Ty has spent the last decade scouring Pacific Northwest sports pages with a focus on Pre-World War 2 African American baseball. He was a research contributor for the 2014 Northwest African American Museum exhibit, “Pitch Black: African American Baseball in Washington,” weekly guest writer for the 100th Anniversary of the Negro Leagues “Diversus Voces” series, and is author of Darkhorse: The Jimmy Claxton Story. He is a right-handed hitter with no glove or speed.