list of negro league players still alive

A member of 8 All-Star squads, Willie remembers a home run he hit in 1931 to win the pennant for St. Louis as his greatest baseball thrill. There's also Charley Pride (3/18/1935), famous country singer and one of the only black people to perform on Grand Ole Opry. Remember these four names: Rev. Of them, only 9 are still alive as of Janury 26, 2023. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, The subreddit for the bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. During his long career, Frank played on 7 pennant-winners with the Kansas City Monarchs. Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame are noted with a . Born May 6, 1931, Willie Mays is the youngest. They played most of their careers in the organized Negro leagues after the Great Depression. Major League Baseball announced this week the 1920-1948 Negro Leagues was recognized as major league, meaning Black players who played during those years are officially acknowledgedas the same as their white counterparts. Chris Haughey is the last player alive from 1943 and Tommy Brown is the last player alive from 1944, 1945 and 1947. DOUG TRIBOU, BYLINE: In 1920, owners of independent Black baseball teams from the Midwest gathered in Kansas City, Mo. Contact SABR, https://sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/research-collection4_350x300.jpg, /wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sabr_logo.png. If baseball (rightfully) believes that recognizing those players is important (and it is) then why not fully recognize them? ","type":"markdown"},{"__typename":"ExternalEmbed","data":{"__typename":"ExternalEmbedContent","html":", #Spotlight In February of 1920, The Chicago Defender previewed the formation of the Negro National League - Kansas City Selected for Meeting of Baseball Magnates - https://t.co/VANcXcLmL0 pic.twitter.com/KfBEDCalWr, A copy of the 1969 Macmillan baseball encyclopedia for show and tell @sabr. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. The leagues were full of talent and it went beyond the names you may know like Mays or Satchel Paige. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Current Greats: Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, . Keys bought the Giants franchise after the 1921 season and built the newly named Stars a stadium in '22. This is not a complete or exhaustive list of all the organizations and individuals who have kept the Negro Leagues alive, but it is easy to contribute to the four following organizations whether . Like O'Neil, Minnie Mioso was still alive when he was denied entry in 2006, mostly because his time was so short in the Negro Leagues. Dan Bankhead Sam Bankhead Bob Boyd Ray Brown Willard Brown Bill Byrd Roy Campanella Buster Clarkson Jimmie Crutchfield Ray Dandridge Leon Day Larry Doby Luke Easter Wilmer Fields Josh Gibson Junior Gilliam Sammy Hughes Monte Irvin cnlbr.org is using a security service for protection against online attacks. They receivedbetween $1 to $1.50 a day for meal money. Center for Negro League Baseball Research, First black player for St. Louis Browns and New York Giants, First black player for Philadelphia Athletics, First black player for Pittsburgh Pirates, "Negro League Players Who Made the Major Leagues", "Negro Leaguers Who Served With The Armed Forces in WWII", List of Negro league baseball postseason games, Atlanta Black Crackers/Indianapolis ABCs (IV), Indianapolis ABCs (II)/New OrleansSt. Simkus says the work taught him how important major league recognition would be for the families of Negro Leagues veterans, few of whom are still alive. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. This article originally appeared in the 1972 Baseball Research Journal. Apocryphal stories surround Paige, who was born July 7, 1906 in Mobile, Ala. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Louis Stars, Southern League of Colored Base Ballists (1886), International League of Independent Professional Base Ball Clubs (1906), National Association of Colored Baseball Clubs of the United States and Cuba (19071909), West Coast Negro Baseball Association (1946), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Negro_league_baseball_players_who_played_in_Major_League_Baseball&oldid=1137262492, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Served in the US Army during WWII 19421944, Served in the US Navy during WWII 19441945, Served in the US Army during WWII 19441945, Served in the US Marine Corp during WWII 19431945, Served in the US Army during Korean War 19521953, Served in the US Army during WWII 19431945, Served in the US Army during WWII 19421943, Served in the US Army during WWII 19411945, Served in the US Army during WWII 19441946, Served in the US Army during WWII 19431947, Served in the US Army during WWII 19431946, Served in the US Navy during WWII 19441946, Served in the US Army during Korean War 19511953, Served in the US Navy during WWII 19431946, Served in the US Navy during WWII 19431945, Served in the US Marine Corp during WWII 19431945 and the Korean War 19511952, Served in the US Army during Korean War 19511952, Served in the US Army during WWII 19421945, This page was last edited on 3 February 2023, at 18:10. From 1940 to 1949, 1,705 men played at least one game in the National League or American League plus hundreds, maybe thousands, more in the Negro Leagues. Major League Baseball was segregated from 1887 through 1946. TRIBOU: Bob Kendrick heads the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum there. Is there any way to possibly send a baseball to try and get signed by Biddle. Accuracy and availability may vary. They went out and did something about it. But more interesting, in my opinion, are some of the larger patterns we've found. Nat Rogers: Now 78 years old and a waiter at Memphis Peabody Hotel, Nat writes that he played for 45 consecutive seasons in organized baseball, compiling a batting average of over .340. While there are roughly 130 players alive from the Negro Leagues, according to baseball historian Larry Lester, only those four players are alive from that 1920-1948 window. They played most of their careers in the organized Negro leagues after the Great Depression. Of course, Josh Gibson and some of the other big names have passed on, but a lot of the legendary stars are still alive and well and living in well, why dont we call the roll of some of the more familiar names, men like . Ray Dandridge: Fifty-eight year old Ray Dandridge lives in Newark, N.J., and is a scout for the San Francisco Giants. Rookies earned $75 and the stars $375. Though there is more information on the Negro Leagues just a click away than ever before, there is still plenty of work to be done. He was known to be a great hitter, but I don't think it was fully appreciated how pivotal he was to the Monarchs' defense.. SIERRA: Yeah, a hundred dollars a month. Yet there was still a feeling that many more had been missed. RHP Satchel Paige: The most famous Negro Leagues player, the age-defying Paige stayed young long enough to pitch in the majors -- including the World Series -- as a 42-year-old rookie in 1948. Chuck Harmon played under alias of Charlie Fine for the Clowns so as not to violate his college basketball eligibility. cnlbr.org is using a security service for protection against online attacks. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. He continued his research with others like Kevin Johnson, Dan Hirsch, and Scott Simkus. The Negro League Players Hall of Fame | 100th Anniversary of the League It wouldn't even cost baseball that much money particularly since salaries of Negro League players began to increase in the 1940s as their play became so good they were practically impossible to ignore, and as Jackie Robinson started his trek towards history. Foster still retains a strong interest in baseball. A good right-handed hitter, Duncan is always mentioned as one of black baseballs best catchers. Josh Gibson, Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. cnlbr.org is using a security service for protection against online attacks. We already knew they were equals, of course, it's just official now. Marshall remembers occasionally playing 4 games a day when he was with the Philadelphia Stars and he says Satchel Paige was the fastest pitcher he ever saw. January 29, 2007 - Ralph "Big Cat" Johnson passes away. Last I knew he was still alive but he is hard to contact sometimes. An outfielder and a solid hitter, Page resides in Pittsburgh, where he operates a bowling alley. There's a huge amount of information about Latin American baseball that still needs to be processed -- Black Americans played professional baseball in Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, Ashwill said. The text below has been updated to reflect that. List of living major league players from the 1940s, List of living members of World Series-winning teams, List of living major league players from the 1950s, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/index.php?title=List_of_living_major_league_players_from_the_1940s&oldid=1264856, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Suttles pictured back row, far left. List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Part of that was simply how the Negro Leagues recorded their statistics, which wasn't as robust a system as the Major Leagues'. Many Old Negro League Stars Still Around - Society for American He says his greatest thrill was a home-run he hit in the 1940 classic in Chicago. Find out more. December 15, 2006 - Medal of freedom awarded to Buck O'Neil. After spotting the Black newspaper The Chicago Defender in his universitys library stacks and knowing its historical importance, he dove into the reels for the 1920 season and was surprised to see incredibly thorough coverage and box scores for the Negro National League. An additional 35 or so players played on a Negro league team after 1950. and daily newspapers in cities where games were played. After contacting Lester, co-founder of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and chairman of SABR's Negro Leagues Research Committee, he provided data that was absolutely staggering. List of living major league players from the 1940s - BR Bullpen Basically, our earlier version of the 1926 Negro National League relied heavily on the Black weekly newspapers for games played in St. Louis -- in this case the Chicago Defender (which was distributed nationally) and the St. Louis Argus, Ashwill wrote. Just this month, and nearly 80 years after Suttles career ended, Ashwill was able to add two more home runs to his tally, bringing his total to 32.\n\nBasically, our earlier version of the 1926 Negro National League relied heavily on the Black weekly newspapers for games played in St. Louis -- in this case the Chicago Defender (which was distributed nationally) and the St. Louis Argus, Ashwill wrote. At that meeting, they created the Negro National League. SIERRA: The Clowns are paid a hundred dollars a month. All these early leagues were financially shaky. This article was written byJohn M. Coates, This article was published in 1972 Baseball Research Journal, The recent election of Satchel Paige to the Hall of Fame brings back memories of the old Negro leagues and the men who starred in them. That means numbers are always changing here and there. James Bell: Cool Papa Bell was probably the fastest ball player ever to don spikes. Researchers are still looking to add fielding statistics, left/right splits and secondary pitching and batting stats for many Negro League seasons, especially those in the 1940s. That's almost 19 times what the Black players received. But before Paige there was baseball's serial pay disparity. The second annual Honorary Negro League Game is a fundraiser for the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Just this month, and nearly 80 years after Suttles career ended, Ashwill was able to add two more home runs to his tally, bringing his total to 32. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. From there, he started collecting box scores and compiling statistics pretty much right away, Ashwill said. The most important sources are the Black weekly newspapers (Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier, Baltimore Afro-American, Kansas City Call, etc.) FORBES: And I just wonder if I'm worthy of representing, speaking about the Negro League because when I got involved, things was easier for me than it was for the one before me. Thats the type of work that Ashwill, who currently works as a freelance academic editor and runs the Agate Type baseball blog, has done since he began researching the Negro Leagues 20 years ago. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Eventually, these two groups joined forces to create one comprehensive database. All rights reserved. We present them here for purely educational purposes. In 1934, led by 20-year-old left-hander Slim Jones, the Stars defeated the Chicago American Giants in a controversial playoff series, four games to three, for the Negro National League pennant. Theyve established -- though its no surprise -- that the speedy Bell holds the single-season record with 49 stolen bases for the Stars in 1929. The Hall of Fame Has Grown Quiet on Negro Leagues Inductees - The New A speedy switch-hitter, Newt writes that Martin Dihigo and Dave Brown were the two greatest pitchers he ever faced. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. He is Dean of Men at Alcorn College in Lorman, Mississippi, and also serves as baseball coach. Members were the Brooklyn (New York) Royal Giants, Bacharach Giants of Atlantic City, New Jersey, Baltimore Black Sox, Hilldale Club of Philadelphia, and the Cuban Stars (no relation to the Cuban Stars of the NNL) and Lincoln Giants of New York City. Of them, only 9 are still alive as of Janury 26, 2023. A family friend used to play for the Black Yankees, Bob Scott. The responsibility to elect Negro leagues players shifted to the Hall's Veterans Committee, but with Roy Campanella as the only Black member, the committee was hamstrung by its lack of knowledge . Negro League players worthy of ESPN Hall of 100 Find out more. And in 2021, Baseball Reference, a trusted source for baseball stats, expanded its coverage of the Negro Leagues and integrated Negro League data from 1920 to 1948 into its record books. The list includes those who played on major Negro league teams prior to integration (and any caliber Negro league team after integration) as well as in Major League Baseball. While the weeklies tried to cover every game they could, deadlines and limited space meant they often had to leave out a few games. Then I'll create my own. We know which were the pitchers' parks (Chicago's Schorling Park, for example) and which were the hitters' parks (Stars Park in St. Louis and the Catholic Protectory Oval in the Bronx, home of the New York Lincoln Giants). 1928 St. Louis Stars, Major League Baseball has finally decided that players from the Negro Leagues should be considered Major Leaguers. Although there are two players who played before 1946 none of them appeared in 1946, thus no players from 1946 are still alive. Recovering it is a constant, ongoing struggle. They didn't care about making history. Fortunately, that has recently changed with the recognition of the Negro Leagues as a Major League, but for decades that wasn't the case. Now a Los Angeles resident, Evans remembers playing against almost every great ballplayer, black and white, during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Chicago Team History, Leroy "Satchel" Paige was bigger than mere numbers. In 2020, MLB recognized the Nego Leagues as major leagues. TRIBOU: Minnie Forbes will keep sharing her stories with younger generations, and others will, too. Pre-integration players. That's about five times more in salary than Black players. An additional 35 or so players played on a Negro league team after 1950. Or write about sports? O'Neil served as a representative of the Negro Leagues on the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee from 1981-2000, and 11 Negro Leagues players were inducted through 2001 for a total of 18. Since the Negro Leauges were still around several years after Jackie Robinson's debut, I would imagine there are still a few dozen former players who are still alive. Names of those who played in integrated organized white leagues are boldfaced, and those who played in integrated major leagues are also italicized. His biggest thrill came in the 1924 Negro World Series when he shut out the Kansas City Monarchs for 7 innings in relief. Copyright 2020 NPR. When I began speaking with Ashwill about the database in September, Hall of Fame slugger Mule Suttles held the Negro Leagues single-season home run record with the 30 that he hit as a member of the St. Louis Stars in 1926. A version of this story was first published in November, 2020, a few weeks before MLB announced that Negro League stats were being made part of the official record. To this day, no one apparently has any idea of his whereabouts or even whether he is still living. Sports Reference . The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. All rights reserved. Buck Leonard: Walter (Buck) Leonard combined with Josh Gibson for Negro baseballs best 1-2 home-run punch.