| Chicago Columbia Giants | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| League |
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| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Year established | 1899 |
| Year disbanded | 1900 |
| Nickname(s) |
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The Columbia Giants were a professional, black baseball team based in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the Negro leagues.
In 1899, a group known as the Columbia Club, organized the Columbia Giants under the direction of John W. Patterson. Many of the original players including Patterson came from the recently disbanded Page Fence Giants. Patterson also signed Chicago Unions pitcher Harry Buckner.
In 1899, managed by Al Garrett, they beat the Chicago Unions for the western championship, winning game one 4–2 and game two 6–0. Stars included (Grant) Home Run Johnson at shortstop, Charlie Grant at second base, and (George) Chappie Johnson at first base and catcher. They lost a cross-country title match with the Cuban X-Giants by a 7–4 score. Home Run Johnson homered in two of the three major matches.
At the beginning of the season, in May, the team included George Wilson, Sol White, Charlie Grant, Joseph "Cannon Ball" Miller, William Binga, Chappie Johnson, Peter Burns, Sherman Barton, Harry Buckner, and Billy Holland, with John W. Patterson managing. [1] Patterson's office that year is listed as 3030 State Street in Chicago, Illinois. [2]
In 1900 no championship was played and the Unions and Columbia Giants both claimed to be number one. Home Run Johnson went to the Union Giants but was replaced by future Hall-of-Famer Sol White. Pitcher Billy Holland also joined the team that year.
In 1901, Frank Leland combined his Chicago Unions with the Giants and renamed the team the Chicago Union Giants, which was renamed to the Leland Giants in 1905.
| The Chicago Unions and the Chicago Columbia Giants merged for the 1901 season creating the Chicago Union Giants, who later changed their name to the Leland Giants. The Leland Giants then split into two teams for the 1910 season creating the Chicago Giants and the new Leland Giants, who later changed their name to the Chicago American Giants. |
Grant U. "Home Run" Johnson was an American shortstop and second baseman in baseball's Negro leagues. In a career that spanned over 30 years, he played for many of the greatest teams of the deadball era and was one of the game's best power hitters. Born in Findlay, Ohio, he died at age 90 in Buffalo, New York.
The Page Fence Giants were a professional Black-American baseball team based in Adrian, Michigan, from 1895 to 1898, performing as one of the nation's top teams in the Negro leagues. Named after the Page Woven Wire Fence Company in Adrian, they were sponsored by its founder, J. Wallace Page.
King Solomon "Sol" White was an American professional baseball infielder, manager and executive, and one of the pioneers of the Negro leagues. An active sportswriter for many years, he wrote the first definitive history of black baseball in 1907. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
The Philadelphia Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1902 to 1911. From 1904 to 1909 they were one of the strongest teams in black baseball, winning five eastern championships in six years. The team was organized by Sol White, Walter Schlichter, and Harry Smith.
The Leland Giants, originally the Chicago Union Giants, were a Negro league baseball team that competed independently during the first decade of the 20th century. The team was formed via a merge of the Chicago Unions and the Chicago Columbia Giants in 1901, and then split in 1910 to form the Chicago Giants and what would become known as the Chicago American Giants. The team was named after its owner and manager, Frank Leland.
Frank C. Leland was an American baseball player, field manager and club owner in the Negro leagues.
The Algona Brownies were an independent interracial baseball team that played in the 1902 and 1903 seasons. They were based in Algona, Iowa, and was primarily made up of former members of the Chicago Unions, Columbia Giants, and Chicago Union Giants teams.
Charles Grant Jr. was an American second baseman in Negro league baseball. During his 20-year career, he played for some of the best teams in the Negro leagues. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line in 1901 when Major League Baseball manager John McGraw attempted to pass him off as a Native American named "Tokohama".
George Walter Ball was an American baseball pitcher in the Negro leagues. Born in Detroit, Michigan, from 1893 he played ten years as the only black player on minor white teams in Minnesota and North Dakota. For more than a decade beginning 1903, he played for major teams, mainly in the Chicago region. Sources say he was given the nickname "The Georgia Rabbit" and "Diamond."
John W. Patterson was an American baseball outfielder in the Negro leagues. He played for major teams from 1893 to 1907.
George H. Wilson was an American baseball pitcher in the Negro leagues. He played for major teams from 1895 to 1905 and pitched for Havana in the Cuban winter league of 1907.
George "Chappie" Johnson Jr. was an American baseball catcher and field manager in the Negro leagues. He played for many successful teams from 1895 to 1920 and he crossed racial boundaries as a teacher and coach.
Harry Edward "Green River" Buckner, also nicknamed "Buck" and "Goat Head", was an American Negro league pitcher and outfielder in the between 1896 and 1918.
Nathan Harris was an American baseball third baseman and captain in the pre-Negro leagues. He played for many of the best teams between 1900 and 1910.
Henry William Moore was an American baseball utility player in the pre-Negro leagues. He was known as "Harry Moore," "Henry Moore," or "Mike Moore."
Harry Hyde was a Negro leagues pitcher and Infielder for several years before the founding of the first Negro National League. He played several years with Frank Leland and his Chicago Union Giants, playing with Dangerfield Talbert, Rube Foster, Chappie Johnson, Walter Ball, William Binga, and Charles "Joe" Green.
William Horn was an American baseball pitcher in the pre-Negro leagues. He played several years for Chicago teams like the Chicago Unions and Leland Giants. He also spent a couple of seasons with Iowa's Algona Brownies.
Al Robinson was an American baseball first baseman in the pre-Negro leagues. He played mostly for the Brooklyn Royal Giants. His playing was compared to pre-Negro leagues rival Chappie Johnson.
Peter Burns was a Negro leagues catcher for several years before the founding of the first Negro National League.
George H. Taylor was an American baseball first baseman and manager in the pre-Negro leagues.