Iowa Colored Cowboys

Last updated
Iowa Colored Cowboys
Sport Softball
Founded1932–1933
Folded1960s
Based in Sioux City, Iowa, US
ManagerHarry Fisher

The Iowa Colored Cowboys was a barnstorming softball team, consisting mostly of black players, that played during the 1960s. The team was based in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. [1]

Contents

Founding and gameplay

The team's original name was the Sioux City Iowa Negro Ghosts which played in 1932 or 1933, and the team was brought back in 1960 under a different name. [1] [2] The original group was one of the first touring softball teams [3] . General manager Harry Fisher came up with the Sioux City Iowa Negro Ghosts when he thought of adding comedy to softball, shadowball after each game, and "top-notch softball at all times". [2] Shadowball was when the team played without a ball. [1] They also played the sport in slow-motion. [2]

As many as over a thousand people gathered to watch performances by the Iowa Colored Cowboys, in an atmosphere similar to a Harlem Globetrotters event. [1] The team had players who were also entertainers, who Fisher said was "a Ball-Circus, America's greatest summer sport show." [1] Several members used to be a part of the original team. [1] Player Marland Buckner, also known as "Showboat", was known for showmanship and "goofy" antics, but for also being one of the team's "greatest defensive first basemen" [4] Marland was known for his jokes, spinning his bat, and embarrassing the umpires. Red Strickland might have been the team's only white player and he was known for his hurling. [1] Other players included "Tree Top" Patrick, Rip Collins, "Popeye" Smith, and L. J. "Compound" Flavors. [5] [2] [4]

Later years

Due to a ban of blacks joining major sports leagues, such teams allowed them to participate and also helped the later desegregation of major league baseball. [1] It is unknown when the team disbanded. [1] In 2007, the State Historical Museum in Des Moines, Iowa, opened an exhibit titled "Shades of Greatness: Art Inspired by Negro Leagues Baseball" that included a booklet about the team. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Vermaas, Lori (Spring 2001). "One in a Million" (PDF). Iowa Heritage Illustrated . 82 (1): 49. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Sioux City Nine Due Tonight". Arizona Daily Sun. June 1, 1961 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Sioux City's Ghosts: The Legendary Fast-Pitch Softball Team That Changed The Face of Iowa Athletics". SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  4. 1 2 "Showboat Buckner". The Gustine Standard. May 18, 1961 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Iowa Colored Cowboys To Play Here Tuesday". The Sault Star. July 19, 1961 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "D.M. gets Negro Leagues traveling presentation". The Des Moines Register. June 17, 2007 – via Newspapers.com.
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