This List of Negro league baseball champions includes champions of black baseball prior to the organization of any traditional Negro league and goes through to the collapse of segregated baseball after Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line in 1946. Champions include self-declared, regional and (later) league champions, but is limited to top-tier teams and major Negro leagues. The champions listed after 1948 through the 1950s are listed for posterity, but the quality of play had deteriorated so far as to only incidentally be covered by contemporary media or historians.
During the formative years of black baseball, most Negro teams toured the US playing white or mixed-race teams of an amateur or semi-pro standing. There was little to no collaboration between black teams, and few if any scheduled meetings. Therefore, during this era, it was usually up to an individual team (or newspaper writer) to declare themselves the black champion and see if anyone challenged them.
Year | Champion | Games | Runner-up | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
1867 | Philadelphia Excelsiors | 1-0 | Brooklyn Uniques | [1] |
1868 | — | — | ||
1869 | Philadelphia Pythians | 1-0 | Chicago Uniques | [1] |
1870–86 | — | — | ||
1887 | New York Gorhams | 1-0 | Cuban Giants | [1] |
1888 | Cuban Giants | tourn.* | Pittsburgh Keystones | [1] |
1889 | New York Gorhams | 2–0 | Cuban Giants | [1] |
1890–91 | — | — |
* — 1888 Four teams were selected by the Cuban Giants' owner to participate in a tournament to select a "Colored Champion"; the New York Gorhams finished third and the Norfolk Red Stockings finished fourth.
There were no championships claimed during this period.
Beginning around 1890, political and economic turmoil—eventually leading to the Panic of 1893—took a toll on the bottom line of each Negro team. Every significant Negro team, except for two, ceased operations entirely. Only one team, the Chicago Unions, managed to survive the crisis intact; while the Cuban Giants suspended play at the end of 1891 but reformed for the 1893 season. [2] : 30
Segregated baseball leagues, both black and white, started to appear around this time. Starting in 1887, the International League began prohibiting the signing of black players. By 1890, the last of the "white" leagues (the American Association and the National League) had unofficially banned blacks, and the color line was drawn. Early on, due to social and lingering fiscal reasons, there was minimal interest and press coverage regarding black teams, so champions were not easily determined. After the economic crisis had subsided around 1897, black teams began actively competing against other black teams for local or regional championships.
Team in CAPITAL LETTERS went on to win that season's World Series Team went on to lose that season's World Series β — Self-declared champion or unchallenged |
* — Disputed. Chicago won the "Chicago City League" tournament but the Kansas City Giants and St. Paul Gophers had both beaten Chicago and both claimed to be the "Champions of the West".
The championships during this period were informal as the post-season challenges were issued by the individual teams.
Year | Region | Champion | Games | Region | Runner-up | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1899a 1899b | East East | Cuban X-Giants | 9–5 7–4 | West West | Chicago Unions | [1] |
1900a 1900b | West West | Chicago Unions | ?–? ?–? | East East | Cuban X-Giants | [3] |
1908 | West East | Chicago Leland Giants Philadelphia Giants | 3–3 (tie) | [3] | ||
1909 | East | Philadelphia Giants | 3–1 | West | Chicago Leland Giants | [3] |
1910 | West | Chicago Leland Giants (II) | β | [3] | ||
1913 | East | New York Lincoln Giants | 7–4–1 | West | Chicago American Giants | [3] |
1915 | East | New York Lincoln Stars * | 4–4–1 (tie) | West | Chicago American Giants | [3] |
1917 | West | Chicago American Giants | 4–3 | East | New York Lincoln Stars |
a,b — The X-Giants initially played the Unions for the championship; during the series, Columbia stepped up and issued challenges to the Unions for the Western championship and the X-Giants for the Colored championship.
* — 1915 Lincoln Stars were leading in the fourth inning of the ninth and deciding game when the game was called and never completed; the Stars then beat the second place Indianapolis ABCs 4 games to 2 and claimed the colored championship for 1915.
With the emergence of the hard-fisted leadership of former pitcher Rube Foster, playing a formal scheduled season between other black teams became reality. Foster, known for his business acumen, recognized that attendance was just high enough so that a reasonable profit can be derived from gate receipts to sustain the travel and commitment required to maintain a league schedule. This led to the formation of a handful of official Negro leagues, and later to a planned end-of-season World Series.
Team in CAPITAL LETTERS went on to win that season's World Series Team went on to lose that season's World Series 1 — First half champion 2 — Second half champion 1&2 — Both first and second half champion |
Beginning in 1924, the championships during this period were formal, pre-arranged post-season challenges agreed to by the respective leagues. The 1922 championship was an informal post-season challenge issued by the individual teams.
Year | Lg | Champion | Games | Lg | Runner-up | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1924 | NNL1 | Kansas City Monarchs | 5–4–1 | ECL | Hilldale Club | |
1925 | ECL | Hilldale Club | 5–1 | NNL1 | Kansas City Monarchs | |
1926 | NNL1 | Chicago American Giants | 5–4–2 | ECL | Bacharach Giants | |
1927 | NNL1 | Chicago American Giants | 5–3–1 | ECL | Bacharach Giants |
Several factors led to the collapse of league play beginning with the 1928 break up of Eastern Colored League and then the 1929 folding of the American Negro League. These leagues were constantly warring with the Negro National League regarding player raiding and contract disputes; this led to an instability that was incompatible with the weakening economy. That October saw the 1929 stock market crash, known as Black Tuesday, which was a sign of things to come. In 1930, the NNL collapsed (largely due to the death of Rube Foster) but the individual teams continued to play. The NNL regrouped for 1931, but again collapsed—this time for good and the teams were on their own. By 1932, the Great Depression had taken a severe toll on the entire country. Only a few organized Negro leagues survived and all of those were either a minor or semi-pro league. The Negro Southern League was considered the highest quality surviving league and many players (and two teams) migrated to it; it therefore became the de facto major league for the 1932 season.
Year | Lg | Champion | Games | Runner-up | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1932 | NSL EWL* | Cole's American Giants 2 | 5–3 § | Nashville Elite Giants 1 | [15] [2] : 288 |
* — The East-West League was unable to survive the low attendance due to the Depression and folded mid-season; the Detroit Wolves had the best record at the time the league ceased operations, though no official champion was ever declared. The Wolves later ended up going broke and also folding before the end of the season.
After the worst of the depression had passed, teams were again able to profit from playing a league schedule. At first, only a few team owners were able to put together enough investors to join a league; therefore, for the first time in black baseball, one league spanned both the eastern and western regions of the US. A new Negro National League was formed with both east and west teams.
Year | Lg | Champion | Games | Runner-up | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1933 | NNL2 | Pittsburgh Crawfords 2* | 0–0–1 (tie) | Cole's American Giants 1 | [2] : 303 |
1934 | NNL2 | Philadelphia Stars 2 | 4–3–1 | Chicago American Giants 1 | [15] |
1935 | NNL2 | Pittsburgh Crawfords 1 | 4–3 | New York Cubans 2 | [2] : 320–21 |
* — 1933 Pittsburgh Crawfords claimed first half title; the Chicago American Giants disputed that claim but the league dismissed it. Pittsburgh and the Nashville Elite Giants tied for the second half title; Pittsburgh beat Nashville in a playoff 2 games to 1. Pittsburgh was awarded the championship by the league's president (who was also the owner of the Crawfords). [15]
Negro league baseball hit its stride after the country had recovered from the devastation of the Great Depression. The second incarnation of the Negro National League became the "eastern" league and a year later the new Negro American League assumed the role of the "western" league. Both leagues generally respected the players' contracts and a relative peace existed between the leagues. An agreed upon championship series was held at the end of the season between each league's pennant winner. Only integration could challenge their success, and it came in 1946. By 1949, the NNL broke up and the NAL was the only league in operation.
Team in CAPITAL LETTERS went on to win that season's World Series Team went on to lose that season's World Series 1 — First half champion 2 — Second half champion 1&2 — Both first and second half champion |
Year | Lg | Champion | Games | Lg | Runner-up | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1942 | NAL | Kansas City Monarchs | 4–0 | NNL2 | Washington Homestead Grays | [2] : 398–99 |
1943 | NNL2 | Washington Homestead Grays | 4–3–1 | NAL | Birmingham Black Barons | [2] : 410–11 |
1944 | NNL2 | Washington Homestead Grays | 4–1 | NAL | Birmingham Black Barons | [2] : 418–19 |
1945 | NAL | Cleveland Buckeyes | 4–0 | NNL2 | Washington Homestead Grays | [2] : 426 |
1946 | NNL2 | Newark Eagles | 4–3 | NAL | Kansas City Monarchs | [2] : 438–40 |
1947 | NNL2 | New York Cubans | 4–1–1 | NAL | Cleveland Buckeyes | [2] : 449–50 |
1948 | NNL2 | Washington Homestead Grays | 4–1 | NAL | Birmingham Black Barons | [2] : 459 |
By 1949, enough black talent had integrated into the white leagues (both major and minor) that the Negro leagues themselves had become a minor league circuit. With the demise of the NNL, only the NAL remained as a top-tier league for black players. If the purpose of the Negro leagues was to end segregation, then in 1947 (with Jackie Robinson's MLB debut) they became a success and their mission was complete. With an infrastructure still in place and a viable audience for a short period of time, there was still money to be made for a few more years before total demise. Therefore, the following teams are listed for posterity; the real black championship contest was now considered to be the annual East–West Game.
Below are the regional and league championships by club. During the formative years until about 1891, it was usually up to an individual team (or newspaper writer) to declare themselves the black champion and see if anyone challenged them; these are listed in the chart as "Declared" champions. Later, up until the end of the Great Depression, there were periods when press coverage and fan interest waned to the point that some seasons a champion was not determined; in these years a champion was retroactively determined by historical research as to which team probably had the most successful season and these are listed in the chart as "Unofficial" champions. Where a champion was determined via a traditional play-off, it is listed in the chart as an "Earned" champion. Only the seasons prior to integration are considered for this table; teams who continued after 1948 are represented by a "+".
Championships | Earned | Declared (β) | Unofficial (§) | Team | Years played | Championship seasons |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | Chicago American Giants* | 1910–48+ | 1910–15, 1917–18, 1920–22, 1926–27, 1932 |
10 | 10 | - | - | Kansas City Monarchs | 1920–48+ | 1923–25, 1929, 1939–42, 1946 |
10 | 10 | - | - | Homestead Grays | c. 1912–48+ | 1930, 1937–38, 1940–45, 1948 |
6 | 4 | - | 2 | Bacharach Giants | 1916–29 | 1919, 1921–22, 1926–28 |
6 | 5 | - | 1 | Hilldale Club | 1916–32 | 1920–21, 1923–25, 1931 |
5 | 3 | 2 | - | Philadelphia Giants | 1902–16 | 1904–06, 1908–09 |
4 | 2 | 2 | - | Cuban X-Giants | 1897–1907 | 1897, 1899–1900, 1903 |
3 | - | 2 | 1 | New York Lincoln Giants | 1911–30 | 1912–13, 1918 |
3 | 3 | - | - | St. Louis Stars | 1906–31 | 1928, 1930–31 |
3 | 3 | - | - | Pittsburgh Crawfords | 1931–40 | 1933, 1935–36 |
3 | 3 | - | - | Birmingham Black Barons | 1920–48+ | 1943–44, 1948 |
2 | 2 | - | - | New York Gorhams | 1886–92 | 1887, 1889 |
2 | 1 | 1 | - | Cuban Giants | 1885–c. 1915 | 1888, 1900 |
2 | - | 2 | - | Chicago Unions* | 1887–1900 | 1899–1900 |
2 | 1 | 1 | - | Chicago Columbia Giants* | 1899–1900 | 1899–1900 |
2 | - | 2 | - | Chicago Leland Giants* | 1901–09 | 1908–09 |
2 | - | - | 2 | Cuban Stars of Havana | 1906–32 | 1910–11 |
2 | 2 | - | - | Cleveland Buckeyes | 1942–48+ | 1945, 1947 |
2 | 1 | 1 | - | New York Lincoln Stars | 1914–17 | 1915, 1917 |
* — The Chicago American Giants split from the Leland Giants who themselves were the result of a merge between the Chicago Unions and the Chicago Columbia Giants. Excluding co-championships of the Columbia Giants and Unions in 1899 and 1900, this group of related teams can claim a total of 18 championships (7 earned, 8 declared, 3 unofficial).
Major League Baseball began the tradition of an "All-Star" exhibition game between the stars of the American League and National League in 1933. Encouraged by the success of the white game, Gus Greenlee organized a black All-Star game at the end of the 1933 season. This game was to feature the top talent from the western region against the top eastern region talent, hence the name "East–West Game". In the years a World Series was not held, the East–West Game was a surrogate championship game – replete with the media hype and sold-out attendance.
Year | Gm | Winner | Score | Loser | Year | Gm | Winner | Score | Loser | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1933 | West | 11–7 | East | 1947 | 2 | West | 8–2 | East | ||
1934 | East | 1–0 | West | 1948 | 1 | West | 3–0 | East | ||
1935 | West | 11–8 | East | 1948 | 2 | East | 6–1 | West | ||
1936 | East | 10–2 | West | 1949 | West | 4–0 | East | |||
1937 | East | 7–2 | West | 1950 | West | 5–3 | East | |||
1938 | West | 5–4 | East | 1951 | East | 3–1 | West | |||
1939 | 1 | West | 4–2 | East | 1952 | West | 7–3 | East | ||
1939 | 2 | East | 10–2 | West | 1953 | West | 5–1 | East | ||
1940 | East | 11–0 | West | 1954 | West | 8–4 | East | |||
1941 | East | 8–3 | West | 1955 | West | 2–0 | East | |||
1942 | 1 | East | 5–2 | West | 1956 | East | 11–5 | West | ||
1942 | 2 | East | 9–2 | West | 1957 | West | 8–5 | East | ||
1943 | West | 2–1 | East | 1958 | East | 6–5 | West | |||
1944 | West | 7–4 | East | 1959 | West | 8–7 | East | |||
1945 | West | 9–6 | East | 1960 | West | 8–5 | East | |||
1946 | 1 | East | 6–3 | West | 1961 | West | 7–1 | East | ||
1946 | 2 | West | 4–1 | East | 1962 | West | 5–2 | East | ||
1947 | 1 | West | 5–2 | East | TOT | 35 | WEST | 22–13 | EAST |
Andrew "Rube" Foster was an American baseball player, manager, and executive in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.
The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 season.
The Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, more commonly known as the Eastern Colored League (ECL), was one of the several Negro leagues, which operated during the time organized baseball was segregated.
The first Negro National League (NNL) was one of the several Negro leagues that were established during the period in the United States when organized baseball was segregated. The league was formed in 1920 with former player Rube Foster as its president.
The second Negro National League was one of the several Negro leagues that were established during the period in the United States when organized baseball was segregated. The league was founded in 1933 by businessman Gus Greenlee of Pittsburgh.
The Negro World Series was a post-season baseball tournament that was held from 1924 to 1927 and from 1942 to 1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east-coast counterparts. The series was also known as the Colored World Series, especially during the 1920s, and as the Negro League World Series, in more recent books, though contemporary black newspapers usually called it simply, the "World Series", without any modification. A total of eleven Series were contested in its prime, which ultimately saw nine teams compete for a championship and seven who won at least one. The Homestead Grays were the winningest and most present team in the tournament, winning three times in five appearances, while Dave Malarcher and Candy Jim Taylor won the most titles as manager with two each.
The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. Wilkinson was the first white owner at the time of the establishment of the team. In 1930, the Monarchs became the first professional baseball team to use a portable lighting system which was transported from game to game in trucks to play games at night, five years before any Major League Baseball team did. The Monarchs won ten league championships before integration, and triumphed in the first Negro World Series in 1924. The Monarchs had only one season in which they did not have a winning record and produced more major league players than any other Negro league franchise. It was disbanded in 1965.
William Julius "Judy" Johnson was an American professional third baseman and manager whose career in Negro league baseball spanned 17 seasons, from 1921 to 1937. Slight of build, Johnson never developed as a power threat but achieved his greatest success as a contact hitter and an intuitive defenseman. Johnson is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of the Negro leagues. In 1975, he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame after being nominated by the Negro Leagues Committee.
Wilber Joe Rogan, also known as "Bullet Joe", was an American pitcher, outfielder, and manager for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro baseball leagues from 1920 to 1938. Renowned as a two-way player who could both hit and pitch successfully, one statistical compilation shows Rogan winning more games than any other pitcher in Negro leagues history and ranking fourth highest in career batting average. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.
James Allen "Candy Jim" Taylor was an American third baseman and manager in Negro league baseball. In a career that spanned forty years, he played as an infielder in the early years of the 20th century for over a dozen black baseball teams; by the mid-1920s, he would play less regularly, with his final game came at 58. In 1920, the same year of the start of the golden era of Negro league baseball, he would take on the responsibilities of manager, where he would manage 1,967 games for twelve teams. Described as one of the great strategists of his era, Taylor is the all-time winningest manager in the Negro league era, having 955 wins along with two Negro World Series titles and one additional pennant in 27 seasons as manager. He has the most seasons managed by an African American manager along with having the seventh most for a manager in the history of baseball.
The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball. Owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Foster, they were charter members of Foster's Negro National League. The American Giants won five pennants in that league, along with another pennant in the 1932 Negro Southern League and a second-half championship in Gus Greenlee's Negro National League in 1934.
James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey was an American catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. He played for the Indianapolis ABCs (1920–1922), New York Lincoln Giants (1920), Hilldale Daisies (1923–1931), Philadelphia Royal Giants (1925), Philadelphia Stars (1933–1935), Washington / Baltimore Elite Giants (1936–1939), and Newark Dodgers/Eagles.
The Hilldale Athletic Club were an American professional Negro league baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia.
The Indianapolis ABCs were a Negro league baseball team that played both as an independent club and as a charter member of the first Negro National League (NNL). They claimed the western championship of black baseball in 1915 and 1916, and finished second in the 1922 NNL. Among their best players were Baseball Hall of Fame members Oscar Charleston, Biz Mackey, and Ben Taylor.
The following is a timeline of franchise evolution in Major League Baseball. The histories of franchises in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA), Union Association (UA), and American Association (AA) before they joined the National League (NL) are also included. In 1900 the minor league Western League renamed itself the American League (AL). All of the 1899 Western League teams were a part of the transformation with the Saint Paul Apostles moving to Chicago and to play as the White Stockings. In 1901 the AL declared itself a Major League. For its inaugural major league season the AL dropped its teams in Indianapolis, Buffalo and Minneapolis and replaced them with franchises in Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore and the Kansas City Blues moved to Washington to play as the Senators.
George Washington "Dibo" Johnson was an American baseball outfielder in the Negro leagues.
Merven John "Red" Ryan, born Mervin Ferguson, was an American baseball pitcher in the Negro leagues. He played from 1915 to 1932 with several teams, playing mostly with the Hilldale Club.
The 1926 Colored World Series was the championship tournament for the 1926 season of Negro league baseball. It was the third overall Series played. It matched the Chicago American Giants, champions of the Negro National League (1920–1931), and the Bacharach Giants of Atlantic City, New Jersey, champions of the Eastern Colored League. Initially planned as a best-of-nine series, two ties meant that the series went eleven games. Chicago won just once in the first six games, but games 1 and 4 had ended in ties, meaning that they only trailed three games to one when the Series shifted to Chicago. They were down to their final game after losing the eighth game, but the Chicago American Giants proceeded to win the next three games to complete the comeback and win their first ever World Series.
The Memphis Red Sox were an American Negro league baseball team that was active from 1920 to 1959. Originally named the Barber College Baseball Club, the team was initially owned and operated by Arthur P. Martin, a local Memphis barber. In the late 1920s the Martin brothers, all three Memphis doctors and businessmen, purchased the Red Sox. J. B. Martin, W. S. Martin, and B. B. Martin, would retain control of the club till its dissolution in 1959. The Red Sox played as members, at various times, of the Negro Southern League, Negro National League, and Negro American League. The team was never a titan of the Negro leagues like wealthier teams in northern cities of the United States, but sound management lead to a continuous thirty-nine years of operation, a span that was exceeded by very few other teams. Following integration the team had five players that would eventually make the rosters of Major League Baseball teams and two players that were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.