Leon Day was an American professional baseball pitcher who spent the majority of his career in the Negro leagues. Recognized as one of the most versatile athletes in the league during his prime,Day could play every position,with the exception of catcher,and often was the starting second baseman or center fielder when he was not on the mound. A right-handed pitcher with a trademark no wind-up delivery,Day excelled at striking batters out,especially with his high-speed fastball. At the same time,he was an above-average contact hitter,which,combined with his effectiveness as a baserunner and his tenacious fielding,helped cement Day as one of the most dynamic players of the era.
William Hendrick Foster was an American left-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues in the 1920s and 1930s. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Foster was the much-younger half-brother of Rube Foster,a Negro league player,pioneer,and fellow Hall of Famer.
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.
Charles Wilber 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.
Hilton Lee Smith was an American right-handed pitcher in Negro league baseball. He pitched alongside Satchel Paige for the Kansas City Monarchs and Bismarck Churchills between 1932 and 1948. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.
Newton Henry Allen was an American second baseman and manager in baseball's Negro leagues.
Willard Jessie Brown was an American baseball player who played as an outfielder in the Negro Leagues for the Kansas City Monarchs and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Browns,where he was one of the league's first African American players. Often called "Home Run" Brown for making history as the first Black ballplayer to hit a home run in the American League,Brown's other nicknames included "Sonny," due to his preference for crowded Sunday games,and "Ese Hombre",due to his offensive dominance playing in the Puerto Rican Winter League.
Kansas City Municipal Stadium was an American baseball and football stadium in the central United States,located in Kansas City,Missouri. It was located at the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and E. 22nd Street.
John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil Jr. was an American first baseman and manager in the Negro American League,mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days,he worked as a scout and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball. In his later years he became a popular and renowned speaker and interview subject,helping to renew widespread interest in the Negro leagues,and played a major role in establishing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City,Missouri. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 as an executive.
The East–West All-Star Game was an annual all-star game for Negro league baseball players. The game was the brainchild of Gus Greenlee,owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords. In 1933 he decided to emulate the Major League Baseball All-Star Game,using Negro league players. Newspaper balloting was set up to allow the fans to choose the starting lineups for that first game,a tradition that continued through the series' end in 1962. Unlike the MLB All-Star game which is played near the middle of the season,the Negro All-Star game was held toward the end of the season.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is a privately funded museum dedicated to preserving the history of Negro league baseball in America. It was founded in 1990 in Kansas City,Missouri,in the historic 18th &Vine District,the hub of African-American cultural activity in Kansas City during the first half of the 20th century. The NLBM shares its building with the American Jazz Museum.
Chester Arthur Brewer was an American right-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Leavenworth,Kansas,he played for the Kansas City Monarchs,and from 1957 to 1974 he scouted for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Clarence McKay "Ace" Parker was an American football and baseball player and coach. He played professional football as a quarterback,tailback and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937–1941) and the Boston Yanks (1945) and in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the New York Yankees. He was an All-American selection at Duke University in 1936. Parker also played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) during 1936 and 1937 with the Philadelphia Athletics. He served as the head baseball coach at Duke from 1953 to 1966. Parker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1955 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
Andrew Lewis Cooper,nicknamed "Lefty",was an American left-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. An alumnus of Paul Quinn College,Cooper played nine seasons for the Detroit Stars and ten seasons for the Kansas City Monarchs,and briefly played for the Chicago American Giants. The Texan was 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) tall and weighed 220 pounds.
Arthur Beauregard “Bud”Metheny was an American baseball player and coach. He played professional baseball for the New York Yankees (1943–46) and served Old Dominion University for 32 years as head baseball coach,head basketball coach and athletic director.
Richard T. Crane Medical Prep High School is a public four-year medical prep high school located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago,Illinois,United States. The school is operated by the Chicago Public Schools district. Crane is named for businessman Richard T. Crane. Beginning with the 2012–13 school year,the school transitioned to a medical preparatory high school,partnering with Rush Hospital,City Colleges Of Chicago,and University of Illinois at Chicago.
Samuel Howard Bankhead was an American baseball player in the Negro leagues. He played from 1931 to 1951. He also played for the Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo along with Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. In 1951,he became the first black coach in Minor League Baseball when he was a player-manager for the Farnham Pirates of the Provincial League. He played in several East-West all-star games from 1933 to 1946.
Benjamin Franklin Adams was an American Negro league pitcher in the 1950s and 1960s.
Henry Presswood was an infielder who played in the Negro American League. He batted and threw right handed.
Minor League Baseball teams were based in Portsmouth,Virginia,in various seasons between 1895 and 1968. Early,Portsmouth teams,called the Portsmouth Truckers,Portsmouth Pirates and Portsmouth Browns were Virginia League members based in Portsmouth,playing between 1895 and 1928. The Portsmouth Cubs were affiliates of the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies,playing in the Class B level Piedmont League from 1935 to 1955. The team became the Portsmouth Merrimacs from 1953 to 1955.
