The Chicago American Giants (1911-1956)

The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team, owned and managed from 1910 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew “Rube” Foster, known as the father of the Negro League Baseball. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in Black baseball. Some of the most … Read MoreThe Chicago American Giants (1911-1956)

The Chicago Unions (1887-1904)

The Chicago Unions was an independent team formed in 1887 and one of the first professional, Black baseball teams to last more than a year prior to the Negro Leagues era beginning in 1920. In 1887, before the start of the 1888 baseball season, William S. Peters joined other Chicago … Read MoreThe Chicago Unions (1887-1904)

The Newark Little Giants (1886-1889)

The Newark Little Giants were a professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. The team participated as members of the Eastern League in 1886, and were then an all-white team, managed by Charlie Hackett. Baseball was not entirely segregated at this time. All of … Read MoreThe Newark Little Giants (1886-1889)

The Pittsburgh Crawfords (1931-1947)

The Pittsburgh Crawfords were a professional Negro League baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh was the only city in the country to be home of two of the Negro Leagues teams, The Homestead Grays, and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. The Pittsburgh Crawfords started off as … Read MoreThe Pittsburgh Crawfords (1931-1947)

Norman Thomas “Turkey” Stearnes (1901-1979)

Norman “Turkey” Stearnes was one of the Negro League Baseball’s (NBL) most feared hitters. Born on May 8, 1901 in Nashville, Tennessee to Will S. and Mary (Everett), Stearnes, his mother was a cook for a private family earning $7 a week and was listed … Read MoreNorman Thomas “Turkey” Stearnes (1901-1979)

Herbert Alphonso “Rap” Dixon (1902-1944)

Herbert Alphonso Dixon was a Negro Baseball League (NBL) baseball outfielder. Nicknamed “Rap,” Dixon was born on September 15, 1902 in Kingston, Georgia to John and Rose Goodwin Dixon. Both of Dixon’s parents were born in Georgia; his father John was a laborer at a … Read MoreHerbert Alphonso “Rap” Dixon (1902-1944)

Richard “Cannonball Dick” Redding (1893-1948)

Richard “Cannonball Dick” Redding was a pitcher, outfielder, and manager in the Negro Leagues. Redding was born on April 15, 1893 in Atlanta, Georgia. Much of his early life is unknown. Redding’s baseball career started in 1911 when at 18 he played with the Philadelphia … Read MoreRichard “Cannonball Dick” Redding (1893-1948)