List of Negro League baseball teams
Encyclopedia
This list follows the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
of Kansas City, Missouri
, in using the term "Negro leagues" for the highest level of play for black
baseball during racial segregation
in the United States
. Many of these teams reorganized or relocated which necessitated changing of names and frequently its players, staff, and owner.
These and other teams for blacks are included on the template at the bottom of this page.
Teams by state:
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 in Kansas City, Missouri.-History:The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 by a group of former Negro Leagues baseball players, including Kansas City Monarchs outfielder, Alfred Surratt, Buck O'Neil, and Horace Peterson...
of Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, in using the term "Negro leagues" for the highest level of play for black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
baseball during racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Many of these teams reorganized or relocated which necessitated changing of names and frequently its players, staff, and owner.
These and other teams for blacks are included on the template at the bottom of this page.
Teams by state:
Alabama
- Birmingham Black BaronsBirmingham Black BaronsThe Birmingham Black Barons played professional baseball for Birmingham, Alabama, in the Negro Leagues from 1920 to 1960 when the Major Leagues successfully integrated...
- Mobile Black Bears
- Mobile TigersMobile TigersThe Mobile Tigers, a semi-professional baseball team composed entirely of African-American players based in Mobile, Alabama, was among the leading teams in the Negro League...
- Montgomery Grey SoxMontgomery Grey SoxThe Montgomery Grey Sox were a Negro Southern League baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. While the NSL was regarded as a minor league throughout most of its existence, with the collapse of the first Negro National League in 1932, the league is considered a major league for that one...
California
- Los Angeles White Sox
- Oakland Larks
- San Diego Tigers
- San Francisco Sea Lions
District of Columbia
- Washington Black SenatorsWashington Black SenatorsThe Washington Black Senators were a Negro league baseball team based in Washington, DC. When the Washington Elite Giants moved to Baltimore, MD in 1938, the gap was filled in by the Black Senators. They were just 2–13 in the Negro National League...
- Washington Elite GiantsBaltimore Elite GiantsThe Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from to . The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. The team was renamed the Elite Giants in , and would move to...
- Washington Pilots
- Washington Potomacs
- Washington-Homestead GraysHomestead GraysThe Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and would remain in continuous operation for 38 seasons. The team was based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh.-Franchise...
Illinois
- Chicago American GiantsChicago American GiantsChicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team, owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Foster. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball...
- Chicago Brown Bombers
- Chicago Columbia GiantsChicago Columbia GiantsThe Columbia Giants were a professional, black baseball team based in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the Negro Leagues.- Founding :...
- Chicago GiantsChicago GiantsThe Chicago Giants were a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois which played in the Negro Leagues. The team was founded by Frank Leland after he and his partner, Rube Foster, split up the Leland Giants in 1910. The new club was sometimes also known as the Leland Giants...
- Chicago Union Giants
- Chicago UnionsChicago UnionsThe Chicago Unions were a professional, black baseball team that played in the late 19th century, prior to the formation of the Negro Leagues.- Founding :...
- Leland GiantsLeland GiantsThe Chicago Union Giants, the top black baseball team in the Midwest or West in the first decade of the 20th century, changed its name in 1905 to the Leland Giants, after manager and owner Frank Leland....
Kentucky
- Louisville Black CapsLouisville Black CapsLouisville Black Caps was a professional baseball team based in Louisville, Kentucky which played in the Negro Leagues, specifically in the Negro Southern League. The Black Caps played in 1932, then departed Louisville to play as the Columbus Turfs....
- Louisville Black Colonels
- Louisville White SoxLouisville White SoxThe Louisville White Sox were a baseball team in the Negro National League in 1931, based in Louisville, Kentucky. In their only season, they finished with a 19–23 record in league play.After the 1931 season, they were replaced by the Louisville Black Caps....
- Zulu Cannibal GiantsZulu Cannibal GiantsThe Zulu Cannibal Giants were an African American baseball team formed in 1938 by Charlie Henry in Louisville, Kentucky....
Louisiana
- Monroe MonarchsMonroe MonarchsThe Monroe Monarchs were a professional baseball team based in Monroe, Louisiana, which played in the Negro Leagues from the late 1920s to 1935. The team was created by Fred Stovall, a Texan oil drilling millionaire, who later financed the Negro Southern League. In the 1930s, a time of acute...
- New Orleans Black Eagles
- New Orleans Crescent Stars
- New Orleans Pelicans
- New Orleans Stars
- Shreveport Acme Giants
Missouri
- Kansas City MonarchsKansas City MonarchsThe 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. J.L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time...
- St. Louis StarsSt. Louis Stars (baseball)The St. Louis Stars were a Negro League baseball team that competed in the Negro National League from 1922 to 1931. Founded when Dick Kent and Dr. Sam Sheppard took over the St...
- St. Louis GiantsSt. Louis GiantsThe St. Louis Giants were a Negro League baseball team that competed independently from as early as 1906 to 1919, and joined the Negro National League for the 1920 and 1921 seasons. After the 1921 season, the franchise was sold to another group of investors, who built a new park and renamed the...
New Jersey
- Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
- Cuban X-GiantsCuban X-GiantsThe Cuban X-Giants were an African-American professional baseball team for about ten seasons around 1900. Originally most of the players were former Cuban Giants, or ex-Giants....
- Jersey City Colored Athletics
- Long Branch Cubans
- Newark Browns
- Newark Dodgers
- Newark EaglesNewark EaglesThe Newark Eagles was a professional Negro league baseball team that played in the second Negro National League from 1936 to 1948.- Formation :...
New York
- Brooklyn Eagles
- Brooklyn Royal GiantsBrooklyn Royal GiantsThe Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York which played in the Negro Leagues. They were one of the premier professional teams before World War I, winning multiple championships in the East.- League play :...
- Harlem Stars
- Lincoln GiantsLincoln GiantsThe Lincoln Giants were a Negro League baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930.- Founding :Jess McMahon, a white promoter, hired Sol White, former manager of the Philadelphia Giants, to put together a club...
- Lincoln Stars
- New York Black YankeesNew York Black YankeesThe New York Black Yankees was a professional baseball team based in New York City, Paterson, NJ, and Rochester, NY which played in the Negro National League from 1936 to 1948. The Black Yankees played in Paterson, New Jersey from 1933-1937 and then from 1939-1945. The 1938 season saw the Black...
- New York CubansNew York CubansThe New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in general were largely ignored by the major league...
Ohio
- Cincinnati BrownsCincinnati BrownsThe Cincinnati Browns were a professional baseball team in the National Colored Base Ball League, the first attempt at a professional Negro League in 1887. Although the league folded after just one week, the Browns continued to play for a time....
- Cincinnati BuckeyesCleveland BuckeyesThe Cleveland Buckeyes were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro Leagues. They were established in 1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio . The following season, the team moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where they played their games at League Park...
- Cincinnati Clowns
- Cincinnati CubansCuban Stars (West)The Cuban Stars were a team of Cuban professional baseball players that competed in the United States Negro leagues from 1907 to 1932. The team was also sometimes known as the Stars of Cuba, the Cuban All-Stars, the Havana Reds, the Almendares Blues, or simply as the Cubans. For one season, 1921,...
- Cincinnati TigersCincinnati TigersThe Cincinnati Tigers were a professional baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, which played in the Negro Leagues. The Tigers were founded in 1934 by DeHart Hubbard, the first black to win an individual Olympic gold medal when he won the long jump during the 1924 Summer Olympics. In 1937, the...
- Cleveland Bears
- Cleveland BuckeyesCleveland BuckeyesThe Cleveland Buckeyes were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro Leagues. They were established in 1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio . The following season, the team moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where they played their games at League Park...
- Cleveland Cubs
- Cleveland Elites
- Cleveland HornetsCleveland HornetsThe Cleveland Hornets were a baseball team in the Negro National League, based in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927. In their only season, they finished with a 17-42 record in league play....
- Cleveland Red Sox
- Cleveland Tate StarsCleveland Tate StarsThe Cleveland Tate Stars were a baseball team in the Negro National League in 1922. In their only season, they finished last of eight clubs with a 17-29 record in league play....
- Cleveland Tigers
- Columbus Elite Giants
- Columbus Blue BirdsColumbus Blue BirdsThe Columbus Blue Birds was a professional baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio in 1933.Their name appears to have been derived from that of the Columbus Red Birds , the top-level minor league baseball team that played in the American Association from 1931 through 1954.The Blue Birds, which was...
- Dayton MarcosDayton MarcosThe Dayton Marcos were a Negro League baseball team that is now defunct along with the Negro League. They were based from Dayton, Ohio.- Founding :The Dayton Marcos history does go back farther than the Negro League though...
- Toledo Crawfords
- Toledo Rays
- Toledo TigersToledo TigersThe Toledo Tigers were a Negro National League team that operated during the season, its only season in the league, representing Toledo, Ohio. It played its home games at Toledo's Swayne Field, home of the minor league Mud Hens....
Pennsylvania
- Harrisburg GiantsHarrisburg GiantsThe Harrisburg Giants were a U.S. professional baseball team in the Negro Leagues, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They joined the Eastern Colored League for the 1924 season with Hall of Fame center fielder Oscar Charleston as playing manager...
- Harrisburg Monrovians
- Hilldale Daisies
- Homestead GraysHomestead GraysThe Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and would remain in continuous operation for 38 seasons. The team was based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh.-Franchise...
- Philadelphia PythiansPhiladelphia PythiansThe Philadelphia Pythians were a black baseball team that existed in the 19th century. They first came about in the 1867, with Octavius Catto playing shortstop for the team.They played in the League of Colored Baseball Clubs in 1887 and went 4-1....
- Philadelphia GiantsPhiladelphia GiantsThe Philadelphia Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1902 to 1916. 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, H. Walter Schlichter, and Harry Smith.- Founding...
- Philadelphia StarsPhiladelphia Stars (baseball)The Philadelphia Stars were a Negro league baseball team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Stars were founded in 1933 when Ed Bolden returned to professional black baseball after being idle since early 1930...
- Philadelphia TigersPhiladelphia TigersThe Philadelphia Tigers were a Negro League baseball team that played briefly in the 1928 Eastern Colored League before the circuit disbanded in early June...
- Pittsburgh CrawfordsPittsburgh CrawfordsThe Pittsburgh Crawfords, popularly known as the Craws, were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Named after the Crawford Grill, a club in the Hill District of Pittsburgh owned by Gus Greenlee, the Crawfords were originally a youth semipro team sponsored by...
- Pittsburgh Keystones
Tennessee
- Chattanooga Black LookoutsChattanooga Black LookoutsThe Chattanooga Black Lookouts was a professional baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which played in the Negro Leagues. They were established in 1920, only to play for one season. They were reestablished in 1926 to play for two seasons, serving as a farm team of the Homestead Grays of...
- Chattanooga Choo-ChoosChattanooga Choo-ChoosThe Chattanooga Choo-Choos were a professional baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The organization operated in the Negro Southern League, a minor league division of the Negro Major Leagues and fielded a team from until . The Choo-Choos played their home games at Engel Stadium...
- Memphis Red SoxMemphis Red SoxThe Memphis Red Sox were a professional Negro League baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee from the 1920s until the end of segregated baseball....
- Nashville Elite GiantsBaltimore Elite GiantsThe Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from to . The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. The team was renamed the Elite Giants in , and would move to...
- Tennessee Rats
Texas
- Austin Black SenatorsAustin Black SenatorsThe Austin Black Senators were a professional baseball team based in Austin, Texas which played in the Negro Leagues. The Black Senators adopted the name of their white, Texas League counterparts sometime in the early 1910s. The team started as an independent, then joined the Texas Negro League...
- Houston Eagles
- Mineola Black SpidersMineola Black SpidersThe Mineola Black Spiders, also called the Texas Black Spiders, were an independent, generally all-black baseball team. They originated in and were loosely based from Mineola, Texas....
- San Antonio Black Bronchos
- San Antonio Black Indians
Traveling teams
- All CubansAll CubansThe All Cubans were a team of Cuban professional baseball players that toured the United States during 1899 and 1902-05, playing against white semiprofessional and Negro league teams. The team was the first Latin American professional baseball team to tour the United States...
- All NationsAll NationsAll Nations was the name of a barnstorming professional baseball team that toured the Midwest from 1912 to 1918. It derived its name from the fact that its team including players of several nationalities, including blacks and whites, Indians, Hawaiians, Orientals, and Latin Americans. The team was...
- Chappie Johnson's Stars, led by George Chappie JohnsonChappie JohnsonGeorge "Chappie" Johnson was an African-American baseball catcher and field manager in the Negro leagues. He played for many of the best teams around 1900 and 1910 and he crossed racial boundaries as a teacher and coach....
(1876–1949) - Colored House of David
- Cuban Stars (East)Cuban Stars (East)The Cuban Stars were a team of professional baseball players from Cuba and other Latin American countries who competed in the Negro leagues in the eastern United States from 1916 to 1933...
- Cuban Stars (West)Cuban Stars (West)The Cuban Stars were a team of Cuban professional baseball players that competed in the United States Negro leagues from 1907 to 1932. The team was also sometimes known as the Stars of Cuba, the Cuban All-Stars, the Havana Reds, the Almendares Blues, or simply as the Cubans. For one season, 1921,...
- Ethiopian ClownsEthiopian ClownsThe Ethiopian Clowns were an independent barnstorming baseball team. Originally based in Miami, Florida, the team was founded by Sid Pollock in 1937....