1945 Florida State Negro Baseball League

League Re-forms – Final Regular Season Standings

 WLPct
Orlando All-Stars163.843
Daytona Beach Black Cats134.765
Bradenton Nine Devils156.714
West Palm Beach Black Yankees117.611
Lakeland Tigers129.571
Tampa American All-Stars515.250
Bartow Polk County All-Stars415.215
St. Petersburg Peters Palace Stars318.143

Championship: Orlando defeats Daytona Beach in a best of five-game series 3 games – 0 which were played on Successive Sundays in Sept/Oct.

Gm. 1Orlando 9 Daytona 3

Gm 2 – Orlando 5 Daytona 4

GM 3 – Orlando 4 Daytona 3

Orlando wins championship series 3 – 0

Bartow Polk County All-Stars –                  Ben Williams – Owner

Bradenton Nine Devils                                  Bish Christopher – Owner

Daytona Beach Black Cats –                        Henry Lee – Owner

Lakeland Tigers                                            Jesse Richardson – Owner

Orlando All-Stars                                         F. E. *Felix)Cosby – Owner

St. Petersburg – Peters Palace Stars         Jack Peters – Owner

Tampa American All-Stars                          George Morris – Owner

West Palm Beach Yankees                           Bill Elam – Owner    

F. E. (Feliz) Cosby – Orlando – League President

E. H. McLin – St. Petersburg – Secretary

Archie Colbert – Chief Umpire

** Attendance was said to be good throughout the league, especially in Bradenton and Bartow

** All-Star game held at Lakeland, Sunday, September 2

*** We are still in the process of discovering player names, thus far:

Bartow Polk County All-Stars Owner: Ben Williams

*Nearly all players hail from Polk county

P James “Schoolboy” Tugerson Louis “Snooks” McDuffieOF C. W. Williams
P/SS Rueben WilliamsWillie BiceP Jimmy “Squab” Hill
C Walter Perry TaylorP Smith (Smitty)
C PetersonJimmie Brown
  • Tugerson played  in both the Negro major leagues and white minor leagues     
  • Rueben Williams played 16 games with 1955 Lakeland Tigers

  Bradenton Nine Devils Owner: Bish Christopher 13th Street Park

P Joe GrissettP GriffithP Townsend
C Ben BakerC FergusonP Tress
C TazewellP Torrento Clifford
P/1B “RedHughesP/OF J. C. HamiltonCoupley
3B Robert “Bubba” BowdenOF Isaiah Sabb2B Carlo Suarez

Daytona Beach Blach Cats Owner: Henry Lee

C Millard “Popeye” TaylorP ColbertP Hunter
P Charles “Lefty: BooneP DixonP Knox
P Browning2B Fertillas (Ferrieto?)(Ferrieta?)P Brown
SS “Groundhog” Mason2B/SS MarshallP Allen
1B DeedieCF ScalesRF Rudie (Ruddie?)
SS LovingoodP “Crisco” MackLF Detterville
P “Spooney”P “Speedy”OF Adkins

Lakeland Tigers Owner: Jesse Richardson

P/OF Booker T. RobinsonIF C. F, “Curly” WilliamsP Lovingood
P Jay Murray *2B JohnsonLF Sullivan
C Modie Risher 1B DodieRF Roddie
C SingletonCF ScalesC “Smokey” Taylor
P TarverP KirklandP Singleton
P TolbertModest
  • Murray had a 7 – 1 record as of 8/26

Orlando All-Stars Owner: F. E, Crosby

Carter Street Park

C Charlie Pelham3B MarshallP James “Fireball” Colzie
P “Lefty” KelleyLF/1B B. HensonP James :The Jet” Douglas
SS Frank DixonC/2B Jimmie ThompsonP Kelly Butler
P Johnnie AndersonCF “Nap” WilliamsOF “Nap” Roy
LF O. Henson3B GarvinSS Simms
P Tommy Rogers

St. Petersburg, Peters Palace Stars Owner: Jack Peters

Campbell Park

Capt. Buddy Brockington1B/P Mack “Red” AndersonSS Jim Oliver *
P L. C. MonroeC NatP “Sad” Sam
SS/3B Frankie GraysonC Arthur BattisP Gibbons
P Al McCoyC EdwardsP Jimmie
1B John “Bull” McCoyC St. Thomas Alfred Williams
SS “Shorty” WrightC Standefer Clarence Williams
1B David WelchC Rudolph Clifford Williams
IF M. J. BynumC Sambo1B McGuire
P Leon “Blue” Waters Enoch SmithP Thompson
“Bro” Jones Frank Lockett
  • Jim Oliver played when home on leave from the military – played with the Clowns, Birmingham Black Barons and Cleveland Buckeyes – integrated the Florida State League St. Petersburg Saints (Cardinals

 

Tampa American All-Stars Owner: George Morris

22nd St. Field Plant Field

P Joe GrissettP Hippolito “Torento” ArenasC/IF Raydell “Bo” Maddix
2B/P Clifford “Quack” BrownP GreenC Arenas
SS Billy “Benny” FelderP Clifford ParramoreC Joe
P Walter “Dirk” GibbonsP Red C Townsend
P Elmore Edwards1B Louis “Snooks” McDuffieP “Peanut”
C OtisLF AlbertOF Raines
  • Brown,  Felder and Gibbons all played on various national negro league teams.  
  • Gibbons is in the Man-Dak (Manitoba – Dakotas) Hall of Fame  
  • Brown coached 10 years at Belmont Heights Little League (Former 22nd St. Ball Grounds location) He mentored Doc Gooden, Derek Bell, Gary Sheffield and others there.   

West Palm Beach Black Yankees Owner: Bill Elam

Lincoln Park

P William _Tatum” BurnsOF/1B Connie GreenP Bob Hicks
P Mason ShamrockC BrooksC Simmons
C ForehandP Macon1B Gordon
SS ScruggsLF Deal
  • Lincoln Park today is known as Coleman Park
  • Tatum Burns played in ’42 with the Newark Eagles and Chicago American Giants, ’43 Baltimoe Elite Giants, ’44 Cincinnati Clowns, & ’45 also with the New York Black Yankees and New York Cubans