1953 Florida State Negro Baseball League

Final Standings – Tampa All-Stars League Champs

Team	Won	Lost	Pct.
Tampa All-Stars	11	4	.733
Orlando All-Stars	7	5	.583
Cocoa Brownies	6	5	.545
St. Petersburg Pelicans	7	6	.538
Daytona Beach Red Wings	6	7	.462
Ft. Lauderdale Braves	2	6	.250

Ownership:

Tampa All-Stars                                David “Fats” Waitman & Norton Frazier

Orlando All-Stars Felix E. Cosby

Cocoa Brownies John Henry Hunter

St. Petersburg Pelicans                   Joe Bryant

Daytona Beach Red Wings James Taylor/ O. A. Cooper

Ft. Lauderdale Braves                      American Legion Sponsored

Associate Members?

Lacoochie  Pirates                            James “Mudcat” Grant P/3B

Leesburg

Tampa All-Stars                 Owners: David “Fats” Waitman & Norton Frazier

Mgr/IF Charlie “Mutt” Brooks	OF John Henry McQueen	P Walter “Dirk” Gibbons
UT Billy Wilson	C Rosell Sales	P John “Bebe” Gibbons
1B Noah Taylor	2B Jerry Coleman	2B Billy “Benny” Felder
3B R. B. Johnson	SS Jim Wilson	OF/C Cole
OF Bill Meeks	UT Billy Jones	3B McCray
P/Mgr Otis Gambrell	P Sgt. A. Taylor	P Washington
P Eugene Brannon	P S. Campbell	Copman
OF/C Paul Colding	P Hicks	Pool

Orlando All-Stars Owner: Felix E. Cosby

Mgr/C Charlie Pelham	UT Jimmie Thompson	IF James Williams
3B Willie Williams	SS S. Scottie	P Bobby Peel
C/P Buddy Hicks	LF /2B Pryor	OF Joe Black
OF David Black	1B/OF Bryant	P Clarence Brown
OF/1B Edward Casmier	P Robert Taylor	OF Louis “Sleepy” Garvin
P James “The Jet” Douglas	P Pete “Mack” McPherson	Gaines
P H. Anderson	P Ed Cooley	OF Samuel Piper
OF Jeff Cummings	OF Gamin

Cocoa Brownies

Mgr/P John Henry Hunter	UT Herman “Sylvester” Weaver	UT Joseph “Shoeless Joe” Jackson
OF Robert Jenkins	C Fletcher McRoy	Sam Johnson
SS Clarence Council	IB James Rogers	P John Ivory Smith
P Walter Weaver	P Henry Weaver
P Samuel Piper	OF L. Loomis

St. Petersburg Pelicans                    Owner: Joe Bryant

Mgr/UT Jim Oliver	Coach David Gomez	UT J. D. Brown
C Eddie Nixon	C Rosell Sales	OF Elijah Barber
1B Mack “Red” Anderson	OF Oscar “Gopher” Ingram	P/OF John “Gun Belly” Church
2B Lee Artist Burgess	2B Frank Grayson	2B Willie Sheppard
OF Charles McCoy	SS Walter Jones	IF Willie Rackett
SS James “Son” Copeland	3B Robert “Bubba” Bowden	2B Billy “Benny” Felder
OF Buddy Brockington	OF Richard Oliver	OF H. Oliver
UT John Charles	OF Bill Latson	OF F. Fernandez
P Elmore Edwards	P L. C. Monroe	1B/OF J. D. Welch
P Jeff Hines	P C. L. “Sam” Howard	1B F. “joe” Kimble
P James Jones	P Leroy Livingston	OF Roy “Babe” Hardin
SS Ed Charles	IF Jim “Mudcat” Grant	CF Venable

St. Petersburg fielded four teams in 1953. The St. Petersburg Tigers joined the West Coast league attempting to be on equal footing with the Pelicans. With an aging roster, Pelicans owner Joe Bryant entered into a working agreement with Arthur Brown, owner of the St. Petersburg Florida Stars, the squad with the best upcoming talent.

Daytona Beach Red Wings Owners: James Taylor/ O. A. Cooper

Mgr/OF Charles Gary	UT John Charles	OF James Avery
C Millard “Popeye” Taylor	UT John “Nathaniel” Sharper	P Cicero Brown
IB Robert Brown	OF McNeil	3B Nunn
P/OF Willie Cummings	P/OF Jackson	3B Will Perry
P Clyde? “Whirlwind” Johnson	2B Johnson	OF Ashley
P “Speedball” Black	SS/P Joe Gant	P Hill
OF “Lefty” Casmisky	P Harris	C Davis
SS T. Sharper	P Russell	OF Franklin
3B Horace Lathan	OF Abrams	IF Henry Brown
C Mack McElroy	OF Pringle	P Tank
P Cass Mincey	SS Gray	P Marshall
P Frank Picket	CF Carswell

Owner O. A. Cooper was from Baton Rouge, La. He brought five players from Baton Rouge and two teams of Red Wings were formed. One team would play in the State league and the other would travel mid-June to Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada to play arranged games. As yet, noe record of the Canadian venture has been found. Also, no names from the Baton Rouge 1952 roster appears on the above roster.

Ft. Lauderdale Braves                      American Legion Sponsored

Mgr James Macon	Alonso Brooks	C Clark
P “King” James Oliver	P Williams	P Simmons
C Brooks	C Grant

Alnoso Brooks was St. Pete manager Jim Oliver’s roommate with the Clowns.

The league dropped Ft. Lauderdale from league play in July for failure to meet expenses. No team was found to replace them.

1st Half standings:

Tampa becomes the host team to take on the league All-Stars.

July 19, Tampa’s Plant Field, Tampa All-Stars 5 FSNBL All-Stars 2

Known FSNBL All-Stars

Mgr/C Charlie Pelham	UT Jim Oliver	P Jeff Hines
OF Oscar Ingram	C Eddie Nixon	1B Red Anderson
UT John Charles	OF Joe Black	Sam Johnson

Note: The West Coast Florida Negro Baseball League is formed for the purpose of reducing travel that the FSNBL endures. It opens with ten teams including the former FSNBL Bradenton Nine Devils and from 1952, the Clearwater Black Sox

A FSNBL/WCNBL All-Star game was arranged for 9/21 at Tampa’s Plant Field

West Coast 3 Florida State 1

Mgr/IF Mutt Brooks	UT Raymond Charles	OF James Avery
IF Nathaniel Sharper	IF Robert Brown	P Willie Cummings
C Charlie Pelham	IF Jimmie Thompson	IF James Williams
OF Edward Casmier	OF David Balck	P Buddy Hicks
OF Robert Jenkins	UT Joseph Jackson	UT Herman Weaver
OF James Rogers	IF Clarence Council	P Willie Weaver
IF Jerry Coleman	IF Noah Taylor	IF R. B. Johnson
OF J. H. McQueen	C Billy Wilson	P Otis Gambrell
UT Jim Oliver	C Eddie Nixon	IF Red Anderson
OF Charles McCoy	P James Jones