Category: Negro Baseball
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1931 Florida Negro Baseball
While we know a negro baseball league was formed in 1932, 1931 may provide evidence as to why: There does however appear to be a major delineation between the top-tier clubs and the lower-tier clubs. Many top tier clubs will form a league together in 1932. Teams appearing across Florida in ’31 include: Bartow Giants…
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1948 Florida State Negro Baseball League
1948 seems to bring the upheaval to the Florida League that “white” baseball’s integration is bringing to Negro baseball overall. The Daytona Beach Black Cats operation is for sale, perhaps to Jacksonville and out of the FSNBL. Ben Williams in Bartow has folded the tent due to lack of attendance and poor field conditions. Many…
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1947 Florida State Negro Baseball League
Standings as of 8/30/47 as published in the St. Petersburg Times. Teams Won Lost Pct Tampa Rockets 18 4 .818 Lakeland Tigers 16 8 .667 Orlando All-Stars 15 9 .625 West Palm Beach Yankees 12 12 .500 Daytona Beach Black Cats 12 15 .444 Bradenton Nine Devils 10 15 .400 Sanford Giants 10…
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Back-To-Back-To-Back, Part 2
Part 2: George Smith After Ed Charles leaves Gibbs High School, he is succeeded in Gibbs High School Athletics by Sophomore George Smith. Beginning in the fall of ’52, Smith plays three sports, football, basketball and baseball. He is a key reserve as a back in football his sophomore season. A highlight being a “pick…
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Ballplayer Becomes a Quiet Civil Rights Pioneer
Archie Wade took the new-school way into baseball. He completed college first. He was a 1962 graduate of Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Al, playing both basketball and baseball. He joined the Stillman faculty after graduation and assisted his old coach in football and basketball as well. You may remember from history (or at least from…
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1946 Florida State Negro Baseball League
A missing season? Baseball Wiki is the only place I’ve found that has attempted to provide the teams in the league from 1945 through 1954. Wiki states that it is unknown if the league played this year. So, here you go… Standings through 9/29/46 Team Won Lost Pct. Tampa 21 6 .778 Lakeland 16 9…
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1945 Florida State Negro Baseball League
League Re-forms – Final Regular Season Standings W L Pct Orlando All-Stars 16 3 .843 Daytona Beach Black Cats 13 4 .765 Bradenton Nine Devils 15 6 .714 West Palm Beach Black Yankees 11 7 .611 Lakeland Tigers 12 9 .571 Tampa American All-Stars 5 15 .250 Bartow Polk County All-Stars 4 15 .215…
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Origins of the Florida State Negro Baseball League (FSNBL)
The Florida State Negro Baseball League was the top tier of negro baseball in Florida in terms of play and producing talent for higher level teams, particularly the Negro major leagues. It was founded, disintegrated and reformed over the time period from 1932 until around 1953 after which while the league still existed it lost…
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Chronicler of Negro Baseball in Florida
E. H. “Eugene” or “Gene McLin” This article uses the term “Negro” in order to stay consistent with the times and with McLin’s own words. Little is known of “Negro Baseball” of any kind in Florida. Due to a dearth of Negro newspapers in Florida there was seldom coverage of negro happenings that did not…