The Birmingham Black Barons were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1920 until 1960. They shared their home field of

Rickwood Field Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team-owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park for the Bi ...

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, with the white Birmingham Barons, usually drawing larger crowds and equal press.

Founding

Drawing largely from a successful

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Industrial League Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

team, the Black Barons were organized in 1920 for the inaugural season of

Rube Foster Andrew "Rube" Foster (September 17, 1879 – December 9, 1930) was an American baseball player, manager, and executive in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. Foster, considered by historians to have been per ...

's Negro Southern League, which operated mainly as a minor league. They played in that league for three years before making the leap to the larger Negro National League, which operated as a major league. They were unable to keep their position due to irregularities with the team finances and returned to the Southern League for three more years. Their return to the National League in 1927 was marked by the emergence of star pitcher

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

, who led the Black Barons to the second half pennant. They lost the Negro National League title to the

Chicago American Giants The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball. Owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" F ...

in four straight games.

Later years

For the next decade or so they alternated leagues before being bought by

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

funeral home director Tom Hayes in December 1939. The club joined the Negro American League in 1940. Early in the decade the team was sold again to Abraham Saperstein who also owned the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. In 1943 and 1944 they won back-to-back pennants. Starting in 1945, they became full members of the Negro American League and continued their success, winning a third pennant in 1948 with the help of teenage outfielder

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...

. They ended up losing three

Negro World Series The Negro World Series was a post-season baseball tournament that was held from 1924 to 1927 and from 1942 to 1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east-coast counterparts. The series was ...

to the

Homestead Grays The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington 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 remained in continuo ...

that decade, forging a notable rivalry. As the National and American Leagues started signing talented African American players, the Black Barons tried to form a new Negro Southern League with three other Southern teams. The franchise was owned by William Bridgeforth from 1952 to 1955, and by Sid Lynor and Floyd Meshac in 1955. Dr. Anderson Ross purchased the franchise in 1956 and renamed the team the Birmingham Giants. The Black Barons played their last game in 1960.

Throwback games

The 1999 Rickwood Classic honored the Black Barons, with the Birmingham Barons and

Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Mil ...

wearing throwback uniforms. Some 35 former Negro leagues players, including former Black Baron

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Rec ...

attended. On February 26, 2006,

ESPN Classic ESPN Classic was an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns 20%). The channel was originally la ...

broadcast a throwback game from

featuring amateur players in the uniforms of the Birmingham Black Barons and fictitious "Bristol Barnstormers". The style of play, the equipment and the umpires all reflected the 1940s game. Willie Mays and Charley Pride were both in attendance. The Black Barons rallied to break an eighth inning tie and win the game, 9–8.

Notable players

In addition to

also played as center fielder during both the 1948 and 1949 seasons.

Mule Suttles George "Mule" Suttles (March 31, 1901 – July 9, 1966) was an American first baseman and outfielder in Negro league baseball, most prominently with the Birmingham Black Barons, St. Louis Stars and Newark Eagles. Best known for his power hitting ...

was a member of the Black Barons in 1924 and 1925 seasons. Suttles was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. Other players, like Artie Wilson, Bill Greason, and

Jay Heard Jehosie "Jay" Heard (January 17, 1920 – November 18, 1999) was an American professional baseball player. A native of Athens, Georgia, he was a left-handed pitcher who stood tall and weighed . He pitched two games in Major League Baseball for t ...

also saw limited time (under 20 games each) in the Major Leagues.

Hall of Fame players

The following Black Barons players have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Other star players

* Dan Bankhead (1940–1942, 1944) *

Sam Bankhead Samuel Howard Bankhead (September 18, 1910 – July 24, 1976) was an American baseball player in the Negro leagues. He played from 1931 to 1951. He also played for the Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo along with Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. In 1951 ...

(1931–1932) * Lyman Bostock Sr. (1940–1942, 1946) *

Piper Davis Lorenzo "Piper" Davis (July 3, 1917 – May 21, 1997) was an American professional baseball player who played in the Negro American League from 1942 to 1950 for the Birmingham Black Barons. His nickname was the name of the mining town he was from ...

(1942–1950) * Bill Greason (1948–1949) *

(1946–1948) * Jimmy Newberry (1944–1950) *

(1953) * Artie Wilson (1944–1948)

Notes

References

* Fullerton, Christopher D. (1999). ''Every Other Sunday: The Story of the Birmingham Black Barons''. Birmingham: R. Boozer Press. .
Birmingham Black Barons
at the Birmingham-Pittsburgh Traveler page - accessed April 3, 2006 *

(April 2006) ''Southern Living''. * Jordan, Phillip (February 23, 2006).
Nine Innings in Rickwood
. ''Birmingham Weekly''. * Daily Defender. Chicago, Ill.: 1962.

External links

Franchise history at Seamheads.com
{{Authority control Negro league baseball teams Sports teams in Birmingham, Alabama 1920 establishments in Alabama 1960 disestablishments in Alabama Baseball teams established in 1920 Sports clubs disestablished in 1960 Professional baseball teams in Alabama Defunct baseball teams in Alabama Baseball teams in Alabama Baseball teams disestablished in 1960