List of major Negro league baseball teams

This list of major Negro league baseball teams consists of teams that played in the seven major Negro baseball leagues. For a league to be considered "major," there were usually two top-tier leagues at a time: one representing the northeastern states – known as the "East", and one representing the north-central states – known as the "West". Formal leagues were organized in 1920.

West, 1920–1931: Negro National League (1920–1931)
East, 1923–1928: Eastern Colored League
East, 1929: American Negro League
East/West, 1932: East–West League & Negro Southern League (1920–1936)
East, 1933–1948: Negro National League (1933–1948)
West, 1937–1948: Negro American League

In December 2020, 75 years and one month after Jackie Robinson signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Major League Baseball announced they were finally recognizing these seven major leagues on par with other major leagues.

The following teams played at least one partial season in one of the major Negro leagues. Some teams also played as either a barnstorming (or traveling) team, a minor league team or a team that existed after the integration of Major League Baseball (1946) when the talent level declined dramatically.

Alabama

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| Birmingham Black Barons || 1920 || 1961 || NSL (1920–23, 26, 31–36) NNL1 (1924–25, 27–30) NAL (1937–38, 40–61) ||

NSL was a minor league every season except 1932
Did not field a team for 1939

| Montgomery Grey Sox (II) || 1931 || 1932 || Independent (1931) NSL (1932) || ||

Arkansas

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| Little Rock Grays || 1932 || 1932 || Negro Southern League || ||

Delaware

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| Wilmington Potomacs (See Washington Potomacs) || 1925 || 1925 || ECL (1925) ||

Disbanded mid-season 1925

District of Columbia

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| Washington Black Senators || 1938 || 1938 || ECL (1938) ||

Disbanded in August before season ended

| Washington Pilots || 1932 || 1932 || EWL (1932) || ||

Florida

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|- id="Jacksonville Red Caps"

| Jacksonville Red Caps club

Jacksonville Red Caps (1938)
Cleveland Bears (1939–40)
Jacksonville Red Caps (1941–42)

|| 1938 || 1942 || NAL (1938–42) ||

Disbanded midway through 1942 season

Georgia

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|- id="Atlanta Black Crackers (I)"

| Atlanta Black Crackers (I) club

Atlanta Black Crackers (I) (1919–38)
Indianapolis ABCs (IV) (1939)

|| 1919 || 1939 || Ind.(19,22–25,28,30–31,33–34,37) NSL(I)(20–21,26–27,29,32,35–36) NAL (1938–39)

NSL was a minor league every season except 1932
Disestablished May 1939

|- id="Chicago Giants"

| Chicago Giants || 1910 || 1921 || Independent (1910–19) NNL1 (1920–21) ||

Formed via 1909 split of Leland Giants

Indiana

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| Cole's American Giants (See Chicago American Giants) || 1933 || 1933 || NNL2 (1933) ||

Played majority of home games temporarily in Indianapolis 1933

|- id="Indianapolis ABCs (II)"

| Indianapolis ABCs (II) club

Indianapolis ABCs (II) (1931–33)
Detroit Stars (II) (1933)

|| 1931 || 1933 || NNL1 (1931) NSL (1932) NNL2 (1933) ||

Relocated to Detroit shortly after opening day 1933

Kentucky

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|- id="Louisville Black Caps"

| Louisville Black Caps club

Louisville Black Caps (1930)
Louisville White Sox (1931)
Louisville Black Caps (1932)

|| 1930 || 1932 || Independent (1930) NNL1 (1931) NSL (1932) ||

Folded August 1932.
Remnants may have merged into Columbus Turf Club.

| St. Louis–New Orleans Stars (See St. Louis Stars (III)) || 1940 || 1941 || NAL (1940–41) ||

Split home games between New Orleans and St. Louis

| Baltimore Black Sox (II) || 1934 || 1934 || NNL2 (1934) ||

Only played second half of season then folded

| Detroit Stars (II) (See Indianapolis ABCs (II)) || 1933 || 1933 || NNL2 (1933) ||

Relocated from Indianapolis shortly after opening day 1933

Missouri

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| Kansas City Monarchs || 1920 || 1965 || NNL1 (1920–31) Independent (1932–36) NAL (1937–61) Independent (1962–65) ||

Later based in Grand Rapids, MI 1956–65

| St. Louis Stars (I) || 1906 || 1931 || Independent (1906–19) NNL1 (1920–31) ||

Known as St. Louis Giants 1906–21

| St. Louis Stars (II) || 1937 || 1937 || NAL (1937) ||

Only season in existence

| Newark Dodgers || 1933 || 1935 || Independent (1933) NNL2 (1934–35) ||

Merged with Brooklyn Eagles to become Newark Eagles 1936
(See Newark Eagles entry)

| Newark Stars || 1926 || 1926 || ECL (1926) || ||

New York

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| Brooklyn Eagles || 1935 || 1935 || NNL2 (1935) ||

Merged with Newark Dodgers to become Newark Eagles 1936
(See Newark Eagles entry)

| Lincoln Giants || 1911 || 1930 || Independent (1911–22) ECL (1923–26) Independent (1927) ECL (1928) ANL (1929) Independent (1930) ||

Based in New York City

| New York Black Yankees || 1931 || 1959 || Independent (1931–35) NNL2 (1936–48) Independent (1949–59) ||

Known as Harlem Black Bombers 1931

| New York Cubans || 1935 || 1950 || NNL2 (1935–36) NNL2 (1939–48) NAL (1949–50) ||

Did not field a team 1937–38

Ohio

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| Akron Black Tyrites || 1933 || 1933 || NNL2 (1933) ||

Merged/replaced the Columbus Blue Birds mid-season 1933
Folded/replaced by the Cleveland Giants for last month of 1933

| Cincinnati Buckeyes (See Cleveland Buckeyes) || 1942 || 1942 || NAL (1942) || ||

| Cincinnati Clowns (See Indianapolis Clowns) || 1943 || 1945 || NAL (1943–45) ||

Played home games in Indianapolis and Cincinnati 1944–45
Also known as Indianapolis–Cincinnati Clowns 1944–45

| Cincinnati Cuban Stars (See Cuban Stars (West)) || 1921 || 1921 || NNL1 (1921) || ||

| Cincinnati Tigers || 1934 || 1937 || Independent (1934–36) NAL (1937) || ||

| Cleveland Bears (See Jacksonville Red Caps) || 1939 || 1940 || NAL (1939–40) || ||

|- id="Cleveland Buckeyes"

| Cleveland Buckeyes club

Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes (1942)
Cleveland Buckeyes (1943–48)
Louisville Buckeyes (1949)
Cleveland Buckeyes (1950)

|| 1942 || 1950 || NAL (1942–50) ||

Half of 1942 home schedule in Cincinnati, half in Cleveland
Disbanded mid-season 1950

| Cleveland Cubs || 1931 || 1931 || NNL1 (1931) || ||

| Cleveland Elites (1926) Cleveland Hornets (1927) Cleveland Tigers (1928) || 1926 || 1928 || NNL1 (1926–28) ||

Teams are considered separate but closely linked

||

| Cleveland Giants || 1933 || 1933 || NNL2 (1933) ||

Formed from remnants of the Akron Black Tyrites for end of 1933

| Cleveland Red Sox || 1934 || 1934 || NNL2 (1934) ||

Only season in existence

| Cleveland Stars || 1932 || 1932 || EWL (1932) ||

Folded mid-season 1932

| Cleveland Tate Stars || 1922 || 1923 || NNL1 (1922–1923) ||

Played as NNL team in 1922, played as associate team in 1923

| Columbus Blue Birds || 1933 || 1933 || NNL2 (1933) ||

Dissolved/merged with Akron Black Tyrites mid-season 1933

| Columbus Buckeyes || 1921 || 1921 || NNL1 (1921) ||

Only season in existence

| Columbus Elite Giants (See Baltimore Elite Giants) || 1935 || 1935 || NNL2 (1935) || ||

| Toledo Crawfords (See Pittsburgh Crawfords) || 1939 || 1939 || NAL (1939) || ||

Pennsylvania

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| Harrisburg Giants || 1922 || 1927 || Independent (1922–23) ECL (1924–27) || ||

| Harrisburg–St. Louis Stars (See St. Louis Stars (III)) || 1943 || 1943 || NNL2 (1943) ||

Played all home games in Harrisburg; none in St. Louis
Disbanded mid-season 1943

| Philadelphia Stars || 1933 || 1952 || Independent (1933) NNL2 (1934–48) NAL (1949–52) || ||

| Philadelphia Tigers || 1928 || 1928 || ECL (1928) || ||

|- id="Homestead Grays"

| Homestead Grays club

Homestead Grays (–38)
Washington Homestead Grays (1939–)
Washington Grays (1939–)

|| || || Independent (–28) ANL (1929) Independent (1930–31) EWL (1932) Independent (1933–34) NNL2 (1935–48) Independent (1949–) ||

Based near Pittsburgh
Started to split home games with Washington, D.C. 1939
Sparingly used Pittsburgh as home field after

Tennessee

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| Memphis Red Sox|| 1923 || 1962 || Independent (1923) NNL1 (1924–25, 27–30) NSL (1926, 31–36) NAL (1937–62) || ||

| Nashville Elite Giants (See Baltimore Elite Giants) || 1919 || 1934 || Independent (1919–29) NNL1 (1930) NSL (1931–32) NNL2 (1933–34) ||

Known as Nashville Standard Giants 1919–20

Traveling teams

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| Cuban Stars (East) club

New York Cuban Stars (1916–19)
Havana Cuban Stars (1920)
Cuban Stars (East) (1921–)

|| 1916 || || Independent (1916–22) ECL (1923–28) ANL (1929) Independent (1930–) ||

Played road games primarily in the New York and northeast region of the US

|- id="Cuban Stars (West)"

| Cuban Stars (West) club

Cuban Stars of Havana (1906–19)
Cincinnati Cuban Stars (1920–21)
Cuban Stars (West) (1922–32)

|| 1906 || 1932 || IL (1906) NA (1907–09) Independent (1910–19) NNL1 (1920–30) Independent (1931) EWL (1932) ||

Played road games for its first five years primarily in the eastern states near New York City and Philadelphia
By 1916 the team was competing primarily in the northern midwestern states
Based in Cincinnati 1920–21 and then returned to playing only road games

References

External links

Leagues & Teams at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
The Negro League Teams at the Negro League Baseball Players Association
Negro Leagues Database at Seamheads.com
Negro League Team Encyclopedia at Baseball-Reference.com