People, Locations, Episodes

Eddie Tolan, Track and Field Athlete born

Eddie Tolan was born on this date in 1909. He was an African American sprinter.

Tolan was from Denver, Colo., and was that city and state champion in the 100- and 200-yard dashes. While attending high school in Detroit, he was often called The Midnight Express. At the University of Michigan, he attracted national attention in 1929 when he set a record in the 100-yard dash (9.5 seconds) and tied the record of 10.4 seconds in the 100-meter dash.

Jimmie Crutchfield, Baseball Player born

*On this date in 1910, Jimmie Crutchfield was born. He was a Black baseball player who was a household name in Pittsburgh’s Black baseball community.

The Chicago American Giants Baseball Team is Formed

*This date, in 1911, celebrates the founding of the Chicago American Giants baseball organization.   They were one of the many Negro League teams of America’s twentieth century.   This team was owned and managed from 1911-26 by Andrew “Rube” Foster, the inventor of “tricky” baseball. Along with the New York Lincoln Stars and the Indianapolis […]

The Lincoln Giants Baseball Team, a story

*The Lincoln Giants are celebrated on this date in 1911. They were a Negro Baseball League team based in New York City. The Lincoln Giants can trace their origins back to the Nebraska Indians of Lincoln, Nebraska, from the 1890s. According to Sol White’s History of Colored Base Ball, in 1890, the Lincoln Giants were founded as the first […]

Reginald Weir, Doctor, and Tennis Pioneer born

*Reginald Weir was born on this date in 1911. was a Black tennis player and physician. Reginald Storum Weir was born in Washington, D.C. Weir was a medical school graduate of New York University and practiced family medicine from 1935 to 1985. Weir was captain of the City College of New York, men’s tennis team. […]

Buck O’Neil, Baseball Player, and Manager born

Buck O’Neil was born on this date in 1911. He was an African American baseball player and manager.

John Jordan O’Neil was from Carrabelle, FL, and was initially denied, because of racial segregation, the opportunity to attend high school. At the time, Florida had only four high schools specifically for African Americans. However, after working a summer in a celery field with his father, O’Neil left home to live with relatives and attend a black high school elsewhere in the state.

Josh Gibson, Baseball Player born

On this date in 1911, Josh Gibson was born. He was a Black professional baseball player who was one of the leading hitters in the Negro Leagues.

The Homestead Grays Baseball Team, a story

*This date in 1912 celebrates the founding of the Homestead Grays Baseball organization. They were one of many Negro League teams in the early twentieth century.

The ‘All Nations’ Baseball Team Takes the Field

*On this date of breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, we celebrated the founding of the World ‘All-Nations’ baseball team in 1912.   This barnstorming professional baseball team toured the American Midwest from 1912 to 1918, 1920 and 1921, and 1923 to 1925. It derived its name from the racial intersectionality of its players. Their roster had […]

Ann Moore-Gregory, Golfer born

*Ann Moore-Gregory was born on this date in 1912. She was an African American golfer and community activist.

Henry Armstrong, Boxer born

On this date, we mark the birth of Henry Armstrong in 1912. He was an African American boxer, the only professional boxer to hold three world championship titles simultaneously.

Quincey Trouppe, Baseball Player and Manager born

*Quincy Trouppe was born on this date in 1912. He was a Black professional baseball player and an amateur boxing champion. He was born Quincy Thomas Troupe, a native of Dublin, Georgia. In 1946, he changed his spelling to Trouppe. He played in the Mexican League and the Canadian Provincial League. His teams included St. Louis […]

Carl ‘Luz’ Long, Olympian and Soldier born.

*Carl ‘Luz’ Long was born on this date in 1913. He was a white German Olympic long jumper and soldier. Carl Ludwig ‘Luz’ Long was born in Leipzig, Stadtkreis Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.  He studied law at the University of Leipzig, and as a 21-year-old, 1.84-meter-tall (6’½”), Long had finished third in the 1934 European Championships […]

John Dendy, Golfer born

John Dendy’s birth in 1913 is celebrated on this date. He was an Ethiopian American golfer.

Lorenzo ‘Piper’ Davis, Baseball Player born

This date marks the birth of Lorenzo “Piper” Davis, one of Alabama’s all-time best athletes in both baseball and basketball.

He was born in Piper, AL, a coal-mining community in the hills around Birmingham. As a teenager, Davis attended a public high school for colored boys in Fairfield, just up the road from Piper. There he earned a basketball scholarship to Alabama State University in Montgomery. After a single year starring on the Alabama State basketball squad, Davis was forced by family financial circumstances to drop out of college and find a job.