The team played its home games at Bugle Field in Baltimore. The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. Tabor. The team finished in seventh place with a 25–28 record. Fans knew that the word “Elite” in the team’s name was pronounced “ EEE -light,” with the accent on the first syllable. [5], In 1929, Nashville was granted an associate membership in the Negro National League. The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1950. Baltimore Elite Giants Subscribe [6] That same year, Wilson built a new ballpark for his team, Tom Wilson Park, which also served as a spring training site for other Negro league teams, as well as white-only minor league teams, such as the Southern Association's Nashville Vols. [4] They continued to play independently until joining the Negro Southern League in 1926. by I & M Ottenheimer) Before these Giants were elite in Baltimore, they were merely standard in Nashville. Baltimore Elite Giants; Baltimore Elite Giants. The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1950. The team was renamed the Elite Giants in 1921, and moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1938, where the team remained for the duration of their existence. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Baltimore Magazine. The Elite Giants then moved to Columbus, Ohio, in 1937, and Washington, D.C. , in 1937. Finally, in 1938 the Elites (pronounced “EEE-Lites”) found a grateful home audience in Charm City and remained a fixture of Black Baltimore until the early 1950’s. The Nashville Standard Giants were formed as a semi-professional all-Negro team in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 26, 1920. The Eye Book; Behind the Mirror – … The Elite Giants were the NNL’s nomadic club, having started in Nashville before moving to Columbus, Ohio and Washington, D.C. in search of a home. Babe Ruth Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland (Pub. Baltimore Elite Giants Negro League Fitted Baseball Cap - Size 7 3/8 - Unused. Based on interviews with former players and Baltimore residents, articles from the black press of the time, and archival documents, and illustrated with previously unpublished photographs, The Baltimore Elite Giants recounts a barrier-breaking team’s successes, failures, and eventual demise. The Baltimore Elite Giants was a professional Black baseball team that played in the independent league as well as all of the Negro Leagues formed. [2] The club was chartered by Thomas T. Wilson, T. Clay Moore, J. In dire financial straits, the club played one final season in 1950 before dissolving. B. Boyd, Marshall Garrett, Walter Phillips, W. H. Pettis, J. L. Overton, and R. H. [2] The club was chartered by Thomas T. Wilson, T. Clay Moore, J. Beginning operation as the Nashville Standard Giants in 1921, they became the Elite Giants in 1929 as an independent ball club (still in Nashville). [7] The ballpark was centrally located in Nashville's largest black community, known as Trimble Bottom, near the convergence of Second and Forth Avenues, just north of the fairgrounds.[2]. The team's owner, Vernon Green, died of a heart attack in late May 1949. Nashville finished the 1933 season in fifth place with a 29–22 record and tied as winners of the second half of the season with the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Recent Posts. [3] That same year, they swept the Montgomery Grey Sox (of the minor league Negro Southern League) in a four-game championship series to win the right to declare themselves the Southern Colored Champions. 1932-1946. Of his salary he would later say, “‘It doesn’t sound like much, $200 a month.. It’s ridiculous by today’s standar Stars of the team include Junior Gilliam, Joe Black, and Vic Harris. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images One of the best-known teams in the old Negro Leagues, the Elite Giants of Baltimore featured some of the outstanding African American players of the day. Originally beginning their existence as the Nashville Elite Giants, the Baltimore Elite Giants moved to Baltimore in 1938 after a couple years as the Washington Elite Giants and became the Baltimore Elite Giants. 3. In 1935, the team moved to Columbus, Ohio and became the Columbus Elite Giants. Jim Willis. In honor of Negro League Baseball Day in Baltimore, we gave away Baltimore Elite Giants hats and shared significance of the club's history [2], The team was renamed the Nashville Elite Giants (pronounced EE-light) in 1921. The Elite Giants compiled a 24–24 (.500) record and won the Negro National League championship. Day was already in his mid-30s when Campanella, Black, and Gilliam hit their stride with those memorable Brooklyn squads. In the Baltimore Elite’s final years, they reverted back to the general state of unknown that had accompanied them in the earlier years of their existence. Search Blog. Product Info Free Customization Included Any name and number Heavyweight sewn tackle twill 100% polyester Custom labels available *No returns on customized jerseys Team: Baltimore Elite GiantsYears Active: 1920-1950 League Titles: 1939, 1949Home: Bugle Field (Baltimore, MD), Oriole Park (Baltimore, MD) Originally found The team was renamed the Elite Giants in 1921, and moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1938, where the team remained for the duration of their existence. The team was founded by Thomas T. Wilson after encouragement from the owner of the Chicago American Giants, Rube Foster. The team moved again in 1938 to Baltimore, Maryland and became the Baltimore Elite Giants. The Baltimore Elite (pronounced e-e-e light) Giants is a well-researched, 150-page book (excluding footnotes and index) about the Negro League team that played in Baltimore from 1938 through 1951. The team and its fans pronounced the word "Elite" as "ee-light". The Baltimore Elite Giants: Sport and Society in the Age of Negro League Baseball: Luke, Bob: Amazon.sg: Books Find the perfect Baltimore Elite Giants stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. In 1939, the Elites won the Negro National Title, defeating the Homestead Grays. The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. Description Description. Select from premium Baltimore Elite Giants of the highest quality. The team and its fans pronounced the word "Elite" as "ee-light". [2] Their home games were played at Sulphur Dell and Greenwood Park, the African American community's local park. Andy Porter. E-mail * Subscribe. And then there was a former Elite Giants catcher by the name of Roy Campanella, who made a name for himself with the Dodgers as well, won three NL MVP Awards and ultimately was enshrined in Cooperstown. After three straight All Star seasons in Baltimore by Gilliam, he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he won the 1953 National League Rookie of the Year. 2. They played exhibition games throughout the south, but didn't have a regular schedule. In their first season, they finished in fifth place with a 21–24 record. See more ideas about negro league baseball, negro, league. For a time after the death of Baltimore native Babe Ruth, the structure was known as Babe Ruth Stadium Stadium. SKU: 5440 Category: Bobble Head. They played only one season in Columbus, 1935, finishing in fourth place with a 16–17 record. It may have taken them a little while, but the Giants did indeed establish themselves as "Elite. 1212.0. Hubert Van Wyke Simmons has plenty of stories about his days as a talented pitcher and outfielder from North Carolina who was invited to Baltimore to play for the famed Elite Giants … The Baltimore Elite Giants also played some of their home games at Baltimore Stadium in the late 1940s. In 1930, the team gained admission into their first organized league, the Negro National League. The franchise had previously played in Nashville, Cleveland, Columbus, and Washington, before finding its home in Baltimore. The team played its … Enter your email address below and receive notifications of new posts by email. [6] The team finished in eighth (last) place with a 10–20 (.333) record. Louis Stars, Southern League of Colored Base Ballists (1886), International League of Independent Professional Base Ball Clubs (1906), National Association of Colored Baseball Clubs of the United States and Cuba (1907–1909), West Coast Negro Baseball Association (1946), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baltimore_Elite_Giants&oldid=1005290671, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Nashville Elite Giants (1921–1930, 1932–1934), This page was last edited on 6 February 2021, at 23:39. 637.2. Search Blog. [7] Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Roy Campanella are known to have played at the park. Henry Kimbro - Autographed Ball - Baltimore Elite Giants - Negro Leagues 1934 . Also starring for the Elite Giants on the ’49 title team was legendary hurler Leon Day, who’d grown up in Mount Winans rooting for the then-Baltimore Black Sox. The Baltimore Elite Giants started life as the Nashville Standard Giants in 1918. Notable Alumni: Joe Black, Junior Gilliam, Henry Kimbro, Bill Byrd and Roy Campanella. Junior Gilliam (1953 National League Rookie of the Year), and Joe Black (1952 National League Rookie of the Year) were both former 'Elites' and won consecutive Rookie of the Year honors for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the early 1950s. The 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants baseball team represented the Baltimore Elite Giants in the Negro National League during the 1939 baseball season. [7] The 8,000 (or 4,000)[2] seat facility featured a single-decked, covered grandstand. A number of future major leaguers wore the uniform of the Elite Giants, including Hall of Famers Roy Campanella and Leon Day. Whatever joy came from that final championship was surely short-lived, however. Roy Campanella - Baltimore Elite Giants quantity. The team was renamed the Elite Giants in 1921, and moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1938, where the team remained for the duration of their existence. Author Bob Luke "examines how segregation and discrimination affected the Elites operation--finding a ballpark, surviving financially, offering a sanctuary to the city's black community." Two former Elite Giants, Joe Black and Jim Gilliam, would go on to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons (1952 and '53) with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1937, the Elites finished in third place with a 27–17 record. Shuffling leadership and enduring financial hardships, the franchise would eventually come full circle. Baltimore Elite Giants of 1942 During the nine-year skein of pennants by the Homestead Grays, Tom Wilson’s Elite Giants often pushed them to the wire. In 1948, they won the first half, but lost the championship to second half winners, the Homestead Grays. From BR Bullpen. Sold in 1951, the team returned for one final season in Nashville, after which it was dissolved. The Negro National League collapsed after the 1931 season, and the team moved back to Nashville, reverted to being called the Elite Giants, and joined the Negro Southern League, where they played in 1932. Still relatively new to Baltimore, they defeated an absolutely loaded Homestead Grays team, which boasted future National Baseball Hall of Famers Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1950. In their first season with the new league, Baltimore captured the Eastern and Western Division titles, earning them a second Negro National Title. Beginning operation as the Nashville Standard Giants in 1921, they became the Elite Giants in 1929 as an independent ball club (still in … The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1950. During the summers, he played for the Greensboro Redwings and Asheville Blues of the Negro Southern League.While playing in Atlantic City for the Farley Stars (previously called the Bacharach Giants), Simmons was signed by the Baltimore Elite Giants for $200 a month. In 1934, the Elite Giants finished in fourth place with a 20–28 record. In thirteen seasons in Baltimore, of the eleven which have available standings, the Elite Giants finished in the top three during nine of those seasons. Tabor. History: The 1949 Elite Giants were led by a 20-year-old infielder named Jim Gilliam. Sep 1, 2017 - Explore Teambrown Apparel's board "Baltimore Elite Giants (Negro Leagues Baseball)" on Pinterest. The Baltimore Elite Giants would go on to win two league championships, the first coming in 1939. They played their home games in Nashville through the 1935 season. The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. A second incarnation of the Negro National League was formed in 1933, where the Elite Giants played for the following two seasons. AL East: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays AL Central : Chicago White Sox , Cleveland Indians , Detroit Tigers , Kansas City Royals , Minnesota Twins Nashville lost a three-game playoff with Pittsburgh for a spot in the league championship game. In 1936 the team moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Elite Giants. There is no official record of Negro League Baseball game results. Add to cart. The Negro League Centennial Team (1920 – 2020) is comprised of 30 of the greatest African-American and Cuban players from 1895-1947 plus a manager and a team owner. But even though the team's physical presence on the game was lost, its overall impact on the sport lingered for a long, long time. The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1950.The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. [2] The Standard Giants welcomed any and all competition, including white-only teams, but played independently of any organized leagues until the mid-1920s. [2] Nashville completed its first season in the league with a 15–15 (.500) record. [2] The team's origins lie in that of two of Nashville's local negro amateur baseball teams: the Nashville Maroons (formed in 1909) and the Elites (formed in 1913). The 1949 Baltimore Elite Giants baseball team represented the Baltimore Elite Giants in the Negro American League (NAL) during the 1949 baseball season.The team won the NAL pennant. $50.00 Get regular blog updates sent right to your inbox. Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Negro Leagues with the Baltimore Elite Giants Negro Leagues 100th Anniversary 59FIFTY Fitted featuring an embroidered Elite Giants logo at the front panels with a Negro Leagues 100th Anniversary Side Patch at the right … $14.98 +$5.75 shipping. The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. Before these Giants were elite in Baltimore, they were merely standard in Nashville. "Lipman Pike of the Baltimore nine was famous", "Tom Wilson and the Nashville Elite Giants", "Negro National League Standings (1920–1948)", Atlanta Black Crackers/Indianapolis ABCs (IV), Indianapolis ABCs (II)/New Orleans–St. B. Boyd, Marshall Garrett, Walter Phillips, W. H. Pettis, J. L. Overton, and R. H. The Baltimore Elite Giants (pronounced EE-lite) originated in 1918 in Nashville, Tennessee. 1946 Baltimore Elite Giants 41 - 34 - 3 37 - 34 - 3 in the Negro National League II 1929 / 1947 (Team History) Managed by: Felton Snow (41-34-3) In 1949, the Negro National League ceased operations, and the Elite Giants joined the Negro American League. The Elite Giants finished in seventh place with a 39–47 record. They would do it again a decade later, sweeping the Chicago American Giants to win the title of league champions in a restructured Negro American League. Baltimore Elite Giants. Make Offer - Baltimore Elite Giants Negro League Fitted Baseball Cap - Size 7 3/8 - Unused. 1929-1939. In six years time, they would move to Ohio, becoming the Columbus Elite Giants before migrating again only a year later, this time to Washington D.C. After two years in the nation’s capital, the team would take root in Baltimore in 1938, and when it did get there, everything seemed to click into place with some newfound stability. Hoss Walker and Lennie Pearson were the team's managers. [1], The Nashville Standard Giants were formed as a semi-professional all-Negro team in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 26, 1920. The Baltimore Elite Giants of the National Negro League pose for a panoramic photo circa 1949 in Baltimore, Maryland. ". The above was compiled using various sources including the Negro Leagues Database at seamheads.com after consultation with John Thorn, the Official Historian for MLB, and other Negro Leagues experts. The Baltimore Elite Giants played baseball from 1938 to 1950, representing Maryland’s largest city in two different African-American leagues during segregation days. 1935-1948. The following season, 1931, Wilson moved the team to Cleveland, Ohio and renamed the team the Cleveland Cubs, remaining in the same league.