The Negro Southern League (NSL) was one of the several Negro baseball leagues created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The NSL was organized as a minor league in 1920 and lasted until 1936. It was considered a major league for the 1932 season and it was also the only organized league to finish its full schedule that season (primarily due to the Great Depression). Prior to the season, several established teams joined the NSL, mainly from the collapsed Negro National League.
The Negro Southern League was a Negro baseball league organized by Tom Wilson in 1920[1] as a minor league. Leagues in the depression-era Southern United States were far less organized and lucrative than those in the north, owing to a smaller population base and a lower standard of living. The NSL operated on an irregular basis as each season's schedule was depended upon the availability of the more prominent team owners who were quick to seek more profitable avenues whenever possible.
HiatusesEdit
The NSL did not organize a schedule for the 1924,[2]: 3 1925[2]: 3 or 1928[2]: 5 seasons due to the Birmingham Black Barons and Memphis Red Sox participating in the Negro National League those years. The remaining NSL teams all played independent schedules those years. The 1929 season was poorly attended and teams struggled to complete their schedules; Birmingham and Memphis did not participate. For the 1930 season, the Nashville Elite Giants and Louisville Black Caps left for the NNL; this, and the continued absence of Birmingham and Memphis, led to the 1930 season being scrapped.[2]: 6 The remaining NSL teams played independent schedules that year, while the New Orleans Caulfield Ads moved to the Texas–Louisiana League.
Level of playEdit
For most of its existence, the NSL was considered a minor league, with some teams providing talent to more profitable Negro league teams. The most notable example is the Monroe Monarchs acting as a farm team for the Kansas City Monarchs.
The Negro National League collapsed for good after the 1931 season and many players (and two teams) migrated to the NSL. The Great Depression had decimated the profits of most Negro league teams and only a few organized Negro leagues survived; the newly formed East-West League also folded in mid-1932. The NSL was considered the highest quality surviving league and it therefore became the de facto major league for the 1932 season. The NSL was the only organized league to complete their full schedule.
With the creation of a new Negro National League in 1933, many players and some teams left the NSL and it slipped back into being regarded as having minor league status.
LegacyEdit
When the NSL collapsed for the last time after the 1936 season, some of its member teams folded as well, but a handful of the teams continued on. The Nashville Elite Giants excelled in the new Negro National League for years, while the Memphis Red Sox and Birmingham Black Barons excelled in the Negro American League, which was newly organized in time for the 1937 season and absorbed some NSL teams when the league collapsed.
On the eve of integration in 1945, a new minor Negro league was organized with teams in the South; it assumed the name of the old league and also called itself the Negro Southern League. This second NSL lasted until 1951.
Below is a timeline of teams that played more than one season in the NSL:
1920 – Formation of NSL consisting of 8 teams: Montgomery Grey Sox, Atlanta Black Crackers, New Orleans Caulfield Ads, Knoxville Giants, Birmingham Black Barons, Nashville White Sox, Pensacola Giants and Jacksonville Stars.
1921 – Dropped: Nashville White Sox, Pensacola Giants and Jacksonville Stars; Added: Nashville Elite Giants, Memphis Red Sox and Chattanooga Tigers.
1922 – Dropped: Atlanta Black Crackers, Birmingham Black Barons and New Orleans Caulfield Ads (mid-June); Added: Louisville Stars and New Orleans Crescent Stars (mid-June).
1923 – Dropped: Knoxville Giants, Louisville Stars, Montgomery Grey Sox and Chattanooga Tigers; Added: Birmingham Black Barons.
(1924) – no schedule played
(1925) – no schedule played
1926 – Dropped: New Orleans Crescent Stars; Added: New Orleans Caulfield Ads, Albany Giants, Montgomery Grey Sox, Atlanta Black Crackers and Chattanooga Black Lookouts.
1927 – Dropped: Birmingham Black Barons, Memphis Red Sox, Albany Giants, Montgomery Grey Sox and New Orleans Caulfield Ads; Added: Evansville Louis Reichert Giants, Bessemer Grey Sox, Hopkinsville Athletics and Jackson Cubs.
(1928) – no schedule played
1929 – Dropped: Bessemer Grey Sox, Hopkinsville Athletics and Jackson Cubs; Added: Louisville Black Caps and New Orleans Caulfield Ads.
(1930) – no schedule played
1931 – Dropped: Evansville Louis Reichert Giants, Atlanta Black Crackers, Louisville Black Caps and New Orleans Caulfield Ads; Added: Birmingham Black Barons, Memphis Red Sox, Knoxville Giants and Montgomery Grey Sox.
1932 – Dropped: Chattanooga Black Lookouts and Knoxville Giants; Added: Cole's American Giants, Monroe Monarchs, Little Rock Grays, Louisville Black Caps, Indianapolis ABC's, Atlanta Black Crackers and Cleveland Cubs.
1933 – Dropped: Cole's American Giants, Nashville Elite Giants, Little Rock Grays, Louisville Black Caps, Indianapolis ABC's, Birmingham Black Barons, Atlanta Black Crackers and Cleveland Cubs; Added: Little Rock Stars, New Orleans Crescent Stars, Shreveport Cubs, Algiers Giants, Jackson Senators and Alexandria Lincoln Giants.
1934 – Dropped: Little Rock Stars, Shreveport Cubs, Algiers Giants, Jackson Senators and Alexandria Lincoln Giants; Added: Cincinnati Tigers, Birmingham Black Barons and Louisville Caps.
1935 – Dropped: Monroe Monarchs, Louisville Caps, Cincinnati Tigers and New Orleans Crescent Stars; Added: Claybrook Tigers, New Orleans Caulfield Ads, Atlanta Black Crackers, Chattanooga Black Lookouts and Montgomery Grey Sox.
1936 – Dropped: Claybrook Tigers and New Orleans Caulfield Ads; Added: Cincinnati Tigers, Nashville Black Vols and Hopkinsville Athletics. League fell apart before second-half ended.
League championsEdit
Most seasons were split in halves, with the winner of the first half of the season playing the winner of the second half of the season in a formal league play-off that decided the Pennant winner. For some years it is unclear if a split season was played and if the second half schedule was completed. In the below list, the first half winner is noted with a raised "1" and the second half winner is noted with a raised "2".
^No 2nd half standings have been found, but since Claybrook took place in the end-of-season play-off, they are assumed to have been the 2nd half champions.
Negro Dixie SeriesEdit
The Negro Dixie Series was an informal "championship" series between a top NSL team and the champion of one of the various Texas-based Negro leagues. Oddly, the NSL participant was usually not the league champion.
1933: New Orleans Crescent Stars (NSL) tied Nashville Elite Giants (of the NNL2), 4g-4g
1933 (first round): New Orleans Crescent Stars defeated Houston Black Buffaloes (of the Negro Texas League), 4g-0g
After the completion of the 1933 Negro Dixie Series, the Chicago American Giants challenged the Crescent Stars to a "self-proclaimed" Negro World Series. The American Giants had their claim to the NNL first-half title dismissed by the league president, who also happened to be the owner of the team who did claim the first-half title (Pittsburgh Crawfords). In response, Chicago held their own championship series, and defeated the Crescent Stars, 5 games to 1.[4]
ReferencesEdit
^Mills, P. (2003). "Negro League Baseball Dot Com - Historical Timeline Of Negro League Baseball". Retrieved 2009-09-26.
^ abcd"Negro Southern League Standings" (PDF). Negro Southern League Museum Research Center. Center for Negro League Baseball Research. (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
^ abHolway, John (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, Florida: Hastings House Publishers. ISBN0-8038-2007-0.
^""Play-Off Championship" Series (1930-1939)" (pdf). Center for Negro League Baseball Research. (pdf) from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
External linksEdit
Negro Southern League Museum
Negro Southern League Museum Research Center
October 21, 2023
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The Negro Southern League NSL was one of the several Negro baseball leagues created during the time organized baseball was segregated The NSL was organized as a minor league in 1920 and lasted until 1936 It was considered a major league for the 1932 season and it was also the only organized league to finish its full schedule that season primarily due to the Great Depression Prior to the season several established teams joined the NSL mainly from the collapsed Negro National League Negro Southern LeagueClassificationMinor leagueSportNegro league baseballFounded1920Ceased1936No of teams6 8 per season 44 total CountryUnited StatesMost titlesNashville Elite Giants 4 Birmingham Black Barons 3 Notes1932 is considered the only year of major league status League did not organize for the 1924 25 28 or 1930 seasons Contents 1 League history 1 1 Founding 1 2 Hiatuses 1 3 Level of play 1 4 Legacy 2 Negro Southern League franchises 2 1 1932 Major league status 2 2 Member timeline 3 League champions 3 1 Pennant winners 3 2 League playoffs 3 3 Negro Dixie Series 4 References 5 External linksLeague history EditFounding Edit The Negro Southern League was a Negro baseball league organized by Tom Wilson in 1920 1 as a minor league Leagues in the depression era Southern United States were far less organized and lucrative than those in the north owing to a smaller population base and a lower standard of living The NSL operated on an irregular basis as each season s schedule was depended upon the availability of the more prominent team owners who were quick to seek more profitable avenues whenever possible Hiatuses Edit The NSL did not organize a schedule for the 1924 2 3 1925 2 3 or 1928 2 5 seasons due to the Birmingham Black Barons and Memphis Red Sox participating in the Negro National League those years The remaining NSL teams all played independent schedules those years The 1929 season was poorly attended and teams struggled to complete their schedules Birmingham and Memphis did not participate For the 1930 season the Nashville Elite Giants and Louisville Black Caps left for the NNL this and the continued absence of Birmingham and Memphis led to the 1930 season being scrapped 2 6 The remaining NSL teams played independent schedules that year while the New Orleans Caulfield Ads moved to the Texas Louisiana League Level of play Edit For most of its existence the NSL was considered a minor league with some teams providing talent to more profitable Negro league teams The most notable example is the Monroe Monarchs acting as a farm team for the Kansas City Monarchs The Negro National League collapsed for good after the 1931 season and many players and two teams migrated to the NSL The Great Depression had decimated the profits of most Negro league teams and only a few organized Negro leagues survived the newly formed East West League also folded in mid 1932 The NSL was considered the highest quality surviving league and it therefore became the de facto major league for the 1932 season The NSL was the only organized league to complete their full schedule With the creation of a new Negro National League in 1933 many players and some teams left the NSL and it slipped back into being regarded as having minor league status Legacy Edit When the NSL collapsed for the last time after the 1936 season some of its member teams folded as well but a handful of the teams continued on The Nashville Elite Giants excelled in the new Negro National League for years while the Memphis Red Sox and Birmingham Black Barons excelled in the Negro American League which was newly organized in time for the 1937 season and absorbed some NSL teams when the league collapsed On the eve of integration in 1945 a new minor Negro league was organized with teams in the South it assumed the name of the old league and also called itself the Negro Southern League This second NSL lasted until 1951 Negro Southern League franchises EditEight franchises competed in what many consider the first minor league season in 1920 3 146 They were the Montgomery Grey Sox Atlanta Black Crackers New Orleans Caulfield Ads Knoxville Giants Birmingham Black Barons Nashville White Sox Pensacola Giants and Jacksonville Stars Below is a list of teams that competed in the Negro Southern League Negro Southern League 1920 1923 1926 1927 1929 1931 1936 Team Years in league NotesKnoxville Giants 1920 1922 1931 1932 Only played in 2nd half of 1932 season and just as an associate teamMontgomery Grey Sox 1920 1922 1926 1931 1933 1935 36 Also known as Gray Sox Replaced Monroe Monarchs during 1st half of 1933Atlanta Black Crackers 1920 21 1926 27 1929 1932 1935 36 Alternately called Cubs 1st half of 1926 Called Grey Sox 1929Birmingham Black Barons 1920 21 1923 1926 1931 32 1934 1936 Only played in 1st half of 1932 seasonNew Orleans Caulfield Ads 1920 1922 1926 1929 1935 Also called Black Pelicans 1st half of 1926 Only played 1st half of 1922 seasonJacksonville Stars 1920Pensacola Giants 1920Nashville Elite Giants 1921 1923 1926 27 1929 1931 32Nashville White Sox 1920 Possibly same franchise as or related to Elite GiantsChattanooga Tigers 1921 22Chattanooga 1920 Associate team only Possibly same franchise as or related to TigersLouisville 1920 Associate team onlyMemphis Red Sox 1920 1923 1926 1931 1936 Associate team 1920Bessemer AL Stars 1921 Only played in 1st half of seasonGadsden AL Giants 1921 Only played in 1st half of seasonMobile Braves 1921 Only played in 1st half of seasonNew Orleans Crescent Stars 1922 23 1933 34 Replaced Caulfield Ads for 2nd half of 1922 seasonLouisville Stars 1922 Also called White SoxAlbany GA Giants 1926Chattanooga Black Lookouts 1926 27 1929 1931 1935 36 Called White Sox for 1st half of 1926 season Called Black Cats for 1929 seasonEvansville Reichert Giants 1927 1929 Called Evansville Louis Reichert Giants 1927Bessemer AL Grey Sox 1927Hopkinsville KY Athletics 1927 1936 The 1927 and 1936 teams are possibly separate teams Only played 1st half of 1936 seasonJackson TN Cubs 1927Louisville Black Caps 1929 1932 Also called Black Cats 1929 Disbanded mid season 1932Atlanta Panthers 1931 Only played in 2nd half of seasonColumbus Turfs 1932 Replaced Louisville Black Caps for 2nd half of seasonCole s American Giants 1932Monroe Monarchs 1932 1934 Only played 1st half of 1933 seasonLittle Rock Grays 1932Little Rock Black Travelers 1931 Dropped out before end of 1931 seasonIndianapolis ABCs 1932Cleveland Cubs 1932Lexington KY Hard Hitters 1932 Replaced Birmingham Black Barons during 1st half of seasonKansas City Monarchs 1932 Associate team onlyAlcoa Aluminum Sluggers 1932 Only played in 2nd half of season and just as an associate teamShreveport Cubs 1933Algiers LA Giants 1933Little Rock Stars 1933Jackson TN Senators 1933 Also called Bear Cats Only played 1st half of seasonAlexandria LA Lincoln Giants 1933Pine Bluff AR Boosters 1933 Replaced Jackson Senators for 2nd half of seasonCincinnati Tigers 1934 1936Atlanta Athletics 1934Claybrook AR Tigers 1935Louisville Caps 1934 Also called Black SoxNashville Black Vols 1936 Also called Elite GiantsNote An associate team is one who is not a member of the league but games played against them by league teams count in the league standings 1932 Major league status Edit Eight franchises competed in the league in 1932 3 292 the sole season the Negro Southern League was considered a major Negro league Atlanta Black Crackers Cole s American Giants Indianapolis ABCs Louisville Black Caps moved to Columbus and became the Columbus Turfs during the 1932 season Memphis Red Sox Monroe Monarchs Montgomery Grey Sox Nashville Elite GiantsMember timeline Edit Below is a timeline of teams that played more than one season in the NSL 1920 Formation of NSL consisting of 8 teams Montgomery Grey Sox Atlanta Black Crackers New Orleans Caulfield Ads Knoxville Giants Birmingham Black Barons Nashville White Sox Pensacola Giants and Jacksonville Stars 1921 Dropped Nashville White Sox Pensacola Giants and Jacksonville Stars Added Nashville Elite Giants Memphis Red Sox and Chattanooga Tigers 1922 Dropped Atlanta Black Crackers Birmingham Black Barons and New Orleans Caulfield Ads mid June Added Louisville Stars and New Orleans Crescent Stars mid June 1923 Dropped Knoxville Giants Louisville Stars Montgomery Grey Sox and Chattanooga Tigers Added Birmingham Black Barons 1924 no schedule played 1925 no schedule played 1926 Dropped New Orleans Crescent Stars Added New Orleans Caulfield Ads Albany Giants Montgomery Grey Sox Atlanta Black Crackers and Chattanooga Black Lookouts 1927 Dropped Birmingham Black Barons Memphis Red Sox Albany Giants Montgomery Grey Sox and New Orleans Caulfield Ads Added Evansville Louis Reichert Giants Bessemer Grey Sox Hopkinsville Athletics and Jackson Cubs 1928 no schedule played 1929 Dropped Bessemer Grey Sox Hopkinsville Athletics and Jackson Cubs Added Louisville Black Caps and New Orleans Caulfield Ads 1930 no schedule played 1931 Dropped Evansville Louis Reichert Giants Atlanta Black Crackers Louisville Black Caps and New Orleans Caulfield Ads Added Birmingham Black Barons Memphis Red Sox Knoxville Giants and Montgomery Grey Sox 1932 Dropped Chattanooga Black Lookouts and Knoxville Giants Added Cole s American Giants Monroe Monarchs Little Rock Grays Louisville Black Caps Indianapolis ABC s Atlanta Black Crackers and Cleveland Cubs 1933 Dropped Cole s American Giants Nashville Elite Giants Little Rock Grays Louisville Black Caps Indianapolis ABC s Birmingham Black Barons Atlanta Black Crackers and Cleveland Cubs Added Little Rock Stars New Orleans Crescent Stars Shreveport Cubs Algiers Giants Jackson Senators and Alexandria Lincoln Giants 1934 Dropped Little Rock Stars Shreveport Cubs Algiers Giants Jackson Senators and Alexandria Lincoln Giants Added Cincinnati Tigers Birmingham Black Barons and Louisville Caps 1935 Dropped Monroe Monarchs Louisville Caps Cincinnati Tigers and New Orleans Crescent Stars Added Claybrook Tigers New Orleans Caulfield Ads Atlanta Black Crackers Chattanooga Black Lookouts and Montgomery Grey Sox 1936 Dropped Claybrook Tigers and New Orleans Caulfield Ads Added Cincinnati Tigers Nashville Black Vols and Hopkinsville Athletics League fell apart before second half ended League champions EditMost seasons were split in halves with the winner of the first half of the season playing the winner of the second half of the season in a formal league play off that decided the Pennant winner For some years it is unclear if a split season was played and if the second half schedule was completed In the below list the first half winner is noted with a raised 1 and the second half winner is noted with a raised 2 Pennant winners Edit 1920 Montgomery Grey Sox a 1921 Nashville Elite Giants 1922 Nashville Elite Giants 1923 Birmingham Black Barons b 1924 no schedule played 1925 no schedule played 1926 Birmingham Black Barons 1927 Chattanooga Black Lookouts c 1928 no schedule played 1929 Nashville Elite Giants 1930 no schedule played 1931 Nashville Elite Giants 1932 Cole s American Giants 1933 Memphis Red Sox 1st half 1933 New Orleans Crescent Stars 2nd half 1934 Undetermined 1935 Claybrook Tigers 1936 Birmingham Black Barons d League playoffs Edit 1921 Nashville Elite Giants defeated Montgomery Grey Sox 4g 1g 1926 Birmingham Black Barons1 defeated Memphis Red Sox2 5g 2g 3 ties 1932 Cole s American Giants1 e defeated Nashville Elite Giants2 5g 3g 1935 Claybrook Tigers2 f defeated Memphis Red Sox1 4g 3g Notes Disputed by Nashville White Sox 1st half only no 2nd half season ended 1st half only no 2nd half season ended Nashville Elite Giants were also recognized as winning the 1st half 1st half only no 2nd half season ended Disputed by Monroe Monarchs No 2nd half standings have been found but since Claybrook took place in the end of season play off they are assumed to have been the 2nd half champions Negro Dixie Series Edit The Negro Dixie Series was an informal championship series between a top NSL team and the champion of one of the various Texas based Negro leagues Oddly the NSL participant was usually not the league champion 1927 Nashville Elite Giants NSL defeated Dallas Black Giants of the Negro Texas League 4g 1g 1931 Monroe Monarchs of the Texas Louisiana Negro League defeated Nashville Elite Giants NSL no details 1932 Monroe Monarchs NSL defeated Austin of the Texas Louisiana Negro League 4g 2g 1933 New Orleans Crescent Stars NSL tied Nashville Elite Giants of the NNL2 4g 4g 1933 first round New Orleans Crescent Stars defeated Houston Black Buffaloes of the Negro Texas League 4g 0gAfter the completion of the 1933 Negro Dixie Series the Chicago American Giants challenged the Crescent Stars to a self proclaimed Negro World Series The American Giants had their claim to the NNL first half title dismissed by the league president who also happened to be the owner of the team who did claim the first half title Pittsburgh Crawfords In response Chicago held their own championship series and defeated the Crescent Stars 5 games to 1 4 References Edit Mills P 2003 Negro League Baseball Dot Com Historical Timeline Of Negro League Baseball Retrieved 2009 09 26 a b c d Negro Southern League Standings PDF Negro Southern League Museum Research Center Center for Negro League Baseball Research Archived PDF from the original on March 27 2017 Retrieved February 25 2017 a b Holway John 2001 The Complete Book of Baseball s Negro Leagues The Other Half of Baseball History Fern Park Florida Hastings House Publishers ISBN 0 8038 2007 0 Play Off Championship Series 1930 1939 pdf Center for Negro League Baseball Research Archived pdf from the original on March 15 2014 Retrieved March 22 2017 External links EditNegro Southern League Museum Negro Southern League Museum Research Center Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Negro Southern League 1920 1936 amp oldid 1164141999, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
