Negro Southern League (1920–1936)

Negro Southern League
Classification	Minor league
Sport	Negro league baseball
Founded	1920
Ceased	1936
No. of teams	6-8 per season (~44 total)
Country	United States
Most titles	Nashville Elite Giants (4) Birmingham Black Barons (3)
Notes
	1932 is considered the only year of "major league" status; League did not organize for the 1924–25, 28, or 1930 seasons;

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.

League history

Founding

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

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

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

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

Eight 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.

Team	Years in league	Notes
Negro Southern League (1920–1923, 1926–1927, 1929, 1931–1936)
Knoxville Giants	1920–1922, 1931–1932	• Only played in 2nd half of 1932 season and just as an associate team
Montgomery Grey Sox	1920–1922, 1926, 1931–1933, 1935–36	• Also known as Gray Sox • Replaced Monroe Monarchs during 1st half of 1933
Atlanta Black Crackers	1920–21, 1926–27, 1929, 1932, 1935–36	• Alternately called Cubs 1st half of 1926 • Called Grey Sox 1929
Birmingham Black Barons	1920–21, 1923, 1926, 1931–32, 1934–1936	• Only played in 1st half of 1932 season
New Orleans Caulfield Ads	1920–1922, 1926, 1929, 1935	• Also called Black Pelicans 1st half of 1926 • Only played 1st half of 1922 season
Jacksonville Stars	1920
Pensacola Giants	1920
Nashville Elite Giants	1921–1923, 1926–27, 1929, 1931–32
Nashville White Sox	1920	• Possibly same franchise as or related to Elite Giants
Chattanooga Tigers	1921–22
Chattanooga	1920	• Associate team only • Possibly same franchise as or related to Tigers
Louisville	1920	• Associate team only
Memphis Red Sox	1920–1923, 1926, 1931–1936	• Associate team 1920
Bessemer (AL) Stars	1921	• Only played in 1st half of season
Gadsden (AL) Giants	1921	• Only played in 1st half of season
Mobile Braves	1921	• Only played in 1st half of season
New Orleans Crescent Stars	1922–23, 1933–34	• Replaced Caulfield Ads for 2nd half of 1922 season
Louisville Stars	1922	• Also called White Sox
Albany (GA) Giants	1926
Chattanooga Black Lookouts	1926–27, 1929, 1931, 1935–36	• Called White Sox for 1st half of 1926 season • Called Black Cats for 1929 season
Evansville Reichert Giants	1927, 1929	• Called Evansville Louis Reichert Giants 1927
Bessemer (AL) Grey Sox	1927
Hopkinsville (KY) Athletics	1927, 1936	• The 1927 and 1936 teams are possibly separate teams • Only played 1st half of 1936 season
Jackson (TN) Cubs	1927
Louisville Black Caps	1929, 1932	• Also called Black Cats 1929 • Disbanded mid-season 1932
Atlanta Panthers	1931	• Only played in 2nd half of season
Columbus Turfs	1932	• Replaced Louisville Black Caps for 2nd half of season
Cole's American Giants	1932
Monroe Monarchs	1932–1934	• Only played 1st half of 1933 season
Little Rock Grays	1932
Little Rock Black Travelers	1931	• Dropped out before end of 1931 season
Indianapolis ABCs	1932
Cleveland Cubs	1932
Lexington (KY) Hard Hitters	1932	• Replaced Birmingham Black Barons during 1st half of season
Kansas City Monarchs	1932	• Associate team only
Alcoa Aluminum Sluggers	1932	• Only played in 2nd half of season and just as an associate team
Shreveport Cubs	1933
Algiers (LA) Giants	1933
Little Rock Stars	1933
Jackson (TN) Senators	1933	• Also called Bear Cats • Only played 1st half of season
Alexandria (LA) Lincoln Giants	1933
Pine Bluff (AR) Boosters	1933	• Replaced Jackson Senators for 2nd half of season
Cincinnati Tigers	1934, 1936
Atlanta Athletics	1934
Claybrook (AR) Tigers	1935
Louisville Caps	1934	• Also called Black Sox
Nashville Black Vols	1936	• Also called Elite Giants

Note: 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

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 Giants

Member timeline

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

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".

Pennant winners

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

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

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-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]

References

^ 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.