Negro Southern League

Negro Southern League

Sport	Baseball
Founded	1920 (see Note)
No. of teams	11 (in 1932)
Country(ies)	United States
Ceased	1940s
Last champion(s)	Chicago American Giants (1932)
Notes 1932 is considered the only year of "major league" status

The Negro Southern League was a Negro baseball league organized in 1920 that lasted into the 1940s. Negro leagues in Southern United States were far less organized and lucrative than those in the north due to Jim Crow laws. Tom Wilson organized the Negro Southern League in 1920.^[1]

For most of its existence, the NSL was considered a minor league. However in 1932 it was the de facto Negro major league when it was the only organized league to complete the year after the East-West League folded in mid-summer. With the creation of the second Negro National League the following year, the NSL slipped back into being regarded as having minor league status. Many of the teams left the league in later years, seeking the brighter pastures of the Negro American League.

Champions

• 1932: Cole's American Giants^[2]

Franchises

• Atlanta, Georgia
  • Atlanta Black Crackers (1920-1937), team joined the Negro American League in 1938^[3]
• Birmingham, Alabama
  • Birmingham Black Barons (1920-1922), team joined the Negro National League then left to rejoin the NSL before moving on to other leagues^[3]
• Chattanooga, Tennessee
  • Chattanooga Black Lookouts (1920, 1926-27)
  • Chattanooga Choo-Choos (1940-46)
• Chicago, Illinois
  • Cole's American Giants
• Cleveland, Ohio
  • Cleveland Cubs (1932)^[3]
• Columbus, Ohio
  • Columbus Turfs; the Louisville Black Caps moved to Columbus during the 1933 season
• Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Indianapolis ABC's
• Little Rock, Arkansas
  • Little Rock Greys^[3]
• Louisville, Kentucky
  • Louisville Black Caps; moved to Columbus and became the Columbus Turfs during the 1932 season
• Memphis, Tennessee
  • Memphis Red Sox
• Monroe, Louisiana
  • Monroe Monarchs
• Montgomery, Alabama
  • Montgomery Grey Sox
• Nashville, Tennessee
  • Nashville Elite Giants

References

1. ^ Mills, P. (2003). "Negro League Baseball Dot Com - Historical Timeline Of Negro League Baseball". http://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/timeline.html. Retrieved 2009-09-26. 
2. ^ "Negro Southern League - BR Bullpen". http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Negro_Southern_League. Retrieved 2009-09-24. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} "Negro Southern League (Negro Majors) Encyclopedia and History - Baseball-Reference.com". http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?code=NSL&class=NegroMjr. Retrieved 2009-09-26. 

External links

• "Negro Southern League - BR Bullpen". http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Negro_Southern_League. Retrieved 2009-09-24. 
• "Negro Southern League (Negro Majors) Encyclopedia and History - Baseball-Reference.com". http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?code=NSL&class=NegroMjr. Retrieved 2009-09-26.