The First Black Baseball Players

When you ask about the first black baseballDodgers, Robinson was a star athlete at UCLA in
player, you can't try to determine that based onseveral sports. He had also played baseball on
the innumerable number of backlot games playedteams in the Negro League. He was signed by
as baseball became the popular national sport it isRichey in 1945, and he then spent the season of
today. People of all colors and races have been1946 in the Dodger minor league.
playing baseball in one form or another since theDuring that first major league year, he won the
game first came about. Who can even say whenvaunted Rookie of the Year award. He would go
the first game of true "baseball" was evenon from there to win many more. The greatest
played? It's not as easy a question as it seems.honor that Robinson was granted was the
When anyone talks about the first black baseballretirement of his number 42 from all of Major
player, they are really talking about the first blackLeague Baseball. Only Jackie Robinson has been
"professional" baseball player. The first instancesgiven such a high honor in the sport.
of black baseball players would be back in 1920,But as mentioned earlier, he is by no means the
when Rube Foster began to organize the Negrofirst black man to simply play the sport of
National League. The idea was even older, withbaseball. He was mainly the first to cross that line
the first concept of a black baseball league cominginto an all-white league and be successful doing it.
up in 1907.Before him, there were other players like Roy
But the first black baseball player to play for aCampanello, Josh Gibson, Buck O'Neil, Piper Davis,
previously all-white professional team was JackiePumpsie Green and Leroy "Satchel" Paige.
Robinson. He played his first game with theEven so, Jackie Robinson will always remain as the
Brooklyn Dodgers in April of 1947.one player who changed the history of baseball as
Before being signed by Branch Richey of thethe first black baseball player.