Robert Benjamin Black (December 10, 1862 – March 21, 1933) was a 19th-century professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player. He played for the

Kansas City Cowboys Several sports team in Kansas City, Missouri have used the name Cowboys: *Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association), a baseball team in the Union Association in 1884 *Kansas City Cowboys (National League), a baseball team in the National League in 18 ...

of the

Union Association The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...

in 1884. In 1902, Black became manager of the

Le Mars Blackbirds The Le Mars Blackbirds were a minor league baseball team based in Le Mars, Iowa. In 1902 and 1903, the Blackbirds played as members of the Class D (baseball), Class D level Iowa-South Dakota League, capturing the 1903 league championship. Basebal ...

, who were charter members of the six–team Iowa-South Dakota League The Iowa-South Dakota League was formed as a Class D level League. The Blackbirds finished with a final record of 43–48 and placed fourth in the Iowa–South Dakota League standings, playing the season under managers Bobby Alberts and his replacement, Bob Black. Black was a resident of Le Mars and owned a local bowling alley. As a retired major league player, Black was recruited to become the manager after being spotted watching a game from the stands early in the season. In June of 1903, Le Mars manager Bob Black signed

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also creat ...

, to a contract with a salary of $150 per month. In his career, Rickey became best known for signing

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

to the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

while serving as Brooklyn's General Manager. In 1903, Rickey hit .265 in 41 games for Le Mars as the team's catcher and the Blackbirds won the league championship under Black.

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1862 births 1933 deaths Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball pitchers Kansas City Cowboys (UA) players Quincy Quincys players Memphis Browns players Omaha Omahogs players Keokuk Hawkeyes players Memphis Grays players Wilkes-Barre Barons (baseball) players Lynn Shoemakers players Sioux City Corn Huskers players 19th-century baseball players Baseball players from Ohio Memphis Reds players {{US-baseball-outfielder-1860s-stub