The Columbus Blue Birds were a professional

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

team based in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

in 1931 and 1933.

Founding

Their name appears to have been derived from that of the Columbus Red Birds, the top-level minor league baseball team that played in the American Association from 1931 through 1954. Columbus was an associate team to the first Negro National League in 1931. The Blue Birds, which were one of the five founder members of the second incarnation of the Negro National League, were organized under the ownership of WJ Peebles of Columbus. Peebles was reported to have built up "a formidable aggregation" and one that was fast growing in favor in the capital city.Newark Advocate. May 16, 1933 Several players, who formerly wore the colors of the Homestead Grays and Kansas City Monarchs had been added to the Birds' roster for their first season.

League play

Columbus started the season well, but proved too weak and finished the first half of the split season in last place of the six team league with a record of 11-18.

Demise

The team was disbanded and ended up merging with the Akron Tyrites, one of the top independent Negro league teams of their day. The merged team more or less became the Cleveland Giants, which finished the season.'Black Baseball in Cleveland during the Depression Years 1930-1940', ''Black Baseball in Cleveland''
Chapter 2, Retrieved July 24, 2005.

Notable players

Batting champion Leroy Morney and slugger Jabbo Andrews were the top stars. * Jabbo Andrews *

Ameal Brooks Ameal Brooks (June 3, 1904 - November, 1971) was an American baseball catcher in the Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans ...

Bill Byrd William Byrd (July 15, 1907 – January 4, 1991) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues. Born in Canton, Georgia, he was a right-handed pitcher. He was named in eight All-Star games for six seasons. Byrd also saw actio ...

Lou Dials Oland Cecil "Lou" Dials (January 10, 1904 – April 5, 1994) was an American baseball player in the Negro leagues. He played from 1925 to 1936 with several teams. He was the 1931 batting champ. He played in the 1936 East-West All-Star Game. From ...

* Dizzy Dismukes * Leroy Morney *

Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe Theodore Roosevelt "Double Duty" Radcliffe (July 7, 1902 – August 11, 2005) was a professional baseball player in the Negro leagues. An accomplished two-way player, he played as a pitcher and a catcher, became a manager, and in his old age ...

References

External links

*Peterson, Robert W. ''Only The Ball Was White'', (New York: Prentice-Hall Englewood-Cliffs, 1970)
Ohio Central History
{{Negro League teams, Majorleague Sports teams in Columbus, Ohio Negro league baseball teams Baseball teams established in 1933 Baseball teams disestablished in 1933 African-American history of Ohio 1933 establishments in Ohio 1933 disestablishments in Ohio Defunct baseball teams in Ohio