The Dayton Marcos were a

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 from

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

that played during the early twentieth century.

Founding and early years

The Dayton Marcos history predates the formal organized leagues of Negro league baseball. As an independent team, and also as the only black team in the Ohio-Indiana League they played black and white teams all over the country throughout the 1910s. Early newspaper accounts mention the team as early as 1909, billing them as "one of the strongest Dayton semi-professional teams." The team was started by Daytonian Moses Moore, a real estate agent. Moore owned the New Marco Hotel and apparently named his team after that enterprise. The team was to be entertainment for Dahomey Park, the first black-owned and operated amusement park in the United States. They set up shop in West Side Park, later renamed Westwood Field and located 2 blocks west of Dahomey Park. Local newspapers sometimes referred to the team as "Moses Moore's Marcos."

The flood of 1913

The region suffered a devastating flood in the spring of 1913. Marcos star pitcher Bill Sloan leapt to action, commandeering a boat and rescuing as many as 317 Dayton citizens.In 2013, an anonymous Good Samaritan donated a headstone memorializing Sloan's heroic act.

Negro National League years

1920

The Marcos were founding members of the Negro National League when it was founded on February 13, 1920. They were managed by Candy Jim Taylor, who also played Third Base. With his managerial career spanning three decades, Taylor would go on to be the winningest manager in Negro League history, including winning two Negro League World Series with the Homestead Grays. The Marcos National Negro League home opener was on June 12, 1920 at Westwood Field (present day James H. McGee Blvd. and Rosedale), a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Giants. Local Koke Alexander led the team in hitting with a .350 batting average, while rookie George "Chippy" Britt was the Marcos' workhorse on the mound. Britt would play for 21 more seasons. The Marcos finished the 1920 campaign in seventh place with a 16-36 record, 23 games behind the pennant winning

Chicago American Giants The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball. Owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Fo ...

"Sale" and franchise split

The league's winter meetings kicked off on December 4 with owner John Matthews present as representative of the Marcos. Early accounts announced the sale of the Marcos to businessmen in Columbus, Ohio, where it was rechristened as the Columbus Buckeyes. However, a 1943 column in The Pittsburgh Courier written by Hall of Fame player, manager, and executive

Cum Posey Cumberland Willis "Cum" Posey Jr. (June 20, 1890 – March 28, 1946) was an American baseball player, manager, and team owner in the Negro leagues, as well as a professional basketball player and team owner. Early life Cumberland Jr. was born i ...

detailed the true story: "Mathews icof the Dayton Marcos went to sleep in the league meeting. When he awoke "Rube" had taken his franchise and divided his players among the other clubs." While the press billed the move as a transfer and several former Marcos joined the Buckeyes, Matthews continued to operate the Marcos as an independent team. In April, the club hosted the Buckeyes in a 10-5 loss at Westwood Field.

1926

John Matthews, still owner of the Marcos, was present at NNL winter meetings and the Marcos were slated to rejoin the NNL in 1923. However, the team would not rejoin league play until

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

. The Marcos made agreements with local clubs to once again using Westwood Field with plans to renovate their old home including additional seating. Local star catcher Eddie Huff was signed as field manager. The 1926 Marcos were a revolving door of names and faces, with as many as 43 different men wearing a Dayton uniform in league play. In June the Marcos made headlines by grabbing former star shortstop Joe Dewitt from the St. Louis Stars, purchasing him outright along with 4 other players. Hewitt struggled in his new home, hitting .079 in league play. Hewitt was briefly backed up by 20 year old rookie shortstop Alex Radcliff, who would later garner 11 All-Star selections with the Chicago American Giants. On July 13, the Marcos travelled to Schorling Park in Chicago to face the American Giants. The day ended in the Marcos landing on the wrong side of a 13-0 no-hitter by Rube Currie in the second game of a doubleheader. Just six days later, the team withdrew from league play. The Marcos ended the year in last place with a 6-36 record.

Independent

After leaving the NNL, the Marcos returned to independent play and participated in the integrated Indiana-Ohio League, winning the championship in 1932. Hall of Fame pitcher Ray Brown got his start with the team in 1930 before embarking on a career that led to the Hall of Fame.

Final years

Long time owner Matthews died at home in Dayton in spring of 1942, and his Marcos were remembered as "the means of keeping semi pro ball alive" in Dayton. By 1943, the Marcos had rebranded at least twice as the independent Dayton Monarchs and Dayton Elks. By 1947, the Marcos name had returned and the team was a member of the minor Western American Association. Newspaper coverage of the Marcos fades after 1950, and in 1952 Westwood Field (then known as Sucher's Park) was sold for redevelopment.

Legacy

In 2011, the entire Marcos franchise was honored with a permanently installed marker in the Dayton Walk of Fame, located in the historic Wright-Dunbar Business District in the city. From 2016-2019, Sinclair Community College the Negro Leagues by wearing replicas of Marcos and other jerseys for several games. On June 12, 2021, the City of Dayton celebrated "Dayton Marcos Day."

Notable players

Chippy Britt George W. "Chippy" Britt, also listed as George Britton and George Brittain (July 6, 1895 – February 13, 1972) was an American baseball player in the Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising ...

* Ray Brown * Joe Dewitt *

Dizzy Dismukes William "Dizzy" Dismukes (March 15, 1890 – June 30, 1961) was an American pitcher and manager in Negro league baseball and during the pre-Negro league years. Career Dismukes was a right-handed submariner, who is considered by many historians t ...

Alex Radcliffe Alex Radcliffe (July 26, 1905 – July 18, 1983) was a baseball player in the Negro leagues. He is widely acknowledged to have been the best third baseman in the history of the Negro American League. He was the brother of Ted "Double Duty" R ...

Candy Jim Taylor James Allen "Candy Jim" Taylor (February 1, 1884April 3, 1948) was an American third baseman and manager in Negro league baseball. In a career that spanned forty years, he played as an infielder in the early years of the 20th century for over a ...

References

External links

Franchise history at Seamheads.com

{{Negro League teams, Majorleague Negro league baseball teams Baseball in Dayton, Ohio 1910s establishments in Ohio Defunct baseball teams in Ohio Baseball teams disestablished in 1942 Baseball teams established in 1910