The Indianapolis Clowns were a 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 ...

team in the

Negro American League The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 season. Negro American League franchises :''An ...

. Tracing their origins back to the 1930s, the Clowns were the last of the Negro league teams to disband, continuing to play exhibition games into the 1980s. They began play as the independent Ethiopian Clowns, joined the

as the Cincinnati Clowns and, after a couple of years, relocated to Indianapolis.

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. One of the gre ...

was a Clown for a short period, and the Clowns were also one of the first professional baseball teams to hire a female player.

History

Founding

Before becoming the Ethiopian Clowns, there is evidence indicating that the team was formed in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, in 1935 or 1936 by Hunter Campbell and bootlegger Johnny Pierce, and was known as the Miami Giants, and, by 1941, as the Miami Ethiopian Clown. The team became an independent barnstorming club, shortening its name to the Ethiopian Clowns.

Syd Pollock Sydney S. Pollock (March 20, 1901 - November 22, 1968) was an American sports executive in Negro league baseball. Pollock worked as a booking agent for several clubs starting in the late 1910s before becoming an executive with the Havana Red Sox/ ...

was instrumental in promoting and popularizing the Clowns and developed them into a nationally-known combination of show business and baseball that earned them the designation as the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

of baseball. In 1943, the team was relocated to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, where they became the Cincinnati Clowns. That same year they joined the

, beginning a 12-year membership in the circuit before withdrawing following the 1954 season. The team operated between Cincinnati and

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

in 1944 and 1945 before officially moving to Indianapolis in 1946, playing as the Indianapolis Clowns for the rest of their existence. Cincinnati Clowns Pennant

The team won the league championship in 1950.

Barnstorming

While still fielding a legitimate team, the Clowns also toured with several members known for comic acts — sort of a baseball version of the

, including Joe "Prince" Henry. As the Negro leagues declined in the late 1940s after the integration of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, the Clowns continued operations on

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in t ...

tours into the 1960s. The team relocated from Indianapolis to

Offermann Stadium Offermann Stadium was an outdoor baseball and football stadium in Buffalo, New York. Opened in 1924 as Bison Stadium, it was home to the Buffalo Bisons ( IL), Buffalo Bisons/Rangers ( NFL) and Indianapolis Clowns (NAL). The stadium hosted notab ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, in 1951, while retaining the Indianapolis Clowns name. The Clowns left Buffalo after the 1955 season. By 1966 the Indianapolis Clowns were the last Negro league team still playing. The Clowns continued to play exhibition games into the 1980s, but as a humorous sideshow rather than a competitive sport. After many years of operation as a barnstorming team, the Clowns finally disbanded in 1989.

Hank Aaron and other notable Clowns

By 1952, Syd Pollock signed

to his first professional contract, at $200 a month. Aaron played about three months as the Clowns' shortstop and cleanup hitter before being acquired by the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

organization for $10,000. The Clowns fielded such stars as

Buster Haywood Albert Elliott "Buster" Haywood (January 12, 1910 – April 19, 2000) was a Negro league baseball player and manager. He played for the Clowns in both Indianapolis and Cincinnati, the Birmingham Black Barons, and the New York Cubans. He won Most V ...

, Hubert "Big Daddy" Wooten, DeWitt "Woody" Smallwood, showman "Goose" Tatum and

Harlem Globetrotter The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of ...

star, and future Major Leaguers John Wyatt (

Kansas City Athletics The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 seas ...

Paul Casanova Paulino Ortiz Casanova (December 21, 1941 – August 12, 2017) was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1974 for the Washington Senators and Atlanta Braves. Minor league career Paul C ...

( Washington Senators),

Hal King Harold King (February 1, 1944 - March 23, 2019) was an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball and the Mexican League as a catcher from to for the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Cinci ...

(

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

), and

Choo-Choo Coleman Clarence "Choo-Choo" Coleman (August 25, 1937 – August 15, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. Career Clarence Coleman was born in Orla ...

(

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Female players

The Clowns were the first professional baseball team to hire a female player to a long-term contract that was not voided soon after. In an effort to replace Hank Aaron, who had left the team the previous year, the Clowns hired

Toni Stone Toni Stone (July 17, 1921 – November 2, 1996), born as Marcenia Lyle Stone in West Virginia,Rosengren, John (Summer 2019)"EYEWITNESS: Tomboy Stone" ''Minnesota History''. 66(6): 232 – via JSTOR. was the first of three women to play professio ...

to play second base with the team in 1953, in which she batted .243. The following year the Clowns sold her contract to the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

. They hired two women replacements: Pitcher Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, who would go on to record a record of 33-8 while batting between .262 to .284 on the team, and second baseman

Connie Morgan Constance Enola Morgan (October 17, 1935 – October 14, 1996) was the third woman to play professional baseball in the Negro league. Career A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Morgan graduated John Bartram High School in 1953 and atten ...

. Women also served as umpires for the team; notably, former Chicago model, Nancy Miller, was the first female umpire in pro ball.

Cinematic legacy

The 1976 movie ''

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings ''The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings'' is a 1976 American sports comedy film about a team of enterprising ex-Negro league baseball players in the era of racial segregation. Loosely based upon William Brashler's 1973 novel of the sa ...

'', starring

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thirt ...

, and

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

, is loosely based on the barnstorming of the Indianapolis Clowns.

References

Sources

* ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues'' – James A. Riley. Publisher: Chelsea House, 1996. Format: Paperback, 124pp. Language: English.

External links

The Indianapolis Clowns: Clowns of Baseball
* ttp://www.coe.ksu.edu/nlbemuseum/history/players/pollock.html Negro Leagues Baseball Museum – Syd Pollock Biography {{Authority control Negro league baseball teams

Clowns A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in t ...

Defunct baseball teams in Indiana Baseball teams established in 1935 Sports clubs disestablished in 1989

Defunct baseball teams in Florida 1930s establishments in Florida African-American history of Indianapolis Baseball teams disestablished in 1989 Baseball in Cincinnati Sports in Buffalo, New York