The Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, more commonly known as the Eastern Colored League (ECL), was one of the several
Negro leagues
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 ...
, which operated during the time organized baseball was segregated.
League history
Founding
The ECL was founded in
1923
Events
January–February
* January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory).
* January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
when the Philadelphia-area
Hilldale Club
The Hilldale Athletic Club (informally known as Darby Daisies) were an American professional Negro league baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia.
Established as a boys team in 1910, the Hilldales were developed by their ...
and the
Bacharach Giants of Atlantic City, both associate members of the midwest-based
Negro National League (NNL), broke with the NNL and allied with the white promoter
Nat Strong
Nathaniel Calvin "Nat" Strong (January 4, 1874 – January 10, 1935) was an American sports executive who was an officer and owner in Negro league baseball.
In 1906 Strong became the Secretary for the National Association of Colored Baseball Clu ...
to form an east coast league. The charter members were:
Hilldale, the
Bacharach Giants, the
Brooklyn Royal Giants
The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initially played against white semi-pro teams. T ...
, the
Cuban Stars (East)
The Cuban Stars (East) were a team of professional baseball players from Cuba and other Latin American countries who competed in the Negro leagues in the eastern United States from 1916 to 1933. They generally were a traveling team that played on ...
, the
Lincoln Giants of New York, and the
Baltimore Black Sox
The Baltimore Black Sox were a professional Negro league baseball team active between 1913 and 1936, based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Founding
The Black Sox started as an independent team in 1913 by Howard Young. They were one of the original six ...
. In 1924 the
Harrisburg Giants
The Harrisburg Giants were a U.S. professional Negro league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Originally formed in April 1890 by Colonel William "C.W." Strothers as an amateur team, they became semi-professional by 1894. They joined ...
and
Washington Potomacs joined, bringing the circuit to eight clubs. The ECL raided the NNL for players, including Hall of Famers
Oscar Charleston
Oscar McKinley Charleston (October 14, 1896 – October 5, 1954) was an American center fielder and manager in Negro league baseball. Over his 43-year baseball career, Charleston played or managed with more than a dozen teams, including the Home ...
,
Biz Mackey, and
John Henry Lloyd
John Henry Lloyd (April 25, 1884 – March 19, 1964), nicknamed "Pop" and "El Cuchara", was an American baseball shortstop and manager in the Negro leagues. During his 27-year career, he played for many teams and had a .343 batting average. Lloy ...
, starting a war that lasted for two years.
In 1925 the Washington Potomacs moved to Wilmington, Delaware, but still disbanded in July. Their 1926 replacement, the
Newark Stars The Newark Stars were a Negro league baseball team in the Eastern Colored League, based in Newark, New Jersey, in 1926. The team's owner was Wilbur Crelin and its manager and third baseman was Andy Harris. The team featured outfielder Charlie Ma ...
, folded after only 11 games.
Uneasy peace
At the end of the 1924 season the two leagues made peace and arranged for a
Colored World Series
The Negro World Series was a post-season baseball tournament that was held from 1924 to 1927 and from 1942 to 1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east-coast counterparts. The series was a ...
between their champions. This series was played each year from 1924 through 1927. The only ECL club to win the World Series was
Hilldale in 1925.
Demise
Beginning in 1927 the league was wracked by dissension between club owners. New York's
Lincoln Giants dropped out for that season. They returned the next, but then
Hilldale, the
Brooklyn Royal Giants
The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initially played against white semi-pro teams. T ...
, and the
Harrisburg Giants
The Harrisburg Giants were a U.S. professional Negro league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Originally formed in April 1890 by Colonel William "C.W." Strothers as an amateur team, they became semi-professional by 1894. They joined ...
all dropped out. The
Philadelphia Tigers
The Philadelphia Tigers were a Negro league baseball team that played briefly in the 1928 Eastern Colored League (ECL) before the circuit disbanded in early June. The Tigers, organized by Smittie Lucas, featured a few well-known east coast player ...
were recruited to bring the league up to five teams for 1928. The ECL staggered through May, but finally disbanded in the midst of disputes over player contracts at the beginning of June.
ECL franchises
:''Annual final standings:
1923
Events
January–February
* January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory).
* January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
,
1924
Events
January
* January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after.
* January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
,
1925
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...
,
1926,
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
...
,
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
''
*
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
The Bacharach Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Founding
The club was founded when two African-American politicians moved the Duval Giants of Jacksonville, Florida, to Atlantic City in 1916 and ...
(1923–1928)
*
Baltimore Black Sox
The Baltimore Black Sox were a professional Negro league baseball team active between 1913 and 1936, based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Founding
The Black Sox started as an independent team in 1913 by Howard Young. They were one of the original six ...
(1923–1928)
*
Brooklyn Royal Giants
The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initially played against white semi-pro teams. T ...
(1923–1928)
*
Cuban Stars (East)
The Cuban Stars (East) were a team of professional baseball players from Cuba and other Latin American countries who competed in the Negro leagues in the eastern United States from 1916 to 1933. They generally were a traveling team that played on ...
(1923–1928)
*
Hilldale of Darby, Pennsylvania (1923–1928)
*
New York Lincoln Giants
The Lincoln Giants were a Negro league baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930.
Founding
The Lincoln Giants can trace their origins back to the Nebraska Indians, of Lincoln, Nebraska, from the 1890s. According to Sol White ...
(1923–1928)
*
Harrisburg Giants
The Harrisburg Giants were a U.S. professional Negro league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Originally formed in April 1890 by Colonel William "C.W." Strothers as an amateur team, they became semi-professional by 1894. They joined ...
(1924–1927)
*
Washington/Wilmington Potomacs (1924–1925)
*
Newark Stars The Newark Stars were a Negro league baseball team in the Eastern Colored League, based in Newark, New Jersey, in 1926. The team's owner was Wilbur Crelin and its manager and third baseman was Andy Harris. The team featured outfielder Charlie Ma ...
(1926)
*
Homestead Grays
The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington Homestead Grays) were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States.
The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and remained in continuo ...
(1928)
Member timeline
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bar:ATC # Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
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# Note on dates: A team's bar begins with the season that team played its first game, and ends with the season after that team played its last game. For example, the Harrisburg Giants played their first game in 1924 and played their last game in 1927. Therefore, their bar goes from 1924 to 1928.
bar:ATC from:1923 till:1929 color:redorange text:"Atlantic City Bacharach Giants" $Right2
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bar:NEW from:1926 till:1927 color:green text:"Newark Stars" $Right
bar:HOM from:1928 till:1929 color:gold text:"Homestead Grays" $Right2
*1923: Formation of ECL consisting of 6 teams — Hilldale, Cuban Stars, Brooklyn Royal Giants, Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, New York Lincoln Giants and Baltimore Black Sox
*1924: Added Harrisburg Giants and Washington/Wilmington Potomacs.
*1926: Dropped Washington/Wilmington Potomacs; Added Newark Stars.
*1927: Dropped Newark Stars.
*1928: Dropped Harrisburg Giants; Added Homestead Grays. The league broke up midway through the season due to the breakdown of the founder (and manager of Hilldale) although the individual teams continued to play.
League champions
Pennant Winners
The team in first place at the end of the season was declared the Pennant winner. Due to the unorthodox nature of the schedule (and little incentive to enforce it), some teams frequently played many more games than others did in any given season. This led to some disputed championships and two teams claiming the title. Generally, the team with the best
winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...
(with some minimum number of games played) was awarded the Pennant, but other times it was the team with the most victories. The "
games behind
In most North American sports, the phrase games behind or games back (often abbreviated GB) is a common way to reflect the gap between a leading team and another team in a sports league, conference, or division.
Example
In the below standings fr ...
" method of recording standings was uncommon in most black leagues. Four of the five pennant winners went on to play in the
Negro World Series
The Negro World Series was a post-season baseball tournament that was held from 1924 to 1927 and from 1942 to 1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east-coast counterparts. The series was ...
(all except for the first in 1923).
Colored World Series
For the duration of the league, a Colored World Series took place four times, from 1924 through 1927. The ECL Pennant winner met the champion of the rival
Negro National League. Three out of the four years, the Eastern Colored League team (below in bold) succumbed.
*
1924
Events
January
* January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after.
* January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
–
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 1930 ...
beat Hilldale Club, 5 games to 4 games (1 tie)
*
1925
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...
– Hilldale Club beat Kansas City Monarchs, 5 games to 1 game
*
1926 –
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" ...
beat Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, 5 games to 4 games (2 ties)
*
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
...
– Chicago American Giants beat Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, 5 games to 3 games (1 tie)
References
Sources
*
{{Authority control
Sports leagues established in 1923
Negro baseball leagues
Defunct baseball leagues in the United States
Sports leagues disestablished in 1928
1923 establishments in the United States
1928 disestablishments in the United States