The Newark Eagles 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 which played in the Negro National League from

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

. They were owned by Abe and

Effa Manley Effa Louise Manley (March 27, 1897 – April 16, 1981) was an American sports executive. She co-owned the Newark Eagles baseball franchise in the Negro leagues with her husband Abe Manley from 1935 to 1948. Throughout that time, she served as th ...

History

Formation

The Newark Eagles were formed in 1936 when the Newark Dodgers, established in 1933, merged with the Brooklyn Eagles, established in 1935.

Abe Manley Abraham Lincoln Manley (December 22, 1885 – December 9, 1952) was an American Negro league baseball executive. He co-owned the Newark Eagles baseball franchise in the Negro leagues with his wife, Effa Manley, from 1935 to 1946. Biography ...

and his wife

, owners and founders of the Brooklyn Eagles, purchased the Newark Dodgers franchise and combined the teams' assets and player rosters. Charles Tyler, the previous owner of the Dodgers, signed the team over in exchange for cancellation of an approximately $500 debt that Tyler owed Abe Manley. Team management was left to Effa, making the Eagles the second professional baseball team owned and operated by a woman. The first such team was the Indianapolis ABCs who were owned by Olivia Taylor from 1922 to 1926. The Eagles shared Ruppert Stadium with the minor league Newark Bears.

Decline and demise

After the close of the 1948 season, in the aftermath of

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 ...

's successful

integration Integration may refer to: Biology *Multisensory integration *Path integration * Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome *DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technology, ...

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), ...

a year earlier, the Negro National League contracted and merged into 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 ...

. The Eagles were sold and moved to

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

for the 1949 season, where they became known as the Houston Eagles, part of the NAL's western division. Two years later they again relocated, this time to New Orleans. The New Orleans Eagles lasted one year before folding after the 1951 season.

Negro World Series champions

Under Effa Manley's guidance, the

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

team won the Negro World Series, upsetting 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 ...

in a 7-game series.

Hall of Fame players/Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Famers

Notable alumni

* Don Newcombe (1944–1945) 4 x MLB All Star; 1949 Rookie of the year; 1956

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...

; 1956 NL Most Valuable Player

References

{{Authority control African-American history in Newark, New Jersey Negro league baseball teams Sports in Newark, New Jersey Defunct baseball teams in New Jersey Baseball teams established in 1933 Baseball teams disestablished in 1951 1933 establishments in New Jersey 1951 disestablishments in Louisiana Baseball teams established in 1951