Tombstone
Formed: December 15, 1922 1Formation of the Eastern Colored League, Center for Negro League Baseball Research
Disbanded: June, 19282Bacharach Giants Again Top Daisies, The Afro-American, Baltimore, MD, June 16, 1928)
First Game: April 28, 1923 (Atlantic City Bacharachs 2 @ Hilldale Club 4)3 Formation of the Eastern Colored League, Center for Negro League Baseball Research
Final Game: June 19284Bacharach Giants Again Top Daisies, The Afro-American, Baltimore, MD, June 16, 1928
Seasons: 5
States (including DC): DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA
Leadership
Founder and Chairman of the Board: Ed Bolden
Trophy Case
The Eastern Colored League, officially the Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, was established in 1923, four years after the debut of the Negro National League. The league’s first two members, the Hilldale club of Philadelphia and the Bacharach Giants of Atlantic City had been association members of the NNL. That meant they played games against NNL clubs that counted in that league’s standings. but were not themselves part of the circuit.
The Hilldale Club, based in the Philadelphia suburb of Darby, and the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants invited the the Brooklyn Royal Giants, the Cuban Stars (East), the Lincoln Giants of New York, as well as the Baltimore Black Sox. The Harrisburg Giants and Washington Potomacs joined for the 1924 season, which brought league membership to eight clubs.
Between 1924 and 1927, the champion of the ECL met the champion of the Negro National League in the Negro World Series. The circuit dissolved in late spring 1928 after experiencing financial duress. In 1929, the surviving clubs formed the American Negro League.
Eastern Colored League Franchise List
| FRANCHISE | YEARS ACTIVE | Pennants | Negro World Series | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City Bacharachs | 1923-1928 | 1926, 1927, 1928 | ||
| Baltimore Black Sox | 1923-1928 | |||
| Brooklyn Royal Giants | 1923-1928 | |||
| Cuban Stars (East) | 1923-1928 | |||
| The Hilldale Club | 1923-1927 | 1923, 1924, 1925 | 1925 | |
| Newark Stars | 1926 | |||
| New York Lincoln Giants | 1923-1928 | |||
| Harrisburg Giants | 1924-1927 | |||
| Philadelphia Tigers | 1928 | |||
| Washington Potomacs | 1924 | |||
| Wilmington Poticmacs | 1925 |
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