franchise history
The Pittsburgh Crawfords, known to fans simply as the Craws, were a professional team playing in the Negro Leagues, specifically the Negro National League II (NNLI), making its home base in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Crawfords had previously been known as the Crawford Colored Giants, and were named after a Crawford Bath House, a recreation sports center in the Crawford neighborhood of Pittsburgh's Hill District. [1]
However, in 1931, Gus Greenlee, successful underworld African-American businessman working in the Pittsburgh area, bought the Crawford Colored Giants outright, after he had spent the last decade of the 1920’s making several smart investments in the steel industry.
In 1933, he would found the second version of the Negro National League I (NNLI), the Negro National League II (NNLII), and even more importantly, would personally finance Greenlee Field, the first all-black professional baseball venue ever built.
Beginning in 1933, the Pittsburgh Crawfords were one of the strongest teams in the Negro National League II (NNLII), with some claiming them as the one of the great franchise in history of the Negro Leagues.
This could very well have been the case on several seasons, as owner Gus Greenlee was often able to use his commanding wealth and power to build some of the most formidable franchises in the history of the Negro Leagues.
With no league structure for a salary cap, Greenlee could use the money he made from his other successful ventures to steal some of the best talent in black baseball.
As Richard L. Gilmore recounts in a 1996 article on the history of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, they initially found beginnings as an interracial team playing for the local youth Hill District. A group who frequently played baseball together in neighborhood sandlots.
Resident families included black migrants from Southern parts of the United States, and European immigrants, all of whom were attracted to industrial jobs the steel industry provided.
As the Hill District teams became more competitive and professionalized, lines of color were drawn.
Teams became formalized initially through the efforts of Bill Harris and Teenie Harris (no relation), who managed teams that emerged from local Hill District schools.
Bill played with a team for which he later managed from McKelvey High School, while Teenie formed his squad from the Watt School.
The teams played each other twice, and in both games Teenie’s squad laid claim to victory by a small margin.
This competitive fire lead to the two managers discussing the idea of to joining forces to create a predominantly black professional baseball team. [3]
Gus Greenlee soon purchased a minority ownership stake in the team in 1931 and made that a majority stake in 1933.
It was a time of great turmoil in professional black baseball.
The original version of the Negro National League (NNLI) created in 1920, had collapsed due to the strain the economics of the game had faced during the depths of the Great Depression.
The NNLI wasn't the only professional black baseball league to fail in the mid 1930s, the Eastern Colored League also failed in 1932.
The next year, and 1932 season, Gus Greenlee stepped in and was willing to spend. He started by hiring Negro Leagues legend Oscar Charleston as his teams player / manager, adding Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, and an aging Cool Papa Bell.
Other notable additions for the Crawfords during this time included William Bell, Jimmie Crutchfield, Rap Dixon, Sam Bankhead, and Ted Radcliffe.
At the time, playing solely as an independent club, the Pittsburgh Crawfords quickly emerged as perhaps the strongest franchises ever assembled in black baseball.
The team and it’s owner Gus, soon broke ground on his all-black venue, Greenlee Field.
The Pittsburgh Crawfords played in the newly constructed Greenlee Field, to start the 1934 season, and what was so unique about the baseball park was that even during times of great financial hardship Greenlee was able to organize construction on one of the only parks built and owned by a team in the Negro Leagues. [4]
Players, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson would often unwind at the Crawford Grill, one of black Pittsburgh's favorite night clubs.
As owner and proprietor, Greenlee was able to attract the likes of singers Lena Horne and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson who were featured entertainers at his club.
In 1933, after founding the Negro National League II (NNLII), Greenlee installed himself as the league’s acting president; with his Crawfords were charter members.
After the flurry of moves made by the new majority owner, the club nearly lost the first-half title to the Rube Foster-less Chicago American Giants; both teams claiming the second-half title.
However, since Greenlee was league president, his Pittsburgh Crawfords were subsequently given the title.
This is how the matter was apparently settled for its opening season in 1933.
The next season in 1934, Josh Gibson established himself as the league’s best player, slugging 16 home runs.
Satchel Paige would also win 20 games for the team that season.
However, the Crawfords found themselves near the top of the overall standings in each half, but were unable to claim victory in either one.
Records of all games against league opponents, not just those considered official league games, show the Crawfords with far and away the best record for the 1934 Negro National League II finishing 47-27-3, on the year. [3]
A season later in 1935, Paige skipped out on the team for most of the season, to pitch for a semi-professional team in North Dakota.
In his absence, the Pittsburgh Crawfords took the 1935 first-half title with a 26–6 record. They would go on to win in a close 7 game series in what would be the only undisputed NNLII championship.
Many baseball historians have suggested that this era in Pittsburgh Crawfords franchise history to be some of the greatest Negro Leagues to ever play.
The team featured some of the best talent money could buy, featuring four future Hall of Famers, and left-handed pitcher Leroy Matlock, who won 18 games without a defeat (18-0). [3]
After a mediocre first half at 16–15 in 1936, the Pittsburgh Crawfords later rallied to win the Negro National League II’s 1936 second half with a record of 20–9.
Paige had returned to the team mid-season, and contributed an 11–3 record on the year.
The playoff with the first-half winners, the Washington Elite Giants, apparently only lasted one game with the Elite Giants winning, 2–0.
The series was then called off for unknown reasons.
In a ceremony later, Greenlee awarded the pennant to the Crawfords, over the protest of the Washington Elite Giants. [3]
In 1937, Satchel Paige recruited several Pittsburgh Crawfords players, including Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and Sammy Bankhead to the Dominican Republic to play for dictator Rafael Trujillo's team.
This did not go over well for the Crawfords franchise in 1937, as they plunged to fifth place in league of just six teams, with a record of 12–16 record.
It would be the steady Homestead Grays winning both halves of the season for the league, finishing at 45-18-1.
The franchise partly recovered the next season in 1938, finishing in fourth place with a 28–26 record, behind the Stars, Giants, and Grays.
With the exception of the 41-year-old Oscar Charleston, who found his time as a part time player was coming to an end, the true heart of the Pittsburgh Crawfords’ dynasty that previously included Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell, no longer existed, as they had all moved on, to other teams, and other leagues.
The Craws were a majorly popular franchise and might have even survived these losses had their attendance not flatlined, after the white members of the team's board banded together and forced Greenlee to remove all African-Americans working there from their jobs at Greenlee Field (ushers, ticket-takers, etc.). [4]
Incredibly disheartened and ultimately disgusted with what had happened to his team, Greenlee sold all of his interest in the club, and Greenlee Field was demolished.
Not longer after the Crawfords franchise moved to Toledo, joining the Negro American League, becoming the Toledo Crawford, for the 1939 season.
They moved to Indianapolis in 1940 under the leadership of Oscar Charleston, becoming the Indianapolis Crawfords, for the 1940 season, before folding entirely.
However, this would not be last of Gus Greenlee’s dealings in the Negro Leagues.
In 1945, he formed an ownership group with Branch Rickey as minority investor in the newly created United States League (USL).