Top 15 Negro League Teams
#1: Kansas City Monarchs
League Affiliation:
Negro National League
Negro American League
Established: 1920
Folded: 1965
Based in: Kansas
City, Missouri
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| 1942 Kansas City Monarchs Buck O'Neil is the sixth from the left. |
Formed in 1920 as one of the
founding members of the first Negro National League, the Kansas City Monarchs had
the longest tenure of any Negro League team. They were also the most decorated
with a combined 13 titles between the NNL and the Negro American League.
The first three years of the NNL
were dominated by the Chicago American Giants, but the Monarchs became the team
to beat starting in 1923. They won three consecutive NNL titles and added a
fourth in 1929 before the first NNL folded after the 1931 season.
Following the demise of the
league, the Monarchs became an independent team, barnstorming over the United
States for five seasons before finding a new home in the NAL beginning in 1937.
They picked up right where they left off in the NNL by winning the title their
first season in the league. They won again in 1938, 1939 and 1940, making it
four championships in a row.
The Monarchs continued to play
in the NAL until 1960 winning four more titles (1946, 1950, 1953 and 1955) but when
the Negro Leagues ceased to exist after the 1960 season, they became a
barnstorming team once again.
The team finally disbanded after
the 1965 baseball season.
Notable players for the Kansas
City Monarch included Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, and of course
Buck O’Neil. If you’ve never heard of Buck O’Neil, you need to do yourself a
favour and read his biography, “I Was Right On Time” or take the time to watch
Ken Burns’ documentary “Baseball.” O’Neil is interviewed frequently for the
nine-part series and is without a doubt the best baseball story-teller of all
time.
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