The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #4: Pittsburgh Crawfords

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#4: Pittsburgh Crawfords

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Negro American League

Established: 1931

Folded: 1940

Based in: Pittsburgh, PA

1928 Pittsburgh Crawfords

            For the six seasons they played in the NNL, Pittsburgh was one of the most dominant teams in the league. Their first year, they finished in second place, a half game behind the Chicago American Giants. In 1934, the Crawfords had the best record overall in the NNL, but the season was divided into two halves, and Pittsburgh finished in second place in both halves, thereby missing the playoffs.                 The Pittsburgh Crawfords began as an interracial team of local youth who played in the sandlots in the Hill District region of Pittsburgh. As the region became more competitive, colour lines were drawn. After becoming a professional independent team in 1931, the Crawfords joined the Negro National League in 1933.

                In 1935, they finished in first place in the first half, with a record of 26-6, then won the best-of-seven playoff at season’s end over the New York Cuban Giants to win the championship. The following season, they struggled to a 16-15 record in the first half, but rebounded to win the second-half pennant with a 20-9 record. The best-of-seven championship series against the Washington Elite Giants lasted only one game (a 2-0 Pittsburgh victory) after the series was called off for unknown reasons. Pittsburgh was declared the season’s champion.

                The demise of the club was rather sad. Not only did the Crawfords lose four star players after the 1936 season, the ownership decided to hire only white people for jobs at the stadium. In protest, the black community of Pittsburgh boycotted the team, hurting the Craws in the pocket book and forcing them to move to Indianapolis for the 1940 season.

                After one year as the Indianapolis Crawfords, the team folded.