After finishing his debut season with the minor league Montreal Royals, Jackie signed a pro BASKETBALL contract with the Los Angeles Red Devils in October ’46.
Artifact of the Week (7): A Special Pass
A great inside look at the New York City launch event for the Black Fives Collection by premium sports lifestyle brand ’47.
One is a media pass to a history-making event. The other was an “errant” pass that may have changed history.
Two baseball writers speculate on why more baseball writers didn’t know about George Crowe’s death.
Sacramento Bee: George Crowe, an elite athlete who broke racial barriers in basketball and baseball, died quietly in Rancho Cordova last week after living a remarkable life as a mid-20th century pioneer.
Crowe, a 1943 graduate of Indiana Central, was a three-sport star for the Greyhounds in basketball, baseball and track. Known as a great scorer and rebounder on the hardwood, Crowe was an all-state player in 1941 when the cagers finished ninth in the country.
After racial integration of the NBA, many all-black teams were left with few choices besides sensational names, clowning, and comedic showmanship.
Henry “Hank” DeZonie, who was a star basketball player with the Harlem Yankees, New York Renaissance, Dayton Rens of the National Basketball League, and Tri-Cities Blackhawks of the National Basketball Association, died January 2, 2009, at Lenox Hill Hospital in Harlem. He would have been 87 years old yesterday.
As with any long-lived icon of sports, culture, and history, it is nearly impossible to encapsulate all of the thoughts and remembrances of people into one service, one article, one story, one comment. So, I will continue to share topics relating to John Isaacs from time to time, starting with these.
Here are some September birthdays of Black Fives Era stars.