Monticello Athletic Association Puts Pittsburgh On Black Basketball Map


Monticello Athletic Association

The Monticello Athletic Association.

In 1910, Cumberland “Cum” Posey formed an all-black basketball team called the Monticello Athletic Association.

Posey was a local multi-sport star athlete who had led Homestead High School to the city basketball championship and who had earned respect on Pittsburgh’s tough, blue-collar sandlot playgrounds.

With no gym of their own, the Monticellos practiced and honed their game at the segregated Phipps Gymnasium on Pittsburgh’s North Side, where one of Posey’s players, Jim Dorsey, worked as a janitor and had a key to the building.

Monticello rooters

Monticello rooters created home court advantage.

The Monticello lineup featured Walter Clark, Sell Hall, Israel Lee, Jim Dorsey, Cum’s brother Seward, and Cum Posey himself.

Cum Posey and Sell Hall also played baseball for the professional Homestead Grays, a Negro Leagues team that Posey eventually owned. (Posey was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2006.)

When the Monticello’s quickly outgrew local white competition, Posey challenged the previous year’s black national champion, Howard University, to visit the Smoky City for “the first colored game ever played in Pittsburgh.”

The Monticellos got no respect and were considered “a huge joke” by Howard, who thought they would show the steel town “just how basketball is played in polite circles.”

Monticellos defeat Howard

A newspaper headline announcing that the Monticellos had defeated Howard University.

The game was played at Washington Park Fieldhouse in the predominantly black Hill District, at a site that is now occupied by Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena.

But while “Monticello girls” served refreshments to “as large and as fine an audience of local society people as it would be possible to assemble,” the Monticellos crushed Howard.

The victory put Pittsburgh on the black basketball map and earned the Monticello Athletic Association the Colored Basketball World’s Championship for 1911-12.

The success of the Monticello Athletic Association paved the way for other African American teams in Pittsburgh and elsewhere, by showing that any team from any city could produce a champion with enough desire and determination.

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[…] apparel brand. But today we give a look to a piece that belongs to the Black Fives collection. Monticello Athletic Association is the Afro American Pittsburgh team (called back then “five” because of the number of […]

Nikki Henderson
16 years ago

Hey Claude,
I am always intrigued by the whole “social” event surrounding basketball/sporting games of the bygone era. As a student of racial socialization — how we transmit messages about our race and ethnic identity. . . I wonder if that is something we should consider to “straight ahead sports” events. . . for a variety of reasons. . .more opportunity to interact with young people and impart values . . .I note the comment above. . .But while “Monticello girls” served refreshments to “as large and as fine an audience of local society people as it would be possible to assemble.” In a previous post you note the Converse reenactment of the vintage cage game. . . “was also a rehearsal to find out whether or not vintage cage games could be entertaining to watch, easy to stage, fun, and educational too.”

How did that re enactment go?

Our organization is, for the third year, in recognition of black history month sponsoring a black history celebration and basketball game here in Falls Church. (Last year the game had standing room only. . . bigger venue this yearl. . does that answer part of your above query) The game is “edu-tainment” part of the purpose is to impart black history/contributions. . . This year, our event on Feb 29th, the program will include living legacy awards to those who have made significant contributions to preserving and promoting the history of black participation in basketball (you and Mr. John Issacs are among the first class of awardees).

Please let me know if you have footage and or pix of the cage reenactment. We would love to drop it into the revised E. B. Henderson short film. Where can we find the pix of the vintage cage game on your website. At the past 2 “basketball games” we included respected collector of black memorabilia (and Antique RoadShow regular) Philip Merrill, “SkyKings” author, Bijan Bayne, Sports talk show hostess Christy Winters-Scott (who made a presentation on coaching women’s basketball), a traveling exhibit on E.B. Henderson, and a slide show presentation on women and early basketball history. Kids were entertained with plush basketball’s and tin pail baskets, black basketball history coloring sheets, crosswords and more. It was a family event where folks came away with a knowledge of the Black Fives Era and a sense of how blacks went from exclusion to domination of the court. We’d like to see more of these elements incorporated in the games of today and if they were. . .

As black history month approaches let’s think about the wisdom of the old days and using the opportunity to make history today!

Thanks Much
Nikki

Black Fives
16 years ago

“As black history month approaches let’s think about the wisdom of the old days and using the opportunity to make history today!”

Nikki it sure sounds to me like you’re doing that already! Thanks for sharing about your event! You all need to set up a website or blog about your pursuits so people have a place to go find out more!

16 years ago

No wonder Steeltown went on to produce the likes of Chuck Cooper, Ed Fleming, Mo Stokes, Dick Ricketts, John Wideman, Flippy Lawson, the great Kenny Durrett, Mo Lucas and Sam Clancy.