1942 Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes

1942 Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes / Franchise: Cleveland Buckeyes / BR Team Page

Record: 39-21-1, Finished 1st in Negro American League (1942 NAL)

Managed by Walter Burch (13-9-1) and Parnell Woods (32-31)

Ballpark: League Park II (Cleveland, OH), Crosley Field (Cincinnati, OH) and Athletic Park (Meadville, PA)

History, Comments, Contributions

On September 7th, one of the cars transporting the 1942 Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes was involved in a crash near Geneva, OH. Two players, P Smoky Owens and C Joe Brown were killed instantly, and others like P Eugene Bremer suffered serious injuries.

The team's story began at the end of 1941, when Ernest Wright and business partner Wilbur Hayes bought the semi-pro Cleveland White Sox and the St. Louis Stars of the Negro American League and merged them. This entity became the Buckeyes, a team which played some games in Cleveland as well as other cities in Ohio. The original plan was for the two partners to build a new stadium for their team in Cleveland, but they settled for using Cleveland League Park.

While current numbers indicate that the Buckeyes finished first, these are not definitive, and the Kansas City Monarchs were considered the league champions and played in the Negro World Series.

Awards and Honors

• All-Star: Eugene Bremer, Sam Jethroe and Parnell Woods