Eastern Colored League

After the Negro National League was formed in 1920, the Eastern Colored League was set up by Ed Bolden in 1923 as the second major Negro League circuit. The ECL ran till 1928. From 1924 to 1927, the ECL and NNL champions met in the Negro World Series to determine the top team in black baseball. Bolden was president from 1923-1926 and Isaac Nutter was president in 1927-1928.

On December 16, 2020, the Eastern Colored League was one of seven Negro Leagues to be recognized by Major League Baseball as a major league.

Champions

• 1923: Hilldale
• 1924: Hilldale
• 1925: Hilldale
• 1926: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
• 1927: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
• 1928: none; league folded midseason

Franchises

• Atlantic City, NJ
  • Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1923-1928)
• Baltimore, MD
  • Baltimore Black Sox (1923-1928)
• Brooklyn, NY
  • Brooklyn Royal Giants (1923-1927)
• Darby, PA
  • Hilldale (1923-1928)
• Harrisburg, PA
  • Harrisburg Giants (1924-1927)
• New York, NY
  • New York Cuban Stars (1923-1928)
  • New York Lincoln Giants (1923-1926; 1928)
• Newark, NJ
  • Newark Stars (1926)
• Philadelphia, PA
  • Philadelphia Tigers (1928)
• Washington, DC
  • Washington Potomacs (1924)

Further Reading

• Michael Lomax: Black Baseball Entrepreneurs, 1902-1931: The Negro National and Eastern Colored Leagues, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, NY, 2014. ISBN 978-0-8156-1039-7