Neil Churchill

Neil O. Churchill

• Born February 13, 1891
• Died September, 1969

Biographical Information

Neil Churchill was the star first baseman for a Churchill team in the 1910s. He later was owner of the Bismarck Churchills, one of the greatest semipro teams ever (probably the best). He was also the owner of a car dealership and a hotel in Bismarck. These businesses gave him the money to compete with the rival Jamestown Red Sox. When Jamestown signed a couple of black players, Churchill called Abe Saperstein to arrange for some black players to join his squad. When Quincy Trouppe and two others were not enough, Satchel Paige joined the Bismarck team in 1933. In 1936, Churchill resigned to spend more time on his other businesses but his players demanded his return later that year.

Source: "Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe" by Kyle McNary

Further Reading

• Tom Dunkel: Color Blind: The Forgotten Team That Broke Baseball's Color Line, Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, NY, 2013. ISBN 978-0-8021-2012-0