Rube Foster

Note: This page links to Hall of Famer and former Negro Leaguer Andrew "Rube" Foster. For the pitcher named George "Rube" Foster who played from 1913 to 1917, click here.

Andrew Bishop Foster

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 230 lb.
• High School Calvert High School

• Born September 17, 1879 in La Grange, TX USA
• Died December 9, 1930 in Kankakee, IL USA

Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1981

BR page

Biographical Information

The half-brother of Bill Foster, Rube Foster was a pitcher, manager, and executive in the Negro Leagues. He was one of the founders of the Negro National League and won the league's first-three pennants as manager of the Chicago American Giants. Quote: "(Foster is) the most finished product I've ever seen in the pitcher's box." Frank Chance.

He played for the Otsego Independents, Otsego, Michigan - a 'white' semi-pro team in the Michigan State League, in 1902 before signing with the Cuban X-Giants late in that season.

Notable Achievements

• NNL Pennants: 3 (1920-1922)
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1981

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1920	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	49-21	1st	Chicago American Giants	League Champs
1921	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	55-29	1st	Chicago American Giants	League Champs
1922	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	45-31	3rd	Chicago American Giants	League Champs
1923	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	48-29	2nd	Chicago American Giants
1924	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	55-27	2nd	Chicago American Giants
1925	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	57-41	3rdd	Chicago American Giants
1926	Chicago American Giants	Negro National League	27-17	--	Chicago American Giants		Replaced by Dave Malarcher

Further Reading

• Terry Bohn: "Rube Foster's Canadian Farm Teams", in Michael J. Haupert, ed.: Baseball in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, The National Pastime, 2024 Edition, pp. 13-16.
• Matt Kelly: "Rube Foster: The Father of Black Baseball", "The Negro Leagues", mlb.com [1]
• Larry Lester: Rube Foster in His Time: On the Field and in the papers with Black Baseball's Greatest Visionary, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2012. ISBN 978-0-7864-3927-0
• Jerry Malloy: "Rube Foster and Black Baseball in Chicago", in Sean Forman and Cecilia M. Tan, eds.: The Negro Leagues Are Major Leagues: Essays and Research for Overdue Recognition, Baseball-Reference and SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2021, pp. 105-111. ISBN ISBN 978-1-970159-63-9
• Matt Monagan: "Rube Foster once staged 11-bunt comeback - Including six straight suicide squeezes", mlb.com, September 8, 2020. [2]

Related Sites

• Rube Foster at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page