Forgotten Heroes:
William Bell
by
Center for Negro League Baseball Research
Dr. Layton Revel
and
Luis Munoz
Copyright 2014
Kansas City Monarchs (1924)
Negro National League and Negro League World Series Champions
((Lemuel Hawkins, William Bell, Clifford Bell, Carroll “Dink” Mothel, Frank Duncan (Sr.), William “Plunk” Drake, George Sweatt and
Homer “Hop” Bartlett)
(Jack Marshall, Hurley McNair, Newt Joseph, Harold “Yellowhorse” Morris, Oscar “Heavy” Johnson, Newt Allen, Wilber “Bullet”
Rogan, Jose Mendez and Walter “Dobie” Moore)
William Bell, Sr. was born on August 31, 1897 in Lavaca County, Texas.
He stood 5’ 11” tall and weighed 180 pounds during his playing career.
Bell was a right-handed pitcher who was one of the best pitchers in
Negro League baseball during the 1920’s. On the mound he was
known for his consistency, excellent control and ability to paint the
corners. William had command of a wide range of pitches. He had an
active fastball that moved in on the hitter, a very good curve ball, a
good change-up and slider. During the 1920’s he was a workhorse for
the Kansas City Monarchs during their championship seasons. Bell
was also known for completing what he started during his career.
Our research has revealed that he completed over 75 % of the games
he started. In addition William Bell had a reputation for always being
able to deliver in the clutch and under pressure.
During his career he was occasionally called on to play in the outfield
because he was a decent hitter and very good fielder. He had his best
two years at the plate in 1929 when he hit .296 and 1932 when he
batted .295. His only weakness as a player was that he had very little
speed on the base paths.
Unfortunately, he was often overshadowed by other super stars on his
team during his career. In Kansas City with the Monarchs, William
Bell played in the shadows of Wilber “Bullet” Rogan and Jose
Mendez. Then when he went to the Pittsburgh Crawfords it was
Satchel Paige who got all the press. It is important to note that all
three of these other pitchers are in the National Baseball Hall of
Fame in Cooperstown.
William Bell was characterized by his contemporaries as quiet
and well-liked by everyone. He didn’t drink, stay out late partying
or get in trouble. Bell was respected by the fans, opposing players
and the media. He was a man of substance according to people
who knew him. William Bell was a role model when he was a
player and carried on that tradition when he was a manager.
Later in his career, he managed the Newark Eagles in 1936 and 1948.
As a manager he was known as a good teacher and an excellent role
model for young pitchers. He had a winning record both seasons he
managed the Eagles.
William Bell
Kansas City Monarchs
1924
Early Baseball Career
Prior to the start of his career in Negro League baseball, William Bell attended and graduated from Paul Quinn
College in Waco, Texas. Bell played college baseball at Paul Quinn.
Bell entered professional baseball in 1921 when he signed to play for the Galveston Black Sand Crabs of the Texas
Colored League.
1
Negro League Career
In 1922 William Bell was signed to play with the All Nations
independent-barnstorming baseball team. All Nations served
as the farm team for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro
National League and was managed by legendary black pitcher
John Donaldson. Donaldson’s All Nations team traveled the
country by automobile and spent a good percentage of their
time camping out to reduce travel expenses. John Donaldson
was the headliner of the team and when he wasn’t pitching he
was the team’s starting centerfielder. Also appearing on the
1922 roster for the All Nations team besides William Bell was
future Kansas City Monarchs star Newt Allen. From newspaper
articles that have been uncovered, the All Nations team had a
very successful record against their local competition. Due to
poor newspaper coverage of the All Nations schedule, complete
pitching statistics for Bell’s 1922 season are not available.
William Bell started the 1923 season with All Nations but by
the mid part of the summer he was called up to pitch for the
Kansas City Monarchs. He spent the rest of the season pitching
for both the Monarchs and All Nations. From the limited number
of box scores that have been found for the Monarchs with William Bell pitching, he posted a won-loss record of 3-1 (.750) in his first year in the Negro National League.
Bell Beats Le Mars
Le Mars Globe-Post
Le Mars, IA
07-13-22
Sam Crawford was the manager of the Monarchs at the start of the 1923 season, but by mid-season, he had been
replaced by Jose Mendez. The 1923 Kansas City Monarchs had an outstanding hitting line-up that included:
Kansas City Monarchs (1923)
1B
Lemuel Hawkins
.286
OF Oscar “Heavy” Johnson
.405
2B
Newt Allen.302OF Hurley McNair.332
SS
Walter “Dobie” Moore .366
OF
Wade Johnston
.332
3B
Newt Joseph.269P
Bullet Rogan.364
C
Frank Duncan
.254
Oscar “Heavy” Johnson was the Negro National League’s top hitter and led the “league” in homeruns with 20
and also runs batted in with 120. John Donaldson (.351) and George Sweatt (.310) were the team’s top two utility
players.
Kansas City also had the best two pitchers (Bullet Rogan and Rube Currie) and the top pitching staff in the Negro
National League during the 1923 season. Their starting rotation included Wilber “Bullet” Rogan (16-10), Rube
Currie (15-9), Bill Drake (12-10) and Jose Mendez (11-4). Research by John Holway credits Currie with 23 wins
and Rogan with 20 wins when games against “non-league” opponents are added to their season win totals.
Since the inception of the Negro National League in 1920, the Chicago American Giants had dominated play and they
had won the first three “league” titles. But in 1923 they met their match in the Kansas City Monarchs. Kansas City
posted a won-loss record of 57-33 (.633) to win the Negro National League championship.
2
During the 1923 season, the Kansas City Monarchs also played the Kansas City Blues of the American Association
for the “Championship of Kansas City.” The Monarchs dominated their “white” opponents to win the “City
Championship.”
On October 31st of 1923 the Kansas City Monarchs played a game against the Casey Stengel All Stars in Kansas City,
MO. Stengel’s team included Bob Meusel, Irish Meusel, Dazzy Vance and Zack Wheat.
Kansas City Monarchs (1924)
Negro National League Champions
(left to right –George Sweatt, William “Plunk” Drake, Carroll “Dink” Mothel, Bill McCall, Frank Duncan (Sr.), Lemuel Hawkins, Cliff Bell,
Walter “Dobie” Moore, William Bell, Jose Mendez, Wilber “Bullet” Rogan,
Newt Allen, Harold Morris, Oscar “Heavy” Johnson and Newt Joseph)
Based on his performance with the Monarchs when he was called up from the All Nations team during the 1923
season, William Bell was invited to the Kansas City Monarch’s 1924 spring training camp. By the end of spring
training not only he had made the team but was one of the team’s starting pitchers. Bell did not disappoint the
Monarch’s confidence in him as he reeled off ten (10) straight wins against Negro National League opponents to
start the season.
With Jose Mendez as the team’s manager, the Kansas City Monarchs started the 1924 season just where they left off
the 1923 season. They dominated all their opponents and were the top club in the Negro National League.
The Kansas City Monarchs were the top hitting Negro League club during the season. According to research by
Larry Lester and Dick Clark, they posted a team batting average of .317 for the season. The top hitters for the
Kansas City Monarchs for the 1924 season were Bullet Rogan (.392), Oscar “Heavy” Johnson (.364), Walter
“Dobie” Moore (.352), Newt Joseph (.340) and Hurley McNair (.324). Wilber “Bullet” Rogan (18-6) was the ace
of the pitching staff. William Bell (11-2), Bill Drake (10-9), Bill McCall, Harold “Yellowhorse” Morris (7-4) and
Jose Mendez (7-1) rounded out the pitching staff. Rogan led the “league” in wins (18) and Bell led the “league” in
winning percentage (.846).
3
Negro League World Series (1924)
Kansas City Monarchs
Negro National League Champions
(left to right – Frank Floyd, Hurley Mc Nair, Newt Joseph, Harold Morris, Heavy Johnson, Bullet Rogan, Newt Allen, Jose Mendez,
Dobie Moore, William Bell, Lemuel Hawkins, Frank Duncan, Cliff Bell, Dink Mothel, William McCall, Bill Drake, George Sweatt, J.L.
Wilkinson, Dr. William Smith, Charles Spedden and Alex Pompez)
Hilldale
Eastern Colored League Champions
(left to right – Rube Foster, Ed Bolden, Louis Santop, Nip Winters, Rube Currie, Scrip Lee, Tank Carr, George Johnson, Judy Johnson,
Red Ryan, Biz Mackey, Tom Allen, William Campbell, Joe Lewis, Clint Thomas, Phil Cockrell, Otto Briggs, Frank Warfield, Jake
Stephens and William “Doc” Lambert.)
4
The Kansas City Monarchs finished the regular 1924 Negro National League season with a won-loss record of 5522 (.714) to give them their second straight “league” title. The Chicago American Giants (49-24) finished in second
place and the Detroit Stars (37-29) finished in third place in the final Negro National League standings.
The First Negro League World Series
In October of 1924 the first ever Negro League World Series was held. It pitted the Negro National League
champion Kansas City Monarchs against Hilldale who were the champions of the Eastern Colored League. Hilldale
was led by the pitching of Jesse “Nip” Winters (27-4), Phil Cockrell (15-2) and Merven “Red” Ryan (12-7). The top
hitters for Hilldale were Raleigh “Biz” Mackey (.357), Louis Santop (.328) and Judy Johnson (.324). Baseball fans
were eager to see the best two pitchers in the Negro Leagues, Wilber “Bullet” Rogan (Kansas City) and Jesse “Nip”
Winters (Hilldale), face off against each other.
The starting line-ups for the Kansas City Monarchs and Hilldale for the 1923 Negro League World Series were as
follows:
Kansas City MonarchsHilldale
Mgr
Jose Mendez
Mgr
Frank Warfield
1B
Lemuel “Lem” Hawkins1B
Tom Allen
2B
Newt Allen
2B
Frank Warfield
SS
Walter “Dobie” Moore
SS
William “Judy” Johnson
3B
Walter “Newt” Joseph
3B
Raleigh “Biz” Mackey
C
Frank Duncan
C
Louis “Big Bertha” Santop
RF
Oscar “Heavy” Johnson
RF
Otto Briggs
CF
Hurley McNairCF
George W. Johnson
LF
George SweattLF
Clint “Hawk” Thomas
P
Wilber “Bullet Joe” Rogan
P
Jesse “Nip” Winters
P
William BellP
Phil Cockrell
P
Jose Mendez
P
Rube Currie
Kansas City Monarchs vs Hilldale
Negro League World Series (1924)
Baker Bowl Philadelphia, PA The Negro League World Series opened on October 3rd with a
double header at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. Bullet Rogan
defeated Phil Cockrell in the first game by a score of 6-2. Jesse
“Nip” Winters came back in game two and beat the Monarchs by a
score of 11-0. William Bell started and won game six of the Negro
League World Series with approximately 9,000 fans in attendance.
The series could not have been more dramatic in how it unfolded
on the field. Going into the tenth and final game of the series, both
teams each had four victories (game three had ended in a tie).
An aging Jose Mendez took the mound for Kansas City. Hilldale
countered with Scrip Lee. Mendez pitched brilliantly and led the
Monarchs to a 5-0 win and the Kansas City Monarchs claimed
the first ever Negro League World Series championship. The
Monarchs were led in the series by the pitching
of Jose Mendez (2-0), Bullet Rogan (2-1) and William Bell (1-0).
Bullet Rogan was also the
top hitter for the Kansas Monarchs collecting
13 hits in 40 at bats for a .375 batting average.
5
A summary of the 1924 Negro League World Series is as follows:
Game Location
Date
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Oct 3rd
Oct 3rd
Oct 5th
Oct 6th
Oct 11th
Oct 13th
Oct 14th
Oct 18th
Oct 19th
Oct 20th
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Baltimore
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
Chicago
Chicago
Chicago
Winning Team
Kansas City
Hilldale
Tie Game
Hilldale
Hilldale
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
Hilldale
Kansas City
Score
6-2
11-0
6-6
4-3
5-2
6-5
4-3
3-2
5-3
5-0
Winning
Pitcher
Bullet Rogan
Nip Winters
-
Rube Currie
Nip Winters
William Bell
Jose Mendez
Bullet Rogan
Nip Winters
Jose Mendez
Losing
Pitcher
Phil Cockrell
Jack Mc Call
Cliff Bell
Bullet Rogan
Scrip Lee
Nip Winters
Rube Currie
Bill Drake
Scrip Lee
The Negro League World Series unfortunately was a financial disaster at the box office. The ten games played only
brought in $ 52,000 in gate receipts. For over two weeks of work, each Kansas City Monarchs player got $ 308.00
and each Hilldale player got only $ 193.00.
The Kansas City Monarchs Keep on Winning
William Bell was back in the starting rotation for the Kansas City Monarchs for the start of the 1925 season. Kansas
City under manager Jose Mendez was again the best team in the Negro National League.
Bullet Rogan (.381), Hurley McNair (.329), Newt Joseph (.313), Dobie Moore (.306) and Newt Allen (.304) led the
hitting attack for the 1925 Monarchs. As usual Kansas City boasted one of the best pitching staffs in Negro League
baseball. The Monarchs pitching staff was anchored by Bullet Rogan (17-2), Nelson Dean (12-4) and William Bell
(11-3).
The Kansas City Monarchs finished the 1925 regular season with a record of 62-23 (.729). They won the first half
of the Negro National League season and then faced the St. Louis Stars, who won the second half of the season, in
a Play-Off Series. Kansas City defeated St. Louis in the Play-Off Series to win the Negro National League title and
the right to face the winner of the Eastern Colored League in the Negro League World Series. Bullet Rogan (3-0)
and William Bell (1-1) were supported by the hitting of Bullet Rogan (.455), Newt Allen (.407) and Hurley McNair
(.375) to defeat St. Louis in the 1925 Negro National League Play-Off Series. A summary of the Play-Off Series is
as follows:
Winning
Game Location
Date
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Sept 19th
Sept 20th
Sept 23rd
Sept 26th
Sept 27th
-
-
St. Louis
St. Louis
St. Louis
Chicago
Chicago
Chicago
Chicago
Winning Team
Kansas City
St. Louis
St. Louis
Kansas City
St. Louis
Kansas City
Kansas City
Score
8-6
6-3
3-2
5-4
2-1
9-3
4-0
Pitcher
Bullet Rogan
Roosevelt Davis
G. Brown
Bullet Rogan
G. Brown
William Bell
Bullet Rogan
Losing
Pitcher
Slap Hensley
Nelson Dean
William Bell
Percy Miller
Bill Drake
Roosevelt Davis
G. Brown
Hilldale vs Kansas City
Colored World Series Ticket
10-08-25
6
The 1925 Negro League World Series was a repeat match up of the year before with the Kansas City Monarchs
(Negro National League) and Hilldale (Eastern Colored League) ending their regular season as the two best teams
in Negro League baseball. Hilldale finished the regular season with a record of 52-15 (.776). The Kansas City
Monarchs never got untracked in the series and went down to Hilldale in a mere six games. Kansas City only won
one game to five games for Hilldale, as the Eastern League champions claimed the Negro League World Series title.
A summary of the 1925 Negro League World Series is as follows:
Winning
Date
1
2
3
4
5
6
Oct 1st Hilldale
5-2
Rube Currie
Bill Drake
Oct 2nd Kansas City
5-3
Nelson Dean
Phil Cockrell
Oct 3rd Hilldale
3-1
Red Ryan
Jose Mendez
Oct 4th
Hilldale7-4
Nip Winters
Bill Drake
Oct 8th Hilldale
2-1
Rube Currie
Cliff Bell
Oct 10th Hilldale
5-2
Phil Cockrell
William Bell
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Winning Team
Score
Pitcher
Losing
Pitcher
Game Location
The 1925 Negro League World Series was an even worse financial disaster than the year before. The total gate
receipts for the entire series were a mere $ 21,000.00. When they left to go home each member of the losing
Monarchs team got $ 57.64 per man or less than $10.00 a game.
Behind the lights out pitching of William Bell, who won 10 of his first 11 decisions, the Kansas City Monarchs
started the 1926 Negro National League strong. Bell pitched eight complete games during this winning streak at
the start of the season. Kansas City also got strong pitching during the season from Bullet Rogan (15-5) and Chet
Brewer (13-2). According to Negro League researcher John Holway, William Bell posted a won-loss record of
19-4 (.826) for the 1926 season. The Kansas City Monarchs’ pitchers carried the team all season. Over most of the
season, Kansas Monarchs’ hitters ranked at or near the bottom of the league in team batting average. On June 26th
Kansas City hitters were batting .247 as a team. Only the St. Louis Stars were worse at the plate. The top hitters
for the Monarchs during the season were Cristobal Torriente (.348), Bullet Rogan (.306), Dink Mothell (.292) and
Wade Johnston (.291).
The Kansas City Monarchs finished the 1926 regular season with a record of 57-21
(.729) just in front of the Chicago American Giants (57-23). Kansas City won the
first half of the season and Chicago won the second half. Kansas City and Chicago
met in a Play-Off Series to settle which team would win the “league” title. The
Monarchs got off to a fast start winning the first three games and four of the first
five of the series. However, Chicago came back to win the final four games to give
the American Giants the series five games to four for the Monarchs.
Joplin News Herald
Joplin, MO
07-14-27
William Bell returned to Kansas City for the start of the 1927 Negro National
League season. The Monarchs with Bullet Rogan as manager fielded a strong team
in 1927 and they looked forward to redeeming themselves for their Play-Off loss to
Chicago at the end of the 1926 season. Kansas City was led by the hitting of Wade
Johnston (.333), Bullet Rogan (.333), Newt Allen (.320), Tom Young (.296) and
Newt Joseph (.281). Bell also had a very good season at the plate. He posted a .280
batting average against Negro National League competition. The leaders
of Kansas City’s pitching staff were Bullet Rogan (16-6),
William Bell (13-3), George Mitchell (10-4) and Chet Brewer
(8-5). William Bell pitched consistently well all season with his
7
earned run average always around the 2.00 mark. William Bell finished the year with a league leading 2.09 earned
run average (ERA). Bell also pitched 12 complete games and had 4 shut outs
during the 1927 season. However, all the other Monarch pitchers other than the four main starters struggled all
season. Butch Glass went 6-13, Cliff Bell was 6-10 and Bill Tyler was
6-8 for the season. With the lack of pitching depth, the Kansas City Monarchs finished second in the Negro
National League to the Chicago American Giants (63-30). Kansas City was 54-29 (.651) for the year.
Kansas City Monarchs (1926-1927)
(William Bell, Grady “Diploma” Orange and Wade Johnston)
During the 1927 season, the Kansas City Monarchs played a significant number of games against “non-league”
opponents. According to newspaper accounts, the Monarchs were extremely successful in their exhibition games.
In a newspaper article that appeared in The Hutchinson News (Hutchinson, KS) on 07-27-27, they reported that
Kansas City had won 26 games of the 38 games they played against Major League teams and had only lost 3 games
in the 580 exhibition games they had played against local teams over the last three years. The Hutchinson News
also reported that the Kansas City Monarchs drew over a million fans during the 1927 season. These attendance
figures and won-loss records are most likely highly exaggerated, but the Monarchs were a tremendous draw and
very successful on the field everywhere they played.
8
After they completed spring training in Hot Springs (AR), the Kansas City Monarchs started their 1928 Negro
National League season. Most of the Kansas City Monarchs hitters had an off year in 1928. Only two Monarchs
batters hit over .300 for the season. The top hitters for the Kansas City Monarchs during the season were Bullet
Rogan (.348), George Giles (.303) and Dink Mothell (.298). With the lack of run support William Bell’s won-loss
percentage suffered during the season. Bell finished the Negro National League season with a won-loss record of
10-7 (.588) and an ERA of 2.89 against “league” competition. Other members of Kansas City’s starting rotation
included Andy Cooper (12-7), Bullet Rogan (10-2), Army Cooper (7-4) and Chet Brewer (6-8).
The Kansas City Monarchs once again finished in second place in the final 1928 Negro National League standings.
They had a won-loss record of 50-31 (.617) in “league” games. The St. Louis Stars won the Negro National League
title with a record of 66-26 (.717).
The Monarchs were the top team in the Negro National League during the 1929 season. They started out strong and
got even stronger as the season progressed. Kansas City won the first half of the season and posted an unbelievable
won-loss record of 34-6 (.850) to also win the second half of the season. The final order of standing for the 1929
Negro National League season was
as follows:
Negro National League (1929)
TeamGames
Won
Lost
Percentage
Place
Kansas City Monarchs
St. Louis Stars
Chicago American Giants
Detroit Stars
Cuban Stars (West)
Birmingham Black Barons
Memphis Red Sox
796217.785
925933.641
894940.551
803842.475
441826.409
802951.363
631944.302
Nashville Elite Giants
30
10
20
.333
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
(Associate Member)
There was no Negro League World Series held between the winners of the Negro National League and the
American Negro League after the 1929 season.
Unlike the season before Kansas City got excellent hitting as a team during the entire season. According to research
by John Holway and Dick Clark, the Kansas City Monarchs posted a team batting average of .312 for the 1929
season. Tom Young (.369), Bullet Rogan (.356), Leroy Taylor (.353), Frank Duncan (.350), Chet Brewer (.339),
Newt Allen (.337), Hallie Harding (.311) and Eddie Dwight (.303) all hit over .300 for the season. William Bell also
had one of the best hitting seasons of his career. Bell batted .294 for the Negro National League season. With good
run support, Bullet Rogan’s Monarchs starting pitchers thrived all season. Chet Brewer (16-2), Alfred Cooper (154), William Bell (14-4), Andy Cooper (10-3) and Herb Wilson (6-1) led Kansas City’s pitching staff.
After the regular season, the Kansas City Monarchs met the Houston Black
Buffalos of the Texas-Oklahoma-Louisiana League in a championship series.
The Houston Black Buffalos won both halves of the Texas-Oklahoma-Louisiana
League and finished the regular season with an unbelievable record of 67-8 (.893).
Houston was eager to prove that they could compete with the best black teams
in the country and a series victory over Kansas City would give them national
recognition. The first game of the series was played on September 21st at West End
Park in Houston. The Black Buffalos were not intimidated by
Port Arthur News
09-01-29
9
Kansas City Monarchs Dominate Houston Black Buffalos
in Championship Series
Chicago Defender
Chicago Defender10-05-29
09-28-29
10
the Monarchs pitching staff and responded with 12 runs in
game one. Unfortunately for Houston, Kansas City collected
27 hits and scored 15 runs in game one off Houston’s top
pitchers. The Kansas City Monarchs went on to sweep the
series in four straight games by the scores of 15-12, 3-2,
6-2 and 10-1. William Bell picked up two victories in the
series. The Kansas City Monarchs were declared the
“Colored Champions of the World” by the Texas black press.
After defeating Houston in their “Championship Series,”
the Kansas City Monarchs traveled to San Antonio (TX)
where they took a double header from San Luis Potsi
(Mexico) by the scores of 10-5 and 6-0.
From San Antonio, Kansas City headed to the West Coast
to play winter ball.
Afro American
10-12-29
In late 1929, J.L. Wilkinson, team owner of the Kansas City Monarchs, took his club to Haskell Institute in
Lawrence, Kansas to practice under the newly installed lights at the college’s football stadium. Wilkinson wanted
to know whether or not night baseball was a viable option. Convinced that night baseball was possible and could
be very profitable, Wilkinson commissioned the Giant Manufacturing Company of Council Bluffs, Iowa to build a
portable lighting system for the Monarchs. J.L. Wilkinson mortgaged his home and took on Tom Baird as a partner
to raise the
$ 50,000 that was required to purchase the portable lighting system. The lighting equipment was comprised of four
telescoping poles that could extend 40 to 50 feet in the air. Each pole was equipped with six 1,000 watt light bulbs.
The lights were powered by a 100 kilowatt generator and the entire system was mounted to a truck
Kansas City Monarchs’ Portable Lighting System
The Kansas City Monarchs started their 1930 baseball season with spring training being held in Houston, Texas and
waited for the arrival of their lighting system. Wilkinson took delivery of the lighting system on April 29th and had
his technicians set up the system at Union Pacific Park in Houston for a trial test. The test was a complete success
and Wilkinson made plans for a barnstorming tour to highlight his night baseball concept. Wilkinson sent the trucks
with the lighting system north to Kansas as the Monarchs left Houston and barnstormed their way back home to
Kansas City.
11
Bell Wins Historic Game
Chicago Defender
05-10-30
The first night game was supposed to be played in Arkansas City, Kansas
on April 26th, but a thunderstorm caused the game to be cancelled. The
same thing happened the next night in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Finally, the
first night game for Kansas City was played against Phillips University in
Enid, Oklahoma on April 28th with 3,000 fans in attendance. The Monarchs
won the game 12-3. Four nights later 12,000 fans turned out in Des
Moines (IA) to see Kansas City play a night game. During the Monarchs
exhibition tour they also played the first night game ever held in Dallas,
Texas at Steer Stadium on May 7th. Over 7,000 Dallas fans turned out to
see the Kansas City Monarchs defeat the Dallas Black Giants by a score of
12-2. Everywhere Kansas City went on their barnstorming tour with their
portable lighting system they played to record crowds. Playing
night baseball also proved to be a tremendous financial
success for Kansas City.
The 1930 Negro National League season would be William Bell’s last as a Kansas City Monarch. After their
unbelievable 1929 season, the Monarchs settled back down to earth. In 1929 the Monarchs had eight hitters that
batted over .300 for the season. Only two Kansas City hitters batted over .300 for the 1930 season. They were Frank
Duncan (.367) and Newt Allen (.363).
During the 1930 season the Kansas City Monarchs scheduled a 16 game barnstorming tour of Pennsylvania and
Ohio with the Homestead Grays .The Grays were owned by Cumberland Posey and were a powerhouse in black
baseball in the East. The first game of the series was played in Cleveland on July 16th and the series ended in
Kansas City on August 3rd. Some of the other cities the tour visited were Akron (OH), Sharon (PA), Altoona (PA),
Beaver Falls (PA), Columbus (OH), and Pittsburgh (PA).
William Bell was the ace of the pitching staff and had an excellent season in 1930. Bell started thirteen (13) Negro
National League games and had twelve (12) complete games. Against Negro National League competition, William
Bell went 10-4 with a 2.96 ERA.
Other members of the Monarchs pitching staff during the 1930
season were Alfred Cooper
(9-1), Chet Brewer (8-6), Henry McHenry (7-6) and John
Markham (3-5).
The Kansas City Monarchs finished the regular 1930 Negro
National League season with a record of 39-26 (.600). They ended
up in third place in the final “league” standings behind the St.
Louis Stars (66-22) and the Detroit Stars (50-33). According to
research by John Holway, Kansas City had a won-loss record of
54-33 (.621) when “league” and “non-league” games were added
together.
Brewer Wins Two from San Luis
Chicago Defender
4-26-30
12
Prior to the start of the 1931 baseball season, the New York Harlem Stars were formed with John Henry “Pop”
Lloyd as the team’s manager. Originally the team was going to be called the “Harlem All Stars” but changed
because as Pop Lloyd was quoted in the media:
“It is my opinion that the New York All-Stars would be the appropriate name for this new
team , as every man is good enough in his particular sphere to star in any team in this
country, black or white.”
At the start of the season, Lloyd’s team played as the New York Harlem Stars. During the 1931 season they were
also called the New York Black Yankees. They played an independent schedule during the 1931 baseball season.
New York Black Yankees
vs
Bacharach Giants
Afro American
08-22-31
Lloyd convinced William Bell, Frank Duncan and Lee Livingston to leave the Kansas City Monarchs and join New
York to play in the East. Some of the top hitters for New York during the 1931 season were Pop Lloyd (1B), Orville
Riggins (SS), Larry Brown (C), Clarence “Fats” Jenkins (OF) and Clint Thomas (OF). New York had a strong
pitching staff that besides William Bell included Bill Holland, Henry McHenry, Connie Rector and Red Ryan.
Not enough box scores for New York have been found for an accurate representation as to how the players
performed during the season. In the four box scores that have been found with Bell pitching for New York, he had
a record of 2-2 (.500) with a 2.56 ERA. Indications from newspaper reports are that New York had a losing season
when they played against “league” and top level teams, but were very successful against lower level competition
during the 1931 season.
At the start of the 1932 baseball season there was no formal Negro League in the country. The American Negro
League which was composed of teams in the East had folded after the 1929 season and the Negro National League
which was comprised of teams in the Midwest officially disbanded in March of 1932. With no black league,
Cumberland Posey, who owned both the Homestead Grays and Detroit Wolves, undertook an ambitious plan to
form one league that included both Eastern and Midwestern teams. Posey’s “new” league was called the East-West
League. The teams and their final order of finish in the 1932 East-West League when the league folded were:
East-West League (1932)
TeamGamesWon
Lost
Percentage
Place
Detroit Wolves5038
12
.7601st
Homestead Grays7254
18
.6592nd
Baltimore Black Sox 82 4141.500 3rd
Cuban Stars3516
19
.4714th
Hilldale5019
31
.3805th
Washington Pilots 51 1635.318 6th
Cleveland Stars16 5
11
.3137th
Newark Browns17 3
14
.1768th
13
Poor attendance and the financial problems associated with the Great Depression spelled disaster for the “new”
league. The East-West League folded before the end of the season and therefore no “league” championship was
awarded.
During the 1932 season, William Bell pitched for three different teams. Two of the teams, the Detroit Wolves and
Homestead Grays, played in the newly formed East-West League. Bell started the season with the Detroit Wolves
then played briefly for the Homestead Grays before joining the Pittsburgh Crawfords for the remainder of the
season.
The Pittsburgh Crawfords were owned by Gus Greenlee who
also owned the famous Crawford Grill located in Pittsburgh’s
Hill District. The Crawfords played an independent schedule
during the 1932 season. Greenlee’s goal was to own the premier
black baseball club in the East. To this end he first hired Oscar
Charleston as his player-manager and then raided the Homestead
Grays and other top teams in the East for their best black ball
players. Besides William Bell some of the top players Greenlee
signed were Jimmie Crutchfield (OF), Rap Dixon (OF), Josh
Gibson (C), Judy Johnson (3B), Ted Page (OF), Satchel Paige
(P), Bill Perkins (C), Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe (C/P), Jake
Stephens (SS), Sam Streeter (P) and Jud Wilson (OF/3B). In
addition Greenlee bought the Crawfords a new $ 10,000 team bus
and built his own stadium (Greenlee Field) that seated 6,000 fans.
In 1932 Greenlee Field was the only black owned ball park in the
country.
Detroit Wolves vs Louisville Cubs (1932)
14
Bell had a dramatic impact on the Pittsburgh
Crawfords once he joined the team. After going
3-1 in his first four games against top level
competition, he won nine straight games from
July 12th to August 26th when he blanked the South
Orange team 8-0.
William Bell had a very good season in 1932. Box
scores have been found for 15 games he pitched
in during the season. In games against “league”
teams and other top level squads, his won-loss
record was 11-4 with 11 complete games in 13
games as the starting pitcher. Bell was 8-2 for the
Pittsburgh Crawfords “league” games. One of the
highlights of the 1932 season for Bell occurred in
mid-August when he pitched the first night game
ever played at Greenlee Field. Bell beat the House
of David 6-3 in this historic game.
After the 1932 regular season, the Pittsburgh
Crawfords played a seven game series versus
Casey Stengel’s All Stars. Stengel’s team was also
billed as the Major League All-Stars in the media.
The Major Leaguers were led by the hitting of
Hack Wilson and Woody English. Larry French
and Bill Swift were featured on Stengel’s pitching
staff. The opening game of the series was played
at York, PA. William Bell
beat Larry French and the Major Leaguers by a
score of 5-2 in the game.
Gus Greenlee’s Crawford Grill
Pittsburgh, PA
Led by the pitching of William Bell who went 3-0 in the series, the Pittsburgh Crawfords
dominated their Major League opponents. Satchel Paige and Sam Streeter also beat Casey Stengel’s All Stars. Six
Pittsburgh Crawfords hitters batted over .300 for the series. These players were Jake Stephens - .444 (8 for 18),
Ted Page - .400 (12 for 30), Josh Gibson – .333 (9 for 27), Jimmie Crutchfield - .333 (8 for 24), Jud Wilson - .321
(9 for 28) and Oscar Charleston - .321 (9 for 28). The series concluded on October 7th when the Crawfords won
a doubleheader over the Major League All Stars in Cleveland. William Bell won the final game of the series by a
score of 4-2. The Pittsburgh Crawfords won five of the seven games against the Major Leaguers.
The Pittsburgh Crawfords had a very successful season in 1932. According to a newspaper article that appeared in
The Altoona Mirror (Altoona, PA) on 09-28-32, the Pittsburgh Crawfords had a won-loss record of 101-37 (.732)
for the 1932 baseball season.
Before the start of the 1933 season, the Negro National League was reformed and Gus Greenlee (owner of the
Pittsburgh Crawfords) was elected as the Negro National League President. The
following nine teams played in the Negro National League in 1933: Cole’s American Giants (37-14), Pittsburgh
Crawfords (38-17), Nashville Elite Giants (27-22), Homestead Grays (11-9), Baltimore Black Sox (11-11), Detroit
Stars (19-30), Columbus Blue Birds (16-26), Akron Tyrites (2-9) and the Cleveland Giants (2-14). The Birmingham
Black Barons, Hilldale and Newark Dodgers were all associate members of the “league.”
15
16
The Pittsburgh Crawfords conducted spring training in Memphis, Tennessee before heading back East to start the
regular season. Led by manager Oscar Charleston, Gus Greenlee felt he was fielding a pennant winning line-up for
the 1933 season.
William Bell returned to Pittsburgh to play for the Crawfords for the
1933 Negro National League season. Bell started the season on a
positive note when he threw a 7-0 shutout against the Nashville Elite
Giants in his first “league” start of the 1933 season. Pittsburgh
boasted a strong power hitting team and one of the best pitching
staffs in Negro League baseball. According to research by John
Holway, Oscar Charleston (.388), Josh Gibson (.352), James
“Cool Pappa” Bell (.339), Ted Page (.321), Bill Perkins (.311)
and Anthony Cooper (.309) led the Crawfords hitting attack.
Pittsburgh’s pitching staff included Bertrum Hunter (14-4), Leroy
Matlock (11-4), William Bell (7-3), Satchel Paige (7-9) and Sam
Streeter (6-4).
Cole’s Chicago American Giants won the first half of the season.
With no clear winner of the second half of the regular Negro
National League season declared, the Pittsburgh Crawfords played
the Nashville Elite Giants for the second half of the season title.
The series was slated for three games. Pittsburgh won the first two
games. Game three was never reported in the media.
Bell Shuts Out Nashville
Afro American
05-06-33
When no Play-Off Series between the winner of the first half of the season (American Giants) and the winner of the
second half (Crawfords) was scheduled, Gus Greenlee (who also owned the
Pittsburgh Crawfords) awarded the 1933 Negro National League title to his own team.
Even though he was thirty-six years of age, William Bell was still being counted on to be one of the starting
pitchers for the Pittsburgh Crawfords for the 1934 Negro National League season. In fact he was the starting
pitcher for the Crawfords in their opening game of the season. William Bell went 10-4 for the season against Negro
National League opponents. According to John Holway the other top pitchers for the Crawfords were Satchel Paige
(20-5), Leroy Matlock (14-3), Sam Streeter (10-2) and Bertrum Hunter (5-1). It is important to note that Holway’s
totals include both “league” and “non-league” games. The top hitters for Pittsburgh for the 1934 season were Vic
Harris (.367), Oscar Charleston (.333), Josh Gibson (.321), Chester Williams (.321) and James “Cool Pappa” Bell
(.315).
Pittsburgh Crawfords
vs
Philadelphia Stars
Morning Herald
Hagerstown, MD
07-13-34
One of the highlights of the 1934 season for Pittsburgh was the Crawfords participation in a post season
doubleheader that was played at Yankee Stadium to benefit the Charles Young Post of the American Legion. The
event was billed in the media as the “Colored World Series Classic.” The main attraction of the game was that it
presented a showdown between the two best pitchers in Negro League baseball. Satchel Paige of the Pittsburgh
Crawfords had a 13-2 record in “league” play for the season, while Slim Jones of the Philadelphia Stars had a
record of 20-5 for the 1934 season. The doubleheader was attended by 20,000 fans with another 5,000 fans that
17
couldn’t get in. The Chicago American Giants defeated the New York Black Yankees 4-3 in the first game and the
Pittsburgh Crawfords battled to a 1-1 tie with the Philadelphia Stars in the second game. The Crawfords-Stars game
was called because of darkness. A rematch of the game was played on September 16th back at Yankee Stadium with
Satchel Paige (Pittsburgh) beating Slim Jones (Philadelphia) by a score of 3-1.
Pittsburgh Crawfords (1934)
(left to right- Jimmie Crutchfield, Bertrum Hunter, Roosevelt Davis, Leroy Morney, Chester Williams, Cy Perkins,
Clarence Palm, William Bell, James “Cool Pappa” Bell, Harry Kincannon, Judy Johnson, Leroy Matlock,
Ted Page, Curtis Harris, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and Oscar Charleston)
Negro League researchers disagree on the Pittsburgh Crawfords won-loss record for the 1934 season. Research by
Larry Lester and Dick Clark has Pittsburgh finishing third in the Negro National League with a record of 31-19
(.620). Lester and Clark credit the Philadelphia Stars (25-13) with the best record in the “league” and the Chicago
American Giants (28-15) in second place for the 1934 Negro National League season. John Holway’s research has
the Pittsburgh Crawfords with the best record of the Negro National League teams when both “league” and “nonleague” games are added together. The Pittsburgh Crawfords according to John Holway had a won-loss record of
64-22 (.674) for the 1934 season.
William Bell started the 1935 season with the Pittsburgh Crawfords before he moved to the Newark Dodgers. The
Dodgers were owned by Charles Tyler who also owned the Chicken Shack restaurant in Newark, New Jersey.
Dick Lundy started the season off as the manager of the Newark Dodgers, but in May Dick Lundy was traded by
the Newark Dodgers to the Brooklyn Eagles for Bun Hayes and Eugene White. After Lundy was traded it appears
William Bell may have been named the manager of the Newark Dodgers.
From the limited records that are available, Bell had a 3-1 won-loss record with Newark during the second half of
the 1935 Negro National League season. Timothy Bond (SS/2B), Ray Dandridge (3B), Bert Johnson (OF) and Jim
Williams (SS) were some of the top offensive players for the Dodgers. The pitching staff for the Dodgers included
Bob Evans (6-9), William Bell (3-1), Homer Craig (2-2) and Bun Hayes (2-6).
18
Pittsburgh Crawfords Starting Pitchers (1933-1935)
(Satchel Paige, Leroy Matlock, William Bell, Harry Kincannon, Sam Streeter and Berturm Hunter)
The Newark Dodgers struggled all season and finished the season in last place in the Negro National League. They
had a dismal won-loss record of 17-42 (.288). William Bell’s old team the Pittsburgh Crawfords that he had started
the season with won the Negro National League championship with a record of 42-15 (.737).
Newark Dodgers (1935)
(William Bell – back row third from right)
19
Newark Eagles
Ruppert Stadium – Home of the Newark Eagles
Effa Manley
Owner of Newark Eagles
20
Prior to the start of the 1936 baseball season, Abe and Effa Manley who already owned the Brooklyn Eagles
purchased the Newark Dodgers. The Manleys then combined the two teams into one team and called their “new”
team the Newark Eagles. William Bell was named the manager of the Newark Eagles. Having rosters from two
teams (Newark Dodgers and Brooklyn Eagles) to pick players from and the ability to sign new players enabled
Bell to totally revamp his roster and field a competitive team for the 1936 Negro National League season. The key
players Bell kept from the Brooklyn Eagles were Leon Day, Rap Dixon, Terris McDuffie, Ted Page, Leon Ruffin,
Ed Stone and Harry Williams. Ray Dandridge, Bob Evans and John Hayes were the main players Bell retained from
the Newark Dodgers. In addition, the Manleys signed the following new players: Henry “Jake” Spearman (OF),
George “Mule” Suttles (1B), Clint Thomas (OF) and Willie Wells (SS) to strengthen the team’s roster.
After conducting spring training in Jacksonville (FL), the Newark Eagles returned to New Jersey and played their
home game at Ruppert Stadium in Newark. Bell’s number one problem as the manager of the Newark Eagles
during the season was hitting. In thirty-one (31) Negro National League games from May 9th to July 9th, the Eagles
had a team batting average of .228. They were last in the “league” in batting, 29 points behind the Philadelphia
Stars (.257). The New York Cubans led the Negro National League in batting with a .301 average. During the 1936
season, the Newark Eagles top hitters were Mule Suttles (.362), Jake Spearman (.318), Ed Stone (.317), Rap Dixon
(.309) and Ray Dandridge (.287). Bob Evans and Leon Day were the team’s top two pitchers during the season.
Newark’s pitching staff also included William Bell, Charles “Hooks” Beverly, Bill Jackman and Terris McDuffie.
Box scores have been found for six National League games in which William Bell pitched in 1936. In these six
games, Bell made three starts, had three complete games, a record of 3-2 (.600) and a 3.43 ERA.
In 1935 both the Brooklyn Eagles (29-32) and the Newark Dodgers (17-42) had losing records. Under William
Bell’s management, the Newark Eagles finished the Negro National League season in second place in the final
league standings with a record of 30-29 (.508). The Pittsburgh Crawfords had the best won-loss record for the
season at 36-24 (.600).
After the regular 1936 season, the Newark Eagles combined their roster with the Homestead Grays to play an eight
game series versus a team that combined players from the Kansas City Monarchs and Chicago American Giants
of the Negro American League. The combined team of the Eagles-Grays won seven games and the MonarchsAmerican Giants team won one game.
Even though the Newark Eagles had turned in a solid performance during the 1936 season, it obviously wasn’t
good enough for Abe Manley because he hired Tex Burnette as Newark’s manager for the 1937 season. When
spring training in High Point (NC) was over, the Eagles barnstormed back North to start the Negro National League
season.
The Eagles had an excellent hitting lineup in 1937 that included Ray Dandridge (.372), George “Mule” Suttles
(.354), James “Red” Moore (.318), Ed Stone (.311), Dick Lundy (.310) and Willie Wells(.290). Also playing for the
1937 Newark Eagles was a young rookie by the name of Monte Irvin. According to research by John Holway, Irvin
batted .319 in his rookie season. Newark also had a strong pitching staff that was anchored by Terris McDuffie (104) and Leon Day (7-0). It is important to note that Day played a shortened season due to a sore arm. Other members
of the pitching staff included William Bell, Bob Evans, Jonas Gaines and John Wright. At 39 years of age, William
Bell pitched in seven Negro National League games during 1937. His record in “league” games for the season was
2-2 (.500) with a 4.28 ERA in 33.7 innings pitched.
The Newark Eagles improved their record from the season before but still finished in second place with a record of
26-14 (.650) behind the Homestead Grays (31-13) who won both halves of the split season.
William Bell retired from professional baseball after the 1937 season.
21
William Bell Manages the Newark Eagles in their Last Season
Newark Mayor Vincent J. Murphy and William Bell
22
Bell Returns to the Negro Leagues
The mid 1940’s had been a time of prosperity for the Newark Eagles. In 1946
Newark won both halves of the Negro National League title and had defeated
the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro League World Series. They were the
best team in black baseball. The Eagles started the 1947 season right where
they had left off in 1946. They won ball games and dominated Negro National
League opponents. In 1947 the Newark Eagles had started the season strong
and won the first half of the Negro National League season. However, when
Larry Doby signed with the Cleveland Indians the team took a nose dive and
the New York Cubans ended up winning the pennant at the end of the season.
The New York Cubans went on to defeat the Cleveland Buckeyes (Negro
American League) in the Negro League World Series. From Abe Manley’s
perspective it should have been his team winning the World Series. With the
Eagles collapse during the second half of the 1947 season, Abe Manley felt he
needed to make a change in the team’s manager so he contacted William Bell.
Manley signed Bell before the start of the 1948 Negro National League season
to return to Newark and manage the Eagles.
William Bell entered the 1948 Negro National League season with several
things going against him. First, Abe Manley was convinced that when Jackie
Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 that would mean the end of Negro
League baseball. By the start of the 1948 season, Abe Manley was cutting
costs wherever he could in order to try to hold on to a dying franchise. In
addition he continued selling more players to white “organized” baseball.
Newark had already sold Larry Doby to the Cleveland Indians in 1947. During
the 1948 season Monte Irvin, Newark’s best player, was sold to the New York
Giants.
To start the season, the Newark Eagles conducted spring training in
Jacksonville, Florida. After spring training the Eagles returned to Newark with
the hope of regaining their glory from their championship 1946 season. The
top hitters for the Newark Eagles during the 1948 season were Bob Harvey
(.365), Monte Irvin (.319), Robert Wilson (.302) and Lennie Pearson. Max
Manning (10-4), Lenial Hooker and Rufus Lewis were the nucleus of the
Eagles’ pitching staff.
Afro American
03-27-48
The Newark Eagles made a respectable showing during the 1948 Negro
National League season. They finished the year with a 29-27 (.518)
record in “league” games. This left them in third place in the final “league”
standings behind the Homestead Grays (41-19) and Baltimore Elite Giants (4525).
Even with the team playing respectable baseball, fans failed to turn out for their games. During the 1948 season the
Newark Eagles only drew 35,010 fans. To put this financial crisis in perspective, the Eagles drew 120,092 during
their 1946 championship season and 57,119 fans in 1947. Abe and Effa Manley reported losses of $ 22,000 in 1947
and posted a $ 25,000 loss in 1948.
The Manleys final act as team owners was to sell what was left of the Newark Eagles franchise to Dr. W. H. Young
and Hugh Cherry. The Eagles moved south to Houston to play in the 1949 Negro American League as the Houston
Eagles. William Bell retired once again and returned to his home in El Campo, Texas.
23
Cuban Winter League Career
William Bell made his first trip to Cuba to play winter baseball in October of 1927 when he was signed by the
Habana Leones of the Cuban Winter League. Besides Habana the 1927-28 winter league season also included
Almendares and Cuba. The season started on November 2, 1927 and concluded play on January 28, 1928. Mike
Gonzalez was the manager of Habana and he recruited an outstanding team of Negro League players. The hitting
attack for the Leones was led by Jud Wilson (.424), Martin Dihigo (.415), Charles “Chino” Smith (.342), Alejandro
Oms (.324) and Ramon Herrera (.315). Led by their Negro League stars, the Habana Leones compiled a team
batting average of .310 for the season and averaged scoring over six (6) runs a game. The top pitchers for Habana
were Oscar Levis (7-2), William Bell (6-2) and Martin Dihigo (4-2). The Habana Leones dominated league
play the entire season. When the thirty-seven (37) game season ended, Habana took the Cuban Winter League
championship with a record of 24-13 (.649). They won the league title by eight games over Cuba (16-21) and ten
games over Almendares (17-23).
Bell returned to Cuba to play for Mike Gonzalez and the Habana Leones for the 1928-29 Cuban Winter League
season. Teams that started the season were the Almendares Alacranes, Cienfuegos Elefantes, Cuba and the Habana
Leones. The season started on October 20th and ended on January 6th. Mike Gonzalez returned to manage the
team and like the season before he concentrated on recruiting Negro League players for his roster. Alejandro Oms
(.432), Jud Wilson (.397), Agustin Bejerano (.378), Oscar Estrada (.368), Charles “Chino” Smith (.333) and Martin
Dihigo (.303) were the team’s leading hitters during the season. Habana’s pitching rotation included William Bell
(9-3), Oscar Estrada (7-4), Jose Acosta (6-2) and Oscar Levis (5-2). William Bell led the Cuban Winter League in
complete games with eleven (11) and wins with nine (9) for the 1928-29 season. Like they had done the season
before, the Habana Leones started strong and never let up. They finished the season with a record of 43-12 (.782) to
claim the league title by ten and a half games over Almendares (31-21). Cuba (17-35) and Cienfuegos (15-38) both
dropped out of the league on January 3rd before the end of the season.
Habana Leones (1928-29)
24
When the 1929-30 Cuban Winter League season started, William Bell was back in the line-up for Mike Gonzalez’s
Habana Leones as the ace of their pitching staff. The 1929-30 season was a disaster for Habana. They went from a
league championship with a record of 43-12 (.782) to the worst team in the four team league with a record of 20-30
(.400). Trying to beat Cienfuegos was the biggest problem Habana faced during the season. Cienfuegos defeated
the Leones in fifteen (15) of the twenty (20) games they played. The Habana Leones also suffered from the loss
of Alejandro Oms, Agustin Bejerano, Oscar Estrada and Martin Dihigo. The leading hitters for Habana during
the season were Jud Wilson (.363), Charles “Chino” Smith (.338), Ramon Herrera (.322), Juan Vargas (.315) and
George Scales (.290). William Bell was the ace of the pitching staff with a 9-8 (.529) won-loss record. The team’s
other top pitchers were Adolfo Luque (4-8) who suffered the worst season of his entire career in Cuba and Oscar
Levis (4-5). Cienfuegos behind the pitching of Heliodoro Diaz (13-3) and the hitting of Willie Wells (.322) won the
Cuban Winter League championship with a record of 32-19 (.627)
The 1930 Cuban Winter League season was one of conflict and controversy. The season started on November 25th
and concluded just five days later on November 30th. The reason for the shortened season was that team owners
and La Tropical stadium management became involved in a dispute that could not be resolved. With no ball park
to play the games, the season was cancelled. William Bell had returned to play for Mike Gonzalez and his Habana
Leones team to help them try to turn around their disastrous performance from the season before. The Leones only
played three games and were 1-2 when the season abruptly ended. Chet Brewer won Habana’s only game. William
Bell and Juan Eckelson took the losses in the other two games. The other teams that started the 1930 Cuban Winter
League season were Almendares (3-1), Cienfuegos (1-1) and Santa Clara (0-1).
When the 1930 regular Cuban Winter League season collapsed, there was an immediate attempt to revive a winter
league season in Cuba by the formation of the UNICO-Special Season. The UNICO season started on November
2nd with games played at Almendares Park. Teams that participated in the 1930 UNICO season were Almendarista,
Marianao, Habana and Cienfuegos. Mike Gonzalez managed the Habana team and recruited William Bell to pitch
for him. Unfortunately, Habana didn’t get any hitting during the UNICO season. Chuck Dressen (.347) and Juan
Vargas (.318) were the only hitters that hit above Chino Smith’s .273 batting average for the season. The pitching
staff for Habana included Johnny Allen (2-2), William Bell (1-3), Chet Brewer (1-2), Silvino Ruiz (1-0) and Manual
Garcia (0-2). The 1930 UNICO-Special Season concluded play on November 24th. The final order of standing was
Almendarista (9-4), Marianao (9-5), Habana (5-9) and Cienfuegos (2-7). This was Bell’s last season of winter
baseball in Cuba.
William Bell played four seasons of winter baseball in Cuba. He played all of these for Mike Gonzalez and his
Habana Leones team. Bell’s won-loss record in Cuba is open for discussion. Some sources credit Bell with a 2517 (.595) record for his career in Cuba, while the Chicago Defender reported that Bell had a career record of 57-20
(.740) in Cuban play. The Chicago Defender also reported that Bell won three league pennants and one President’s
Cup during his career in Cuba.
Life after Professional Baseball
After Bell retired from the Newark Eagles he returned home to El Campo, Texas. William Bell had always been
a pillar of the community in El Campo. In his retirement from professional baseball, he made a living managing
his livestock and real estate interests. In addition he continued to manage the town’s local baseball team, the Pearl
Sluggers. Bell also coached El Campo’s Little League team for several years.
.
William Bell passed away on March 16, 1969 in El Campo, Texas.
He will always be remembered by the people of El Campo from the local park named after him.
25
Assessing William Bell’s Career
The following factors should be taken into consideration when evaluating the baseball career of William Bell.
• William Bell had a won-loss record of 138-53 (.723) in Negro League games and an overall won-loss
record in games against all levels of competition of 207-74 (.737). Bell was consistently one of the best
pitchers in Negro League baseball during his career. The following chart presents his won-loss record in
Negro League games and games against top level competition during his prime as reported by six leading
Negro League researchers.
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
Career
Total
Larry
Lester &
Dick Clark
11-2
12-5
15-6
13-4
10-7
16-4
10-4
2-2
11-4
6-3
10-4
Center
for Negro
League BB
Research
11-2
12-5
15-6
13-4
10-7
16-4
10-4
2-2
11-4
6-3
10-4
131-53
138-53
Baseball
Reference
John
Holway
James
Riley
11-2
10-4
15-6
13-3
9-7
14-4
10-2
7-4
6-2
8-4
10-2
10-3
19-4
14-6
11-7
17-4
11-4
2-1
7-2
-
10-2
9-3
16-3
13-6
10-7
14-4
9-3
16-4
-
109-44
141-57
97-32
MacMillan
Baseball
Encyclopedia
10-2
9-3
16-3
13-6
10-7
17-4
9-3
5-1
89-30
As this chart clearly points out, William Bell never had a losing season during the
prime years of his career in the Negro Leagues.
• All Negro League researchers agree that he has the best won-loss percentage in the history of Negro
League baseball. The Center for Negro League Baseball Research currently has Bell’s won-loss
percentage in Negro League games as .723. This number will change as more box scores are located. The
following chart identifies William Bell’s won-loss percentage as reported by seven different Negro League
researchers.
Researcher
James Holway
Center for Negro League
Baseball Research
Larry Lester and
Dick Clark
National Baseball HOF
Baseball Reference
James Riley
MacMillan Baseball
Encyclopedia
Games Won
141
Games Lost
57
Winning Percentage
.712
138
53
.723
131
124
109
97
53
48
44
32
.712
.721
.712
.752
89
30
.748
• Bell finished what he started. According to research by Larry Lester and Dick Clark, William Bell made
174 starts against Negro League and top level opponents. Their research reveals that he pitched a complete
game in 131 of these 174 outings for a complete game percentage of 75.3 %.
26
• William Bell was a winner. During his career Bell played on the following twelve (12) championship
teams:
YearTeam
League
1923
1923
1924
1924
1925
1926
1927-28
1928-29
1929
1929
1933
1935
Negro National League57-33 .633
Kansas City “City Championship”
-
Negro National League
55-22 .714
Negro League World Series
5-4-1 .556
Negro National League
62-23 .729
Negro National League
57-21 .731
Cuban Winter League
24-13 .649
Cuban Winter League
43-12 .782
Negro National League
62-17 .785
Championship Series vs Houston
4-0 1.000
Negro National League
38-17 .691
Negro National League
42-15 .737
Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
Habana Leones
Habana Leones
Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Record
• Bell started playing for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1922 when he was already 25 years old. He lost four
to five years due to his late start. These should have been very productive years of his Negro League
career.
• There is a significant problem with missing statistics. This is especially true for “non-league” and
exhibition games throughout his entire career. We also have no games when he played in the Texas Colored
League at the beginning of his career and very few games when he was with the All Nations team in 1922
and 1923.
There is also a significant discrepancy in his record in Cuba. Jorge S. Figueredo in his book Cuban Baseball
credits Bell with a record of 25-17 (.595) while playing for Habana. The Chicago Defender reported that
Bell had a career record of 57-20 (.740) for his career in Cuba. If Bell indeed won 57 games in Cuba this
would add 22 victories to his wins total.
• Bell’s lack of notoriety and name recognition especially in the media was probably hindered because he
played most of his career in the shadow of Bullet Rogan when he was with the Kansas City Monarchs and
Satchel Paige when he was with the Pittsburgh Crawfords.
• William Bell was a decent hitter for a pitcher. According to research by Larry Lester and Dick Clark
in the box scores that they have found for Bell in games against top level competition, he had a batting
average of .234 (162 for 693).
• Besides being an excellent player, Bell was also a very capable manager. During the two seasons he
managed the Newark Eagles, he posted a won-loss record of 59-56 (.513) in Negro National League games.
It is important to note that the Newark Eagles traditionally played a large number of games against “nonleague” opponents and these games are not included in his won-loss record as a manager.
• William Bell was selected as one of the thirty-nine (39) finalists for consideration for induction into
the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He fell just short in the final balloting.
• The quiet and unassuming William Bell who played in the shadow of other great ball players like Bullet
Rogan and Satchel Paige was himself one of the truly great Negro League baseball players of all time.
He is without a doubt a Forgotten Hero.
27
Clearing up Mysteries Associated with William Bell’s Career
The first historical inconsistency related to William Bell’s baseball career is which Bell (Clifford or William) played
for the Habana Leones of the Cuban Winter League from 1927 to 1930. Cuban baseball historian and author Jorge
S. Figueredo in his book Cuban Baseball credits Clifford Bell not William Bell with playing for Habana. Cliff Bell
and William Bell were sometimes confused because they were both right handed pitchers, both played at the same
time for the Kansas City Monarchs for several years, both were about the same age (Cliff was born in 1896 and
William was born in 1897), both were of similar built (Cliff was 5’10” and weighed 180 and William was 5’11”
and weighed 185) and both were from the state of Texas. Cliff Bell pitched for Kansas City from 1921-1927 and
William Bell played for the Monarchs from 1923-1930. The Center for Negro League Baseball Research’s research
clearly indicates that Figueredo is inaccurate. It was William Bell who played for Mike Gonzalez’s Habana team
during these four winter league seasons. We are able to make this assessment for three reasons. First newspaper
articles clearly state that William Bell played four seasons of winter ball in Cuba. Second, research by noted Negro
League researchers Larry Lester and Dick Clark also support that it was William Bell not Cliff Bell that played in
Cuba. Thirdly, the picture on the front of this book shows William Bell in a Habana Leones uniform. With all the
similarities between the two Bells fortunately they had completely different facial features.
The second mystery related to William Bell’s baseball career is whether or not he pitched for the Homestead Grays
in 1948. William Bell retired from Negro League baseball after the 1937 season and returned home to El Campo,
Texas where he managed a local semi-pro team. Prior to the start of the 1948 Negro National League season, Abe
and Effa Manley hired William Bell as the manager of the Newark Eagles. Baseball Reference.com reports a 50
year old William Bell pitching very briefly for the Homestead Grays in 1948. The Negro League data published
by Baseball Reference.com comes from two sources: the Negro League Researchers and Authors Group whose
data was gathered during a research project that was funded by a grant from the National Baseball Hall of Fame
and Museum (original funding came from Major League Baseball) and the Ashwill Negro League Database.
However in Larry Lester and Dick Clark’s book The Negro Leagues, they have a Charles “Lefty” Bell pitching for
the Homestead Grays in 1948 not William Bell. Our research did uncover a box score with a Bell (no first name
given) pitching for the Homestead Grays in a game against the National Forge baseball club. The game was played
at Wilder Field in Irving (PA). The box score was published in the Times-Mirror of Warren (PA) on 06-03-48. The
Grays won the game 9-6 and the Bell in question got a no decision when he was relieved by Edsall Walker in the
sixth inning. It may have been William Bell, but this is highly unlikely. One thing that may leave the issue open
for further research is the fact that we don’t know for sure that William Bell was with the Newark Eagles for the
entire season because Abe Manley had a history of changing managers at the drop of a hat. We do know that he
was still with the Newark Eagles on July 25th because we have a box score with him playing in a game against the
Birmingham Black Barons. Indications are from our perspective is that William Bell managed the Newark Eagles
the entire season and was with the team until the Manleys sold the Eagles to Dr. W.H. Young and Hugh Cherry and
the team moved to Houston, Texas.
A third confusion related to William Bell, Sr. is that William Bell, Jr. has often been presented as William Bell’s
son. William Bell, Jr. pitched for the Kansas City Monarchs from 1949-1954 and also played briefly for the
Birmingham Black Barons in 1950. Genealogy records clearly support the fact that William Bell, Sr. and William
Bell, Jr. are not related.
28
Playing Career
Regular Season:
YearTeamLeague
1921
Galveston Black Sand Crabs
Texas Colored League
1922-1923
All NationsIndependent
1923-1930
Kansas City Monarchs
Negro National League
1931New York Harlem StarsIndependent
1931
New York Black Yankees
Independent
1932Detroit WolvesEast-West League
1932Homestead GraysEast-West League
1932Pittsburgh CrawfordsIndependent
1933-1935
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Negro National League
1935
Newark Dodgers
Negro National League
1936-1937
Newark Eagles
Negro National League
1948
Newark Eagles (Manager)
Negro National League
Winter Leagues and Post Season Play:
1923
Kansas City Monarchs
Game vs Casey Stengel All Stars
1923
Kansas City Monarchs
Championship Series vs Kansas City Blues
1924
Kansas City Monarchs
Game vs Topeka (Western Association)
1924
Kansas City Monarchs
Championship Series vs Kansas City Blues
1924
Kansas City Monarchs
Negro League World Series vs Hilldale
1925
Kansas City Monarchs
Play-Off Series vs St. Louis Stars
1925
Kansas City Monarchs
Negro League World Series vs Hilldale
1926 Kansas City Monarchs
Play-Off Series vs Chicago American Giants
1926
Kansas City Monarchs
Game vs Frank Watts Professional League All Stars
1927-28Habana LeonesCuban Winter League
1928-29Habana LeonesCuban Winter League
1929
Kansas City Monarchs Championship Series vs Houston Black Buffaloes
1929-30Habana LeonesCuban Winter League
1930HabanaCuban Winter League
1930HabanaUNICO (Cuba)
1932
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Series vs Casey Stengel’s All Stars
1932
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Series vs Major League All Stars
1933
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Play-Off Series vs Nashville Elite Giants
1933
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Game vs All Star team w/ Leo Durocher
1934
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Post Season Series vs Philadelphia Stars
1936
Newark Eagles-Homestead Grays
Series vs Kansas City MonarchsChicago American Giants team
29
Career Statistics – Pitching (Regular Season)
Year
Team
1922
All Nations
1923
All Nations
Kansas City
1924
Kansas City
1925
Kansas City
1926
Kansas City
1927
Kansas City
1928
Kansas City
1929
Kansas City
1930
Kansas City
1931
New York
1932
Detroit
Homestead
Pittsburgh
1933
Pittsburgh
1934
Pittsburgh
1935
Pittsburgh
Newark
1936
Newark
1937
Newark
Total Games
Innings
Lost
2
8
0
3
Hits
Runs
BB
S0
ERA
12
62
0
32
4
16
16
32
0.00
3.69
2
12
18.0
78.0
21
18
24
26
24
28
15
4
15
142.2
121.0
178.0
164.0
155.7
174.3
115.7
31.7
119.3
11
11
15
13
10
16
10
2
11
2
3
5
4
7
4
4
2
4
145
98
142
153
153
153
104
22
132
51
41
44
38
50
63
38
9
47
38
27
45
34
23
35
15
3
26
47
44
67
51
55
86
56
4
55
3.77
3.04
2.22
2.09
2.89
3.25
2.96
2.56
3.55
12
18
5
70.0
110.3
31.0
6
10 3
3
4
1
78
121
31
35
45
13
5
12
3
25
26
7
4.50
3.67
3.77
6
7
39.3
33.7
3
2
2
2
41
37
15
16
7
13
7
9
3.44
4.27
1582.2
133
50
1484
537
306
587
3.05
237
Won
Career Statistics – Pitching (Play-Off Series)
Year
Team
1925
1926
Kansas City
Kansas City
Total
Games
Innings
Won
Lost
Hits
2
2
17.0
12.7
1
0
1
1
11
13
4
29.7
1
2
24
Runs
BB
S0
ERA
6
8
4
3
6
4
3.18
5.67
14
7
10
4.24
Career Statistics – Pitching (Championship Series)
Year
Team
Games
Innings
Won
Lost
Hits
Runs
BB
S0
ERA
1929
Kansas City2-20-----
Career Statistics – Pitching (Negro League World Series)
Year
Team
Games
1924
1925
Kansas City
Kansas City
3
3
Total
6
Innings
Won
Lost
Hits
24.0
15.7
1
0
0
1
30
18
39.7
1
1
48
Runs
BB
S0
ERA
9
2
13
9
6
4
3.38
1.15
11
22
10
2.49
S0
ERA
Career Statistics – Pitching (Non-League)
Year
Team
Games
Innings
Won
Lost
Hits
Runs
BB
1923
Kansas City 19 1050110.00
1924
Kansas City-- 1
0----1926
Kansas City -- 6
0----1927
Kansas City-- 5
0-----
1928
Kansas City-- 2
0----1929
Kansas City
-
-
4
0
-
-
-
-
1930
Kansas City-- 8
0----1932
Pittsburgh --13
0----1935
Newark -- 0
1----1936
Newark -- 1
3----1937
Newark -- 1
0----
Total
-
-
42
4
-
30
-
-
-
-
Career Statistics – Pitching (Exhibition Games)
Year
Team
1932
Pittsburgh
Games
-
Innings
Won
Lost
Hits
Runs
BB
S0
3
0
-
-
-
-
-
ERA
-
Career Statistics – Pitching (Cuba)
Year
Team
Games
Complete
Games
Won
Lost Percentage
1927-28
1928-29
1929-30
1930
1930
Habana
8
Habana
18
Habana
23
Habana
3
Habana (UNICO) 6
2
11
10
1
3
6
9
9
0
1
2
3
8
1
3
.750
.750
.529
.000
.250
Total
27
25
17
.595
•
58 The Chicago Defender reported that Bell had a career record of 57-20 (.740) for his career in Cuba.
Career Statistics – Pitching (Totals)
Games
Innings
Regular Season Play-Off Games
Championship Series
World Series
Exhibition Games
Non-League
Cuba
237
4
2
6
58
1582.2
29.7
-
39.7
- Totals 307
•
1651.6
Won
Lost
Hits
133
1
2
1
3 42
25
50
2
0
1
0
4
17
1484
24
-
48
-
-
-
207
74
1556
Runs
BB
S0
ERA
537
14
-
11
-
-
-
306
7
-
22
-
-
-
587
10
-
10
-
-
-
3.05
4.24
2.49
-
562
335
607
-
All of the statistics presented here have been verified with actual box scores. They are in no way to be considered complete. Further research will
undoubtedly reveal significantly more wins.
Pitching and League Leader Titles
Category
Year
League
Wins
1926
1928-29
Negro National League
Cuban Winter League
16
9
Complete Games
1928-29
Cuban Winter League
11
Winning Percentage 1924
Negro National League
.846
Earned Run Average
1927
Negro National League
2.09
31
Number
Career Statistics – Hitting (Regular Season – Negro Leagues)
Year
Team
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
All Nations
All Nations
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
1927
Kansas City
1928 Kansas City
1929
Kansas City
1930
Kansas City
1931
New York
1932
Detroit
Homestead
Pittsburgh
1933
Pittsburgh
1934
Pittsburgh
1935
Pittsburgh
Newark
1936
Newark
1937
Newark
1948
Newark
Total
Games AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
2
12
4
30
1
0
2
7
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
.500
.233
.750
.233
26
25
31
65
57
83
4
3
8
11
3
23
2
0
5
0
0
2
0
0
0
4
1
11
0
1
0
.169
.053
.277
.200
.053
.386
31
29
27
24
4
26
83
65
71
72
9
78
8
7
11
10
2
11
23
17
21
18
1
23
2
5
3
3
0
3
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
1
4
7
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
.277
.262
.296
.250
.111
.295
.349
.338
.338
.292
.111
.359
9
13
3
12
29
7
1
1
2
4
3
4
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
3
0
0
0
0
.333
.103
.571
.333
.103
.714
7
7
1
19
13
3
1
0
0
2
2
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
.105
.154
.667
.158
.154
.667
26
5
0
43
2
.237
.289
277
700
70
166
Career Statistics – Hitting (Regular Season – Non-League Games)
Year
Team
1923
1925
1927
1928
1930
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
Kansas City
Total
Games AB
1
1
4
2
2
10
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
4
4
13
4
9
0
0
4
2
1
2
2
7
2
4
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
0
-
-
0
-
.500
.500
.538
.500
.444
.500
.500
.615
.500
.444
34
7
17
1
-
-
-
-
.500
.529
SB
BA
Career Hitting Statistics (Totals)
Games AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SLG
Negro League
Non-League
277
10
700
34
70
7
166
17
26
1
5
-
0
-
43
-
2
-
.237
.500
.237
.529
Total
287
734
77
183
27
5
0
43
2
.249
.300
Managerial Record
Year
TeamLeagueWon Lost
Pct.
Place
1935
1936
1948
1948
Newark Dodgers
Newark Eagles
Newark Eagles
Newark Eagles
Negro National League
Negro National League
Negro National League
Non-League Game -
30
29
1
-
29
27
0
-
.508
.518
1.000
2
3rd
-
nd
Total60
56
.517
-
32
Selected Career Highlights
• William Bell has the best career won-loss percentage in the history of Negro League baseball. In Negro
League games, he had a won-loss record 138-53 for a winning percentage of .723.
• From the box scores and newspaper accounts that we have located up to this point in time, Bell had a wonloss record of 207-74 (.737) in games against all levels of competition.
• Research from primary sources has uncovered forty-six (46) games he pitched against “non-league”
opponents and lower level teams. He posted a won-loss record of 42-4 (.913) in these games. Bell was
virtually unbeatable against lower level competition.
• According to research by Larry Lester and Dick Clark, William Bell made 174 starts against Negro League
and top level opponents. Their research reveals that he pitched a complete game in 131 of these 174 outings
for a complete game percentage of 75.3 %.
• Played on five Kansas City Monarchs teams (1923, 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1929) who won the regular
season Negro National League Championship.
• Member of the 1924 Kansas City Monarchs team that won the first ever Negro League World Series.
William Bell won game six of the series.
• Bell led the Negro National League in wins in 1926 with 16 victories against “league” opponents.
• He led the Negro National League in earned run average with a 2.09 ERA for the 1927 season.
• Bell was the leading pitcher for the Habana Leones team that won back to back Cuban Winter League
championships in 1927-28 and 1928-29.
• He led the 1928-29 Cuban Winter League in complete games (11) and wins (9).
• Member of the 1929 Kansas City Monarchs team who defeated the Houston Black Buffaloes (Champions
of the Texas-Oklahoma-Louisiana League) for the un-official title of “Colored Champions of the World.”
William Bell won two games in the series.
• In 1930 he was the starting pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs in the first ever night baseball game in
Negro League baseball history. Bell beat Phillips University by a score of 12-3.
• From 1924-1930, William Bell won at least ten (10) “league” games each season.
• After the 1932 regular season, William Bell picked up three (3) wins in a seven game exhibition series
against the Casey Stengel All Stars/Major League All Stars.
• Member of the 1933 and 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords teams who were the Negro National League
champions.
• William Bell was selected as one of the thirty-nine (39) finalists for consideration for induction into the
National Baseball Hall of Fame. He fell just short in the final balloting.
33
Kansas City Brings Night Baseball to America