The Columbia Giants were a professional, black baseball team based in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the Negro leagues .
6-765: In 1899, a group known as the Columbia Club, organized the Columbia Giants under the direction of John W. Patterson . Many of the original players including Patterson came from the recently disbanded Page Fence Giants . Patterson also signed Chicago Unions pitcher Harry Buckner . In 1899, managed by Al Garrett, they beat the Chicago Unions for the western championship, winning game one 4–2 and game two 6–0. Stars included (Grant) Home Run Johnson at shortstop, Charlie Grant at second base, and (George) Chappie Johnson at first base and catcher. They lost
12-550: A cross-country title match with the Cuban X-Giants by a 7–4 score. Home Run Johnson homered in two of the three major matches. At the beginning of the season, in May, the team included George Wilson , Sol White , Charlie Grant , Joseph "Cannon Ball" Miller , William Binga , Chappie Johnson , Peter Burns , Sherman Barton , Harry Buckner , and Billy Holland , with John W. Patterson managing. Patterson's office that year
18-624: Is listed as 3030 State Street in Chicago, Illinois. In 1900 no championship was played and the Unions and Columbia Giants both claimed to be number one. Home Run Johnson went to the Union Giants but was replaced by future Hall-of-Famer Sol White . Pitcher Billy Holland also joined the team that year. In 1901, Frank Leland combined his Chicago Unions with the Giants and renamed the team
24-794: The Chicago Union Giants , which was renamed to the Leland Giants in 1905. John W. Patterson John W. Patterson (March 2, 1872 – August 23, 1940) was an American baseball outfielder in the Negro leagues . He played for major teams from 1893 to 1907. Patterson debuted with the Lincoln, Nebraska Giants of 1890, a black team, and played for the Plattsmouth club in the Nebraska State League during
30-625: The Cuban X-Giants , then the Brooklyn Royal Giants . Fellow 1904 teammate Jimmy Smith called Patterson "one of the brainiest and shrewdest leaders of any team of color." Patterson played as late as 1908 for the Philadelphia Giants . After his baseball career, John W. Patterson became the first African-American police officer in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1909. He served as an officer for over 30 years, and
36-627: The 1892 season, before the baseball color line was sharply drawn. In 1893 he joined the Cuban Giants and won a starting position for 1894. He played with the Page Fence Giants which eventually became the Chicago Columbia Giants in 1899 where Patterson was a manager and outfielder . He appeared on teams lists in Chicago from 1899 to 1902,. then played a year for the Philadelphia Giants , then moved on to
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