Indianapolis Clowns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Indianapolis Clowns |
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| Information | |
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| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| Year established | c. 1930s |
| Year disbanded | 1962 |
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The Indianapolis Clowns were a famous professional baseball team. They played in the Negro American League, which was a major baseball league for Black players. This was during a time when Black athletes were not allowed to play in Major League Baseball.
The Clowns started playing in the 1930s. They were one of the last Negro league teams to stop playing. They even continued to play special exhibition games into the 1980s. The team began as the Ethiopian Clowns. Later, they joined the Negro American League as the Cincinnati Clowns. After a few years, they moved to Indianapolis. A very famous player, Hank Aaron, played for the Clowns for a short time. The Clowns were also one of the first professional baseball teams to have female players.
Contents
Team History
How the Clowns Started
The team that became the Ethiopian Clowns might have started in Miami, Florida, around 1935 or 1936. It was first known as the Miami Giants. By 1941, they were called the Miami Ethiopian Clown.
The team then became an independent club that traveled around to play games. This is called barnstorming. They shortened their name to the Ethiopian Clowns. A person named Syd Pollock helped make the Clowns very popular. He made them a mix of show business and baseball. They were so entertaining that people called them the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball.
In 1943, the team moved to Cincinnati. They became the Cincinnati Clowns. That same year, they joined the Negro American League. They played in this league for 12 years. The team played in both Cincinnati and Indianapolis in 1944 and 1945. Then, in 1946, they officially moved to Indianapolis. They were known as the Indianapolis Clowns from then on. The team won the league championship in 1950.
Traveling and Playing
The Clowns had a serious baseball team, but they also had players who did funny acts. They were like a baseball version of the Harlem Globetrotters. One of these funny players was Joe "Prince" Henry.
After the late 1940s, the Negro leagues started to decline. This was because Black players could now join Major League Baseball. But the Clowns kept playing. They went on barnstorming tours, traveling to different towns to play games, even into the 1960s. In 1951, the team moved from Indianapolis to Offermann Stadium in Buffalo, New York. However, they still kept the Indianapolis Clowns name. The Clowns left Buffalo after the 1955 season.
By 1966, the Indianapolis Clowns were the last Negro league team still playing. They continued to play exhibition games into the 1980s. These games were more for fun and entertainment than serious competition. After many years of traveling and playing, the Clowns finally stopped playing in 1989.
Famous Players
Hank Aaron and Other Stars
In 1952, Syd Pollock signed Hank Aaron to his first professional contract. Hank Aaron was paid $200 a month. He played for about three months as the Clowns' shortstop. He was also a strong hitter. After this, the Boston Braves baseball team bought his contract for $10,000. Hank Aaron went on to become one of the greatest baseball players ever.
Other talented players for the Clowns included Buster Haywood and Hubert "Big Daddy" Wooten. Famous showman "Goose" Tatum, who was also a Harlem Globetrotter star, played for them. Future Major League Baseball players like John Wyatt, Paul Casanova, Hal King, and Choo-Choo Coleman also played for the Clowns.
Female Players
The Clowns were pioneers in baseball history. They were the first professional baseball team to sign a female player to a long-term contract. This contract was not canceled soon after.
In 1953, the Clowns hired Toni Stone to play second base. This was after Hank Aaron left the team. Toni Stone batted .243 that year. The next year, the Clowns sold her contract to the Kansas City Monarchs.
To replace Toni Stone, the Clowns hired two more women. One was pitcher Mamie "Peanut" Johnson. She had an amazing record of 33 wins and 8 losses. She also batted well, hitting between .262 and .284. The other player was second baseman Connie Morgan. Women also worked as umpires for the team. Nancy Miller, a former model, was the first female umpire in professional baseball.
Movie About the Clowns
The 1976 movie The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings is based on the Indianapolis Clowns. It stars famous actors like James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, and Richard Pryor. The movie shows the fun and challenges of a barnstorming baseball team.
Images for kids
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Cincinnati Clowns Pennant
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Statues of Toni Stone, Hank Aaron, and Mamie Johnson at the Indianapolis Children's Museum.
