Sell Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sell Hall |
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| Pitcher/Manager/Owner | |||
| Born: June 15, 1888 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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| Died: February 13, 1951 (aged 62) New York, New York |
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| debut | |||
| 1917, Chicago American Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| 1921, Homestead Grays | |||
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As Player
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Sellers McKee Hall (born June 15, 1888 – died February 13, 1951) was an important African-American music promoter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was also a professional baseball player and a leader in Negro league baseball.
Music and Entertainment Promoter
During the 1920s and 1930s, Sell Hall managed the Pythian Temple in Pittsburgh. He brought many famous jazz musicians to the city. His popular dances attracted huge crowds, often between 1,500 and 2,000 people.
Some of the big names he booked included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Billy Eckstine, Cab Calloway, and Don Redman. When he wasn't busy with baseball, Hall worked as a nightclub manager and dance promoter. He also wrote for the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper in 1912.
A Star in Sports
Sell Hall was a talented athlete who played many sports. He was excellent in track, football, basketball, and baseball while attending Central High School in Pittsburgh.
After high school, he worked for the United States Postal Service. But he kept playing sports for local and semi-pro teams. He was also a good short-distance runner and jumper in track meets.
Baseball Career
Sell became a star pitcher for the Pittsburgh Colored Collegians in 1913. His brother, Howard "Ram" Hall, was his catcher. The Collegians were big rivals of the Homestead Grays back then.
In April 1917, Sell joined Daddy Clay's Giants. Later that year, he was signed by Cumberland Posey to play for the Homestead Grays. He played for the Grays in 1917 and 1918. After 1918, he left the Grays to pitch for the Chicago American Giants. Years later, in 1938, he returned to pitch for the Grays in a special "old-timers" game. This game celebrated the Grays' 25th anniversary.
In 1920, Sell Hall's team, the Pittsburgh American Giants (also called the "Green Socks"), played in the new Central Park. This was the first baseball park in Pittsburgh owned by an African American. In 1924, Sell bought the field. He continued to pitch for the Giants until 1925.
In 1922, Sell put together a team called the Cuban X-Giants. Some of the players on this team spoke fake Spanish and pretended to be from Cuba. In 1925, Sell sold Central Park, and it became a place for summer dances.
Personal Life
Sellers Hall and his wife, Marguerite, had 12 children. Their oldest daughter, Doris, made history. She became the first black female manager with the Pittsburgh Housing Authority. This happened after she was not allowed to be an English teacher in the Pittsburgh Public Schools in the late 1930s because of her race. Doris celebrated her 100th birthday on June 1, 2014.
Sell Hall moved to Chicago in 1939. In 1941, he became a deputy sheriff there, but he still kept booking dances. He passed away on February 13, 1951, at the age of 62, after a long illness.
