History was honored Thursday in Schenectady, home of the Mohawk Colored Giants.
“They included "Smokey" Joe Williams, a future Hall of Famer, "Home Run" Johnson, Chappie Johnson, Harry Buckner, Knucks James and a great young pitcher named Frank Wickware,” city historian Chris Leonard said, highlighting some of the players.
In 1913 and 1914, these players made up the Capital Region’s only Black professional baseball team.
“The team may have been shortlived in that iteration of it, but certainly incredibly impactful,” National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum President Josh Rawitch said.
Relying on a prominently white fanbase, the team played its home games at Island Park, now part of the SUNY Schenectady County Community College campus.
“For many of us, perhaps for all of us, we stand on the shoulders of these kinds of giants,” said SSCCC President Steady Moono.
In addition to racking up several wins across the country and producing star players, the Mohawk Colored Giants were helping shape the game fans know and love.
“Making sure that people like Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron got to play Major League Baseball,” Schenectady City Council President Marion Porterfield said.
“Without them breaking that barrier and continuing to play, I don’t believe they would’ve been able to do that,” Porterfield said.
With that impact in mind, the Hall of Fame, SUNY Schenectady, local officials and historians joined forces in establishing a historical marker.
“They never got the chance to show what they can do,” Rawitch said. “I think it’s part of what we’re trying to, not fix, but go back and look at and make sure they get their due, just like all of the players that are known through major league baseball.”
It’s history community members cherish and look forward to sharing.
“We want people to think about what people had to go through to earn a living and to do something they loved to do in spite of all the hardship,” said Erica Mortimore.