Who Played For the Chicago American Giants?

Amongst the many athletes who played for the Chicago American Giants, Dennis Biddle and Darold Butler were two of the most recognizable names. Although a few years have passed since they last competed, the two are still in demand and are being sought after by sports fans all over the country.

Foster

Among the most notable black baseball players to ever play for the Chicago American Giants was Rube Foster. The pitcher/manager had over six feet in height and was a force in the game of baseball. He was also a master of the bunt and fleet defense.

Initially, Foster joined the Waco Yellow Jackets in 1897. He was recruited to play for an interracial semipro team in Otsego, Michigan. His mother died when he was four years old and his father considered athletes to be lowlifes. In spite of his youth, he had a stellar career.

In 1902, Frank Leland, the manager of the Chicago Unions, signed Foster to play for the Unions. He later changed the team’s name to the American Giants. The team became a dominant force in Black baseball and won the city league title in 1916. In 1917, they won the colored world championship and the Negro league championship.

After a stint with the Milwaukee Braves, Foster returned to Chicago and became a full-time player-manager. His team compiled a 32-3 record and won a pennant. He won two games in the World Series against the Bacharach Giants.

Charleston

During his forty year career, Charles Charleston was a prominent figure in black baseball. He played with several teams, and was a batting champion. He also was manager of several teams. He was a star player in the Negro Leagues, and was known for his speed.

He was a great base-stealer, and he had great jumping ability. He was considered to be one of the best black players of all time. He was an All-Star in the Negro Leagues for three seasons. He was named to the East-West All-Star Game. He was also a great defensive center fielder. He was a cross between Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth.

The first time he played professionally was when he was eighteen years old. He played for various teams, including the Chicago American Giants, St. Louis, and Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Giants. He was a part of the team that won the 1916 Black World Series. He was a crucial player in the championship victory.

Dennis Biddle

During his baseball career, Dennis Biddle made history as one of the only living “Negro Leagues” players. He was born in Arkansas, but moved to Chicago when he was 17. He played baseball professionally for the Chicago American Giants.

After his professional baseball career, Biddle returned to school. He earned a degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin. He then worked as a social worker for the State of Wisconsin. In his spare time, he devoted himself to helping underprivileged youth.

He also started a nonprofit organization to raise funds for Negro League players. He says his goal is to preserve the true history of the Negro Leagues. He has visited colleges and military bases to speak about the league. He also created a traveling exhibit. In 1996, he founded Yesterday’s Negro League Baseball Players LLC to support the surviving Negro League players.

The company has partnered with several organizations to offer insurance to former Negro League players. In addition, the BRTC Foundation SEAS (Special Events and Activities Support) has teamed up with Biddle to promote his cause.

Darold Butler

During the past few years, Chicago has been home to several professional baseball players who had little to no service time in the major leagues. One such player is Darold Butler. He played for the Chicago American Giants. He will enter his first season as a manager in the league next year.

In his younger years, Butler was a star second baseman at Simeon High School in Chicago. He went on to play college ball at Spartanburg Methodist in South Carolina. In his collegiate career, he won four Gold Gloves.

A few years later, he started coaching youth baseball. His team was coached by D.J. Butler, who was the team’s center fielder. They lost a baseball game to Grosse Pointe. It was the night before the regional final. But it didn’t stop him from trying. He fidgeted all night long.

Then he got his team to the regional final. They had to win just once in order to qualify for the Little League World Series. The team was a lot better with each qualifying round. However, they didn’t have as much Great Lakes gear as other teams.