Bingo DeMoss
Encyclopedia
Elwood "Bingo" DeMoss was a baseball
player and manager in the Negro Leagues
from 1905
to 1943
. He was born in Topeka, Kansas
. It was in Topeka that he began his playing career in 1905 with the Topeka Giants. He is considered the finest fielding second baseman of the 1910s and 1920s Negro Leagues. He was the captain of the 1926 Negro League Champion Chicago American Giants
. Using great bat control, DeMoss is considered one of the greatest bunters in Negro League History. His highest batting average came in 1926 when he finished second in the batting race with a .303 average. After he retired, he spent fifteen years as a manager.
DeMoss spent his prime years with the Chicago American Giants, and as a player-manager for the Indianapolis ABC's and Detroit Stars. From 1920 through 1930, he batted .247, including highs of .314 for the 1929 Detroit Stars and .292 for the 1920 Chicago American Giants.
DeMoss was a proficient bunter and hit-and-run man, making him an ideal second-place hitter. Jelly Gardner, who batted ahead of DeMoss on the American Giants, said of his teammate, "If he thought you'd be out trying to steal, he'd foul off the pitch if he couldn't hit it well. He could hit 'em anywhere he wanted to.
DeMoss retired as a player after 1930, but continued to manage through 1943. His last assignment was with the Brooklyn Brown Dodgers of the United States Baseball League, a circuit organized by Branch Rickey to scout players for possible signing by the Brooklyn Dodgers. The league lasted only one full season, 1945.
DeMoss held the title of Treasurer for the Old Ball Players Club of Chicago, an organization dedicated to supporting black baseball players in the Negro Leagues and honoring those who played for Major Leagues Baseball teams.
DeMoss was well respected in his community on the South Side of Chicago, known for his keen sense of business and money management he often provided support in the form of loans and opportunities to those in need, despite the era of 'Segregation' throughout the United States.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player and manager in the Negro Leagues
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
from 1905
1905 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: New York Giants over Philadelphia Athletics -MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-Events:...
to 1943
1943 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over St. Louis Cardinals *All-Star Game, July 13 at Shibe Park: American League, 5-3-Other champions:*Negro League World Series: Homestead Grays over Birmingham Black Barons...
. He was born in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. It was in Topeka that he began his playing career in 1905 with the Topeka Giants. He is considered the finest fielding second baseman of the 1910s and 1920s Negro Leagues. He was the captain of the 1926 Negro League Champion Chicago American Giants
Chicago American Giants
Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team, owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Foster. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball...
. Using great bat control, DeMoss is considered one of the greatest bunters in Negro League History. His highest batting average came in 1926 when he finished second in the batting race with a .303 average. After he retired, he spent fifteen years as a manager.
DeMoss spent his prime years with the Chicago American Giants, and as a player-manager for the Indianapolis ABC's and Detroit Stars. From 1920 through 1930, he batted .247, including highs of .314 for the 1929 Detroit Stars and .292 for the 1920 Chicago American Giants.
DeMoss was a proficient bunter and hit-and-run man, making him an ideal second-place hitter. Jelly Gardner, who batted ahead of DeMoss on the American Giants, said of his teammate, "If he thought you'd be out trying to steal, he'd foul off the pitch if he couldn't hit it well. He could hit 'em anywhere he wanted to.
DeMoss retired as a player after 1930, but continued to manage through 1943. His last assignment was with the Brooklyn Brown Dodgers of the United States Baseball League, a circuit organized by Branch Rickey to scout players for possible signing by the Brooklyn Dodgers. The league lasted only one full season, 1945.
DeMoss held the title of Treasurer for the Old Ball Players Club of Chicago, an organization dedicated to supporting black baseball players in the Negro Leagues and honoring those who played for Major Leagues Baseball teams.
DeMoss was well respected in his community on the South Side of Chicago, known for his keen sense of business and money management he often provided support in the form of loans and opportunities to those in need, despite the era of 'Segregation' throughout the United States.