The Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, more commonly known as the Eastern Colored League (ECL), was one of the several 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...

, which operated during the time organized baseball was segregated.

History

The ECL was founded in 1923

1923 in sports

-American football:NFL championship* Canton BulldogsCollege championship* College football national championship – California Golden Bears, Cornell Big Red, Illinois Fighting Illini and Michigan Wolverines -Association football:England...

 when the Philadelphia-area Hilldale Club

Hilldale Club

The Hilldale Athletic Club was an African American professional baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia....

 and the Bacharach Giants

Bacharach Giants

The Bacharach Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played in Atlantic City, New Jersey.- Founding :The club was founded when two African-American politicians moved the Duval Giants of Jacksonville, Florida, to Atlantic City in 1916 and renamed them after Harry Bacharach, the city's mayor...

 of Atlantic City, both associate members of the midwest-based Negro National League

Negro National League (the first)

The Negro National League was one of the several Negro leagues which were established during the period in the United States in which organized baseball was segregated. Led by Rube Foster, owner and manager of the Chicago American Giants, the NNL was established on February 13, 1920 by a...

 (NNL), broke with the NNL and allied with the white promoter Nat Strong to form an east coast league. The charter members were: Hilldale

Hilldale Club

The Hilldale Athletic Club was an African American professional baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia....

, the Bacharach Giants

Bacharach Giants

The Bacharach Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played in Atlantic City, New Jersey.- Founding :The club was founded when two African-American politicians moved the Duval Giants of Jacksonville, Florida, to Atlantic City in 1916 and renamed them after Harry Bacharach, the city's mayor...

, the Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn Royal Giants

The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York which played in the Negro Leagues. They were one of the premier professional teams before World War I, winning multiple championships in the East.- League play :...

, the Cuban Stars (East)

Cuban Stars (East)

The Cuban Stars were a team of professional baseball players from Cuba and other Latin American countries who competed in the Negro leagues in the eastern United States from 1916 to 1933...

, the Lincoln Giants

Lincoln Giants

The Lincoln Giants were a Negro League baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930.- Founding :Jess McMahon, a white promoter, hired Sol White, former manager of the Philadelphia Giants, to put together a club...

 of New York, and the Baltimore Black Sox

Baltimore Black Sox

The Baltimore Black Sox were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.- Founding :The Black Sox started as an independent team in 1916 by George Rossiter and Charles Spedden...

. In 1924 the Harrisburg Giants

Harrisburg Giants

The Harrisburg Giants were a U.S. professional baseball team in the Negro Leagues, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They joined the Eastern Colored League for the 1924 season with Hall of Fame center fielder Oscar Charleston as playing manager...

 and Washington Potomacs joined, bringing the circuit to eight clubs. The ECL raided the NNL for players, including Hall of Famers Oscar Charleston

Oscar Charleston

Oscar McKinley Charleston was an American center fielder and manager in baseball's Negro leagues from to ....

, Biz Mackey

Biz Mackey

James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey was an American catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. He came to be regarded as black baseball's premier catcher in the late 1920s and early 1930s...

, and John Henry Lloyd

John Henry Lloyd

John Henry "Pop" Lloyd was an American baseball player and manager in the Negro leagues. He is generally considered the greatest shortstop in Negro league history, and both Babe Ruth and Ted Harlow, a noted sportswriter, reportedly believed Lloyd to be the greatest baseball player ever.He was a...

, starting a war that lasted for two years.

In 1925 the Washington Potomacs moved to Wilmington, Delaware, but still disbanded in July. Their 1926 replacement, the Newark Stars, folded after only 11 games.

Creation of Negro League World Series

At the end of the 1924 season the two leagues made peace and arranged for a Negro League World Series

Negro League World Series

The Negro League World Series was a post-season baseball tournament which was held from 1924-1927 and from 1942-1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east coast counterparts....

 between their champions. This series was played each year from 1924

1924 Colored World Series

The 1924 Colored World Series was a best-of-nine match-up between the Negro National League champion Kansas City Monarchs and the Eastern Colored League champion Hilldale. In a ten-game series, the Monarchs narrowly defeated Hilldale 5 games to 4, with one tie game. It was the first World Series...

 through 1927. The only ECL club to win the World Series was Hilldale

Hilldale Club

The Hilldale Athletic Club was an African American professional baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia....

 in 1925.

Demise

Beginning in 1927 the league was wracked by dissension between club owners. New York's Lincoln Giants

Lincoln Giants

The Lincoln Giants were a Negro League baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930.- Founding :Jess McMahon, a white promoter, hired Sol White, former manager of the Philadelphia Giants, to put together a club...

 dropped out for that season. They returned the next, but then Hilldale

Hilldale Club

The Hilldale Athletic Club was an African American professional baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia....

, the Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn Royal Giants

The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York which played in the Negro Leagues. They were one of the premier professional teams before World War I, winning multiple championships in the East.- League play :...

, and the Harrisburg Giants

Harrisburg Giants

The Harrisburg Giants were a U.S. professional baseball team in the Negro Leagues, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They joined the Eastern Colored League for the 1924 season with Hall of Fame center fielder Oscar Charleston as playing manager...

 all dropped out. The Philadelphia Tigers

Philadelphia Tigers

The Philadelphia Tigers were a Negro League baseball team that played briefly in the 1928 Eastern Colored League before the circuit disbanded in early June...

 were recruited to bring the league up to five teams for 1928. The ECL staggered through May, but finally disbanded in the midst of disputes over player contracts at the beginning of June.

ECL Franchises

Annual final standings: 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928

• Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
  Bacharach Giants
  The Bacharach Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played in Atlantic City, New Jersey.- Founding :The club was founded when two African-American politicians moved the Duval Giants of Jacksonville, Florida, to Atlantic City in 1916 and renamed them after Harry Bacharach, the city's mayor...
  
   (1923–1928)
• Baltimore Black Sox
  Baltimore Black Sox
  The Baltimore Black Sox were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.- Founding :The Black Sox started as an independent team in 1916 by George Rossiter and Charles Spedden...
  
   (1923–1928)
• Brooklyn Royal Giants
  Brooklyn Royal Giants
  The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York which played in the Negro Leagues. They were one of the premier professional teams before World War I, winning multiple championships in the East.- League play :...
  
   (1923–1928)
• Cuban Stars (East)
  Cuban Stars (East)
  The Cuban Stars were a team of professional baseball players from Cuba and other Latin American countries who competed in the Negro leagues in the eastern United States from 1916 to 1933...
  
   (1923–1928)
• Hilldale
  Hilldale Club
  The Hilldale Athletic Club was an African American professional baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia....
  
   of Darby, Pennsylvania (1923–1928)
• New York Lincoln Giants
  Lincoln Giants
  The Lincoln Giants were a Negro League baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930.- Founding :Jess McMahon, a white promoter, hired Sol White, former manager of the Philadelphia Giants, to put together a club...
  
   (1923–1926, 1928)
• Harrisburg Giants
  Harrisburg Giants
  The Harrisburg Giants were a U.S. professional baseball team in the Negro Leagues, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They joined the Eastern Colored League for the 1924 season with Hall of Fame center fielder Oscar Charleston as playing manager...
  
   (1924–1927)
• Washington/Wilmington Potomacs (1924–1925)
• Newark Stars (1926)
• Homestead Grays
  Homestead Grays
  The Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and would remain in continuous operation for 38 seasons. The team was based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh.-Franchise...
  
  (1928)

Member timetable

• 1923: Formation of ECL consisting of 6 teams - Hilldale, Cuban Stars, Brooklyn Royal Giants, Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, New York Lincoln Giants and Baltimore Black Sox
• 1924: Added Harrisburg Giants and Washington/Wilmington Potomacs.
• 1925: Dropped Washington/Wilmington Potomacs; Added Newark Stars.
• 1927: Dropped Newark Stars.
• 1928: Dropped Harrisburg Giants; Added Homestead Grays. The league broke up midway through the season due the breakdown of the founder (and manager of Hilldale) although the individual teams continued to play.

Champions

• 1923 Hilldale
• 1924 Hilldale
• 1925 Hilldale
• 1926 Bacharach Giants
• 1927 Bacharach Giants
• 1928 None