Negro Southern League (1945–1951)
# Negro Southern League (1945–1951)

The second Negro Southern League (NSL) was one of the several Negro baseball leagues created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The NSL was organized as a minor league in 1945 and lasted until $1951.^{:12–16}$

## League history

Nine team owners met in February 1945 in Nashville, Tennessee, to form a new minor league named after an old minor league.

The 1948 season received very little coverage in the press and is hard to piece together. Additionally, a new league, the Negro American Association, formed and lured away at least four of the stronger teams, including the Atlanta Black Crackers.

The league did not organize for the 1952 season due to attendance figures being expected to be too low to be profitable. The second Negro Southern League was dissolved after seven seasons.

## Negro Southern League franchises

Negro Southern League (1945–51) :

| Team | Years in league | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Atlanta Black Crackers | 1945, 1947–48 | • Associate team 1946 • Left for Negro American Association |
| Knoxville Grays | 1945 | |
| Asheville Blues | 1945–47 | • Left for Negro American Association |
| Nashville Cubs | 1945–51 | • Called Black Vols 1945-46 • Called Louisville-Nashville Cubs 1950 |
| New Orleans Black Pelicans | 1945 | • Only played first half of season |
| Richmond Cardinals | 1945 | • Replaced New Orleans for second half of season |
| Chattanooga Choo Choos | 1945–48, 1950 | • Called Black Choo Choos 1947, 50 • Dropped out mid-season 1950 |
| Mobile Black Bears | 1945–46 | |
| Little Rock Black Travelers | 1945 | • Also called Greys • Dropped out mid-season |
| Indianapolis Cardinals | 1945 | • Replaced Little Rock for second half of season |
| Charlotte Black Hornets | 1946 | |
| Jacksonville Eagles | 1946–47 | • Left for Negro American Association |
| Knoxville Giants | 1946 | |
| Montgomery Dodgers | 1946 | • Also called Red Sox |
| Memphis Blues | 1947–48 | |
| New Orleans Creoles | 1947–48, 1950–51 | |
| Raleigh Tigers | 1947 | • Left for Negro American Association |
| Birmingham Clowns | 1947 | • Also called All Stars |
| Memphis Cardinals | 1947 | |
| Raleigh Grays | 1948 | • Associate team only |
| Mobile Black Bears | 1948 | • Associate team only |
| Atlanta Brown Crackers | 1949–50 | • Called Atlanta-Detroit Brown Crackers 1949 |
| Gadsden Tigers | 1949–50 | • Called Gadsden-Florida Tigers 1949 |
| Mobile Black Shippers | 1949 | |
| Montgomery Tigers | 1949 | |
| Pensacola Seagulls | 1949 | |
| Evansville Dodgers | 1949 | • Associate team only |
| Indianapolis ABCs | 1949 | • Associate team only • Possibly related to Atlanta Black Crackers |
| Greenville Delta Giants | 1950 | |
| Memphis Red Caps | 1950 | |
| Nashville Stars | 1950–51 | |
| Owensboro Braves | 1950 | • Dropped out mid-season |
| Atlanta Braves | 1951 | |
| Birmingham Black Eagles | 1951 | • Also called Bears |
| Birmingham All -Stars | 1951 | |
| Chattanooga Stars | 1951 | |
| Jackson Cubs | 1951 | |
| Knoxville Packers | 1951 | |

* Note: An "associate team" is one who is not a member of the league, but games played against them by league teams count in the league standings.

## League champions

Most seasons were split in halves, with the winner of the first half of the season playing the winner of the second half of the season in a formal league play-off that decided the Pennant winner. For some years it is unclear if a split season was played and if the second half schedule was completed. In the below list, the first half winner is noted with a raised "1" and the second half winner is noted with a raised "2".

* 1945 Atlanta Black Crackers
* 1946 Asheville Blues (won both halves)
* 1947 $Asheville^1$ defeated New Orleans $Creoles^2,$ 3g-2g
* 1948 New Orleans Creoles (won both halves, reportedly)
* 1949 Gadsden-Florida $Tigers^1$ / Nashville $Cubs^2,$ no play-off reported
* 1950 undetermined
* 1951 undetermined
