*BLACK HISTORY FACT* J.L. Wilkinson an American sports executive was born on this date in 1878. In 1912, J.L. Wilkinson founded the All-Nations baseball club that later became the Kansas City Monarchs. Wilkinson was among those who signed the charter of the Negro National League, the first viable league of all-black teams. In 1930, J.L. Wilkinson invested in a portable lighting system and the Monarchs became the first professional baseball team to play regularly under lights. The novelty of night baseball allowed the Monarchs to survive the Depression. In 1945, Wilkinson hired Jackie Robinson to play shortstop for the Monarchs. Robinsons one-year stint with the Monarchs launched his Hall-of-Fame baseball career and his historic role as the first African American player in the modern major leagues. J.L. Wilkinson remained at the helm of the Monarchs until 1948. #JoeMadison #SiriusXM #UrbanView #Sports #BlackHistory SiriusXM Urban View
Posted on: Wed, 14 May 2014 11:45:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015