"The Negro Southern League, A Baseball History, 1920 – 1951" by William J. Plott

The views and opinions expressed in this presentation do not necessarily reflect those of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The Negro Southern League (NSL) was a baseball minor league that operated intermittently from 1920 to 1951. It served as a valuable feeder system to the Negro National League (NNL) and the Negro American League (NAL). Many baseball stars got their start in the NSL, among them five Hall of Famers including Alabama natives Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. During its history, more than 80 teams were members of the NSL, representing 40 cities in a dozen southern states. This month, author William J. “Bill” Plott explored the history of the league from its beginning to its eventual demise three decades later. A retired journalist and freelance writer, Plott has been a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) since 1971 and a member of SABR's Negro Leagues Committee since its inception. He was also a member of the Negro Leagues Researchers and Authors Group that compiled Negro league statistics for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Plott’s career as a journalist included stops at The Anniston Star, The Tuscaloosa News, The Montgomery Advertiser, and The Birmingham News. Plott is the author of The Negro Southern League, A Baseball History, 1920-1951 published in 2015 by McFarland Books. Plott has also written four books on Alabama high school sports. He is a native of Opelika and currently resides in Montevallo, Alabama. Food for Thought is made possible by the Friends of the Alabama Archives and a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The public is invited to bring a brown bag lunch. Complimentary beverages are provided. Admission to Food for Thought is always FREE. The Alabama Department of Archives and History is located in downtown Montgomery, directly across the street from the State Capitol. It is the state’s government records repository, special collections library and research facility, and is home to the Museum of Alabama, the state history museum. The Archives and Museum are open Monday through Saturday, 8:30 to 4:30. To learn more, visit www.archives.alabama.gov or call (334) 242-4364.