He was the Negro baseball leagues’ other Robinson — a standout in his own right, but lesser known than his trailblazing colleague Jackie Robinson, who broke the Major League color barrier in the sport.
This year, as America celebrates the Negro National League’s centennial, Harlem’s James “Jim” Robinson, 90, is the face of the iconic professional athletic organizations that forever changed the complexion of the nation’s favorite pastime.
In a Toyota Highlander commercial, “Home Team,” which will run in New York City until Sept. 1, Jim Robinson takes viewers back to his playing days as an All-Star baseman and captain of the formidable Kansas City Monarchs.
The Monarchs — one of eight charter members of the Negro National League — were a powerhouse that produced more Major League players than any other Negro league franchise.
Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige are just two of the future Major League Baseball legends that preceded Jim Robinson in Kansas.
The Negro National League, professional baseball’s first successful Black league, was organized in Feb. 1920 by a former pitcher named Andrew “Rube” Foster.
“The Negro League’s history is something that is so much a part of American history, [and] it’s important that people know about it,” said Robinson, who lives in upper Manhattan. “When Negro league ball players got to the major league, they showed up — and they showed out,” he said referring to the high-caliber baseball expertise exhibited by the Negro National League veterans.
Shining the spotlight on this Negro baseball milestone and Robinson, one of the few surviving Negro National League veterans, was the brainchild of Chicago-based Burrell Communications.
“It’s not every day that we get to shine a light on a major cultural moment, like the Negro League’s centennial, or a true American hero like Jim Robinson,” said Corey Seaton, VP and creative director for the “Home Team” TV spot. “Creatively, we wanted to craft a heartwarming story that spoke to multiple generations. By showing four generations of an African-American family, using an eight-passenger Toyota Highlander to honor their family’s patriarch, I think we created an unforgettable story [that] people everywhere can relate to.”
It is a great story, and Toyota was 100% behind the concept.
“Toyota is honored to pay tribute to 100 years of Negro Leagues Baseball in ‘Home Team,’ in a touching spot that celebrates America’s favorite pastime,” said Ed Laukes, group VP, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. ” ‘Home Team’ is a nod to the many diverse stories within the sport, including Jim Robinson and the Negro leagues.”
To further honor the centennial, Toyota donated $25,000 to the Harlem Little League to help fund repairs, coaching clinics and team uniforms, Laukes announced.
“We are truly delighted that Toyota has chosen to honor the unsung heroes of the Negro Leagues this way,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. “The passion, determination and unwavering spirit from these individuals is truly an American story.”
Robinson recalled falling in love with baseball “around 13 or 14 years of age,” and grew up playing on sandlot fields in Harlem’s Morningside Park and in Central Park.
A graduate of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, he starred playing third base, second base and shortstop during his baseball days. He played for the Philadelphia Stars and the Indianapolis Clowns before joining the Monarchs after a two-year stint in the U.S. Army in 1953. He was a three-time Negro League All-Star with the Monarchs.
Although he never played professionally in his hometown, Robinson was among the Negro leagues’ strong New York connection.
There were teams such as the colorful Alex Pompez’ New York Cuban Stars, another charter member of the Negro National League.
Pompez purchased the club with his earnings from the Harlem numbers game, and one-upped the then-whites-only major leagues by helping install floodlights at Negro League games as early as 1930.
His achievements gained him entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., which also honors Negro League-connected figures such as Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige and Roy Campanella.
Pompez was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 as a respected “executive” in sport.
“Alex Pompez stood at the forefront of the internationalization of the Negro Leagues during his 35 years as an owner and league executive (1916-50). He successfully made the transition to baseball’s integrated era by working as a scout and, later, director of international scouting for the New York/San Francisco Giants organization,” according to the Hall’s website.
The New York Black Yankees, founded as the Harlem Black Bombers in 1931 by James “Soldier Boy” Semler and famed dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, was another Negro League icon in the city.
Satchel Paige, Fats Jenkins and Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe were among the Negro League legends who turned out for the Black Yankees.
Another former Negro Leaguer with a New York City connection was Brooklyn Dodger’s Roy Campanella — a three-time Most Valuable Player award winner. He started in the sport as a talented 15-year-old playing for the Negro National League’s Baltimore Elite Giants.
Campanella joined the Dodgers in 1948, crossing the baseball color barrier just a year after Jackie Robinson did.
James William “Junior” Gilliam — a one-time Brooklyn Dodgers teammate of Robinson and Campanella — joined the ranks of Major League Baseball after beginning his career with the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League.
A standout player in the majors, Gilliam was Rookie of the Year in 1953 a two-time All Star game athlete and a member of four World Series championship teams. After retiring, he was hired as a full-time coach for the Dodgers, becoming one of the first Black coaches in the previously whites-only Major Leagues.
But Black participation in baseball has a long history — and it pre-dates the advent of the Negro National League.
By the 1860s, the amateur Colored Union Club League was well established in Brooklyn, and 20 years later, the Cuban Giants existed as an all-Black professional team. However, it wasn’t until the formation of the Negro National League in 1920 that organized professional baseball became a reality for African-Americans, opening a route to the majors.
For more information about the Negro Leagues’ centennial, please contact the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at (816) 221-1920, send email to info@nlbm.com and visit nlbm.com.
