The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2023

Rube Foster

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2023
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Sport(s): Baseball Manager and Owner
Statistics: 2 Negro League World Series Championships (1926 & 1927 as an owner)

Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
Rube Foster is one of the rare nominees who could be looked at in our three main categories, player, coach, and contributor.

Baseball historians have claimed that Foster was the best black pitcher in the early 1900s, and he would later serve as a manager, most notably for the Chicago American Giants, a team he also owned. In 1920, along with six other owners formed the Negro Leagues, with Foster as its president.

While Foster had been accused of favoring his own team in league decisions, his work was instrumental in keeping the Negro Leagues viable. By the late 1920s, Foster struggled mentally, suffering from delusions, and would literally lose his sanity. He died in 1930.

In 1981, Foster became the first executive inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

We are proud to nominate Rube Foster for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.