Oscar Owens

“Were the writer asked the most valuable player the Grays have had through the span of years they have been organized, the answer would be Oscar Owens. Oscar would pitch any time, any place, and was always in good shape.” —Cumberland “Cum” Posey, 19331

William Oscar Owens was born in Reidsville, in Rockingham County, North Carolina, on September 7, 1893.2 When he was very young, his parents, Frank and Mary Owens, left him and his older brother, Crawford Franklin Owens, in the care of his maternal grandparents, ostensibly, while they found work elsewhere. As a youngster, Owens was known as “Willie,” but later, he was almost always known as “Oscar.”

Between 1900 and 1902, Frank Owens moved his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.3 But tragedy soon struck when he died from a sudden heart attack on July 3, 1902, leaving his widow, Mary Coleman Owens, to raise their two sons on her own.4

In the summer of 1910, Oscar Owens played his first sandlot league baseball game, the first of hundreds of contests in his 32 seasons spent in uniform for more than a dozen amateur, semipro, and professional nines in the Pittsburgh area.5 It must have been a memorable game for the teenage rookie; the Iron Citys came away with the win, 6-4, and it was noted that the “…feature of the game was the work of Owens on second base….”6

Between 1910 and 1914, local newspaper accounts revealed that Owens played for a series of teams including the Iron City Colored Giants, Clay’s Colored Giants, Pittsburgh Colored Collegians, the Warren Brotherhood, the YMCA, and the Oakland Independents. He was primarily known for his work as an infielder, especially second base. In 1912, he made his pitching debut with the Iron City Colored Giants. Owens struck out 12 batters to lead the Iron City Colored Giants to a 12-2 victory in an amateur league tilt.7 In 1913 Owens left the Clays and picked up a spot on the Pittsburgh Colored Collegians for whom he pitched, played left field, shortstop, and third base.8 One of his teammates was Cum Posey who would help shape Owens’s career for nearly two decades.

Owens began the 1914 season playing multiple positions with the Pittsburgh Colored Collegians.9 Owens also added the Y.M.C.A., the Warren Brotherhood, and the Oakland Independents to his dance card.10 Although he saw some action at first base, Owens spent the bulk of his 1914 season on the hill for the Colored Collegians.11 It was an up and down season. Owens had some impressive wins over sandlot league opponents, notching as many as eleven strikeouts in one game, but struggling at times with his control as evidenced by the frequency of his wild pitches.12 All in all, not a bad showing for a young man barely out of his teens.

That year, Owens began his first stint, in what turned out to be a long tenure, with the Homestead Grays In 1915, Owens and five other local players signed with the Cleveland Pekin Tigers.13 Ultimately, none of the men appeared in a regular-season game with the Pekin Tigers, and the team folded by the end of the year.14. He made his first appearance on the mound for Homestead at the end of May, but it was not a memorable one.15 Although Owens struck out nine Phipps Athletic Association swatters, he also handed out passes to five, plunked two batters, and bore the brunt of the 4-0 loss.16 It was also his last outing in a Grays uniform in 1915. Owens spent the remainder of the season pitching for the Oakland Colored Independents, Pittsburgh Colored Collegians, and the All-Stars of the Washington Park Colored League.17 His most humiliating loss was in mid-July when he pitched a game for Sell Hall’s Colored Collegians that resulted in a 23-2 drubbing.18 Owens’s fortunes did not improve even after season ended. In November, he, along with ten others, were arrested near Forbes Field, and charged with scalping tickets for a University of Pittsburgh football game against local rival, Washington & Jefferson College, at “far above face value,” in violation of a city ordinance.19 This brief foray into illegal entrepreneurial activity may have been the only blight on Owens’s permanent record, as for most of his adult life, he preached clean and sober living as the path to success.20

At the beginning of the 1916 season, Owens did not appear on a baseball roster. Owens was participating in a pool tournament at E. K. Thumm’s billiard parlor and newsstand on Wylie Avenue that included “all the best colored players in Pittsburgh.”21 Owens soon scratched his pool career and returned to more familiar green playing surfaces. In June, he made a brief appearance in right field for the Grays.22 Later in the season, he played right field in three games for the Pittsburgh Colored Collegians.23 Owens’ resume for 1916 was rather thin. But there is one clue as to why he may have been distracted from baseball. He was busy courting Augustine “Augusta” Cox.24 Within 24 hours of Owens registering for the World War I draft, they were married.25 Owens supported himself, his new wife, and his twice-widowed mother by working as a porter for a dry goods wholesaler.26

In the spring of 1917, Owens played for the Pittsburgh Colored Giants27 but he only saw brief service for them28 as he spent the bulk of 1917 playing for teams managed by Hunter Johnson. A well-known athletic trainer at the University of Pittsburgh, Johnson’s teams included Hunter Johnson’s All Stars, the Pittsburgh Colored Collegians, and the Pittsburgh Colored Independents.29 The Stars/Collegians/Independents lost more games than they won, including a drubbing that was so humiliating that the “game was called in the seventh inning owing to the poor showing of the losers.”30 Owens played in all of those games. His worst outing on the mound was the 17-2 spanking by the Sullivans in which he walked five, struck out four, hurled four wild pitches, and committed three errors.31 But Owens’s 1917 wasn’t a complete bust. It foreshadowed his versatility and physical conditioning for which he was known for the rest of his career. He played a variety of positions for Johnson – right field, pitcher, second base, shortstop, and catcher.32 And he was well on his way to earning his “Ironman” moniker when he pitched both halves of a doubleheader for the Pittsburgh Colored Collegians at Sportsman’s Park against the South Side nine.33 It was split decision for Owens – 6-2 and 9-8.34 In the nightcap, Owens was the losing flinger, but still managed to fan nine, smacked a double, and notched another stolen base.35 It was the first of at least seven doubleheaders in which Owens pitched both games between 1917 and 1930.36

Owens faced a series of challenges during the 1918 and 1919 seasons, both on and off the field. Owens began the 1918 season pitching for the Colored All Stars, then quickly switched back and forth between the Electric Stars and Rich Jones’s Colored All-Stars.37 He was at home on the mound and in the garden, and peppered the pill at the plate, striking out batters and hammering out home runs.38 But it all came to an abrupt end on September 1, 1918, when Private William Oscar Owens of the 802nd Pioneer Infantry Supply Company, boarded the A.M.S. Carmania in New York City and sailed for France. The 802nd Pioneer Infantry participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the final, and bloodiest battle of World War I, which resulted in the deaths of over 26,000 Americans.39 Owens survived the unmitigated horror of the Meuse-Argonne, and on April 17, 1919, he left France and set sail for Hoboken, New Jersey. PFC Owens was honorably discharged at Camp Meade, Maryland, on May 9, 1919, and headed home to Pittsburgh. Seven days later he was playing right field for Sell Hall’s American Giants.40

Exactly one month to the day after leaving France, Owens helped the American Giants open their 1919 season with a 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Giants.41 And he was off to a good start. Owens hit a triple and scored two runs.42 On more than one occasion, he struck out 10 batters, and on July 5 pitched both ends of a doubleheader in which he won the first game 7-5, smacked two doubles and a home run, and struck out seven.43 They lost the nightcap 5-4, but he hit another homer. By then, Hall’s team had changed its name back to the Pittsburgh Colored Collegians.44 In mid-July, Owens jumped from the Collegians to the Grays. Even though Owens remained with the Grays for the remainder of the 1919 season, that didn’t stop him from freelancing with other squads. Within two weeks of rejoining the Grays, Owens picked up a gig with the Rich Jones Colored All-Stars.45 Overall, Owens’s post-World War I return to baseball was a successful one. He quickly found his groove, averaging 10 strikeouts per game and twirling two no-hitters in August.46

The 1920s were roaring for Owens in more ways than one. Now, in his mid-20s, Owens was about to enjoy the best years of his baseball life. His 1920 season began with the Homestead Grays.47 But that debut was, for a time, uncertain. In March, it was reported that Owens had signed with C. I. Taylor’s Indianapolis ABCs.48 He was named as a possible starter for the ABCs during spring training, but he did not play for Indianapolis during the regular season.49 Instead, Owens had a great year with the Grays, alternating between right field and the pitcher’s mound. In one of his better outings, he struck out 19 batters in a two-hitter win against the McKees Rocks, 12-2.50 And he was gaining attention. He was described as the “best colored pitcher hereabouts,” a “clever moundsman,” but also as “an ambidextrous flinger on the mound” who could “pitch with either hand.”51 The claims that he was a switch pitcher, however, were unfounded. They likely confused Owens with his teammate, Charles “Lefty” Williams, who, like Owens, stood five-feet six-inches tall. Owens, using only his right arm, helped the Grays finish the 1920 season as their best year with a record of 42 wins, 17 losses, and three ties.52 He was their “leading pitcher and a powerful factor at the bat,” a speedy baserunner, and finished with 19 victories, six losses, and two ties.53 But Owens was not entirely loyal to the Grays. As in previous years, he offered his skills to other teams. He pitched a few games for the Blooming Mill “Bloomers” of the Homestead Steel League and moonlighted with Sell Hall’s Green Stockings.54

Owens’s 1921 season began as a “Homestead” player—the Homestead Steel League, that is.55 Although he was named as one of the returning players for the Homestead Grays, he suited up initially for the Plate Mills nine in the spring.56Owens played for both “Homestead” teams through July, winning games for both nines on the mound while launching homers over the fences.57 These included a game in late May when Owens rocketed two homers including one that was hit “further than any one has done in the history of the Homestead Steel League.”58 By August, he was devoted solely to the Grays. He had already claimed victories in 19 games for Posey’s aggregation.59 Owens and the Grays capped off their 1921 season in September by claiming the “colored championship” of western Pennsylvania by defeating Sell Hall’s American Giants.60 Owens twirled the opening game of the series and notched the win for the Grays, 9-3.61 Overall, it was a good year for Owens. He enjoyed success in the field and at the dish, with two different teams, and won a championship, a trend that he repeated the following year.

Owens donned the uniforms of two teams in 1922—the Pittsburgh Keystones and the Homestead Grays. The Keystones played in the Negro National League I (NLL) while the Grays were one of 11 independent clubs. He signed a contract with the Keystones in February and participated in spring training in Ridgway, Pennsylvania.62 Owens handled mound duties and right field for both clubs, while cementing his reputation for slugging and aggressive base running. Described as “the best Negro hurler in this section of the country.”63 Owens was also potent at the plate. He hoisted homers over the fences, banged out extra-base hits, and stole bases on a regular basis.64 The Grays ended their season as runners-up in the Greater Pittsburgh Federation.65 Owens’s stats for 1922 were a mixed bag. His official record with the Keystones as a pitcher was just 2-4 with a 5.77 ERA, while batting .368. By comparison, his league record as a pitcher with the Grays was 1-0, with an ERA of 2.57, and a skimpier .286 BA. And although the Keystones listed Owens as a “reserve player” for 1923, it didn’t really matter.66 The Keystones, along with the Cleveland Tate’s Stars, were dropped from the NNL during the league’s December meetings.67

When Owens signed with the Grays for the 1923 season, he set a new precedent for his career. For the first time, he suited up for only one team, the Grays. The Grays had no league affiliation in 1923, and as the team was gearing up for spring training, Owens was said to be in great shape and “ready when the bell rings….”68 He was on his way to earning him the title of the “slugging pitcher-outfielder of the Grays.”69 In May, he had some classy wins and good turns at the plate, but was inconsistent and, at times, a little wild. For example, on May 7, he hit two home runs plus a double to boost the Grays to a 9-5 win.70 A week later, he “went to pieces,” twice clunking a batsman resulting in a 14-5 loss for the Grays.71 But by June, Owens was back to being the reliable man in the lineup. Owens was posting good numbers and firmly establishing himself as the new “Iron Man” of baseball—the Joe McGinnity of his era.72 He also twirled a unique doubleheader when he pitched the Grays to a 6-2 decision over the Beaver Falls Elks at Forbes Field, and then went across town to defeat Fineview on their turf, 11-4.73 As the Grays’ season drew to a close, Owens was credited with 19 victories in 29 starts.74 The Grays won 102 out of 135 games in 1923, tied four, and lost 29.75 

On the eve of the 1924 season, Posey announced that Owens would be used primarily as a pitcher, but his “batting makes him too valuable a player to keep out of the game and for this reason when he isn’t on the mound he takes care of an outfield post.”76 The Grays campaigned as an “Independent Club” in 1924. True to his “Iron Man” reputation, Owens played in nearly every Grays game until mid-summer when his effectiveness ebbed and he was frequently out of the lineup. He was becoming known as the Grays’ “Speed-ball king.”77 By mid-summer, the Grays had played 75 games and Owens was beginning to show some wear and tear.78 In the second half of the season, he posted some uncharacteristic losses, errors, and hoisted a listless bat.79 He got his second wind in September and tossed a classy one-hit shutout against the Detroit Nationals at Forbes Field, 7-0.80 It was his sixth shutout of the season.81 Homestead finished the season with 103 wins, 37 losses, and eight ties.82 It was reported that Owens posted an eye-popping 28-9 record in semipro play, while another source credited him with 28 wins, 10 losses, and one tie.83 He pitched more games than any of the other Grays.84 Overall, it was a good year for Owens which drew admiration not only from his fans, but also his teammates.85

The Grays began the 1925 season with no official league membership but were affiliated with the Western Pennsylvania Association and the Allegheny Club League.86 Now in his early 30s, Owens was embarking on his 15 year in baseball, was “carrying his age well” and was described as one of the Grays’ “old standbys.”87 It would be one of the Owens’s finest years in baseball. In the Grays’ opener against the McConkeys in Wheeling, West Virginia, he hit what was touted as “the longest home run ever hit in Bauer Park.”88 His bat was alive as was his arm. He had numerous homers and extra-base hits to his credit plus eight wins on the mound, earning him the titles of “sultan of swat,” “speedball artist,” and was a fan favorite.89 By August, he had 20 wins under his belt.90 Owens was hailed as the “best known ball player in this district,” a “muscular adonis,” and his arm as “one of the miracles of modern baseball.91 When asked how about his durability and physicality, he said that it was all due to his wife Augusta Owens, plus “regular hours, and abstinence from strength-destroying habits.”92 Owens claimed that Mrs. Owens, “takes care of his salary wing, using a special preparation on it after every game he works in,” and that his longevity was due to “clean living.”93 He kept up his winning pace through the end of the season with a high water mark etched in August when he tossed a no-hit, no-run game in which he walked three, to lead the Grays to victory.”94 The win gave Owens his fourth no-hit, no-run game, making him, as the Courier claimed, the “only pitcher in organized baseball to have performed this feat.”95 The no-hitter was Owens’s 27th win.96 And he wasn’t done yet. When the 1925 season closed, Owens was the Grays’ leading pitcher with a mind-boggling 36 wins.97

The Grays began 1926 as an “Independent Club” once again. They looked to Owens to continue his winning ways from the previous season. He attempted to temper their expectations. He declared that he was “getting older every day” and asked Posey to pitch him no more than 11 games per month.98 Posey appeared to have listened to his veteran’s entreaties. During April, Owens did not pitch at all and instead saw action at first base and in the outfield.99 It was not until May 3 that he climbed the hill but that was only in relief.100 His first start was on May 11, a two-hitter shutout victory, 11-0.101 But he was not right. In his column for the Courier, manager Posey acknowledged that Owens’s “arm has been worrying him this spring and the necessity of playing first base has not helped any.”102 Evidence of his dead arm surfaced in May when Owens was pulled in the second inning, as it “became evident very early that Oscar was not fit.”103 He soon redeemed himself. He twirled the Grays to their 28th consecutive win in late May, at the time, considered a “world’s record,” besting the New York Giants’ record of 26 games in a row in 1916.104 That was one of the few highlights in an inconsistent year. Perhaps his finest moment came on July 16 when Owens, “staged his ‘iron man’ act,” pitching and winning both ends of a doubleheader.105 Based on his record in 1926 of at least 27 wins, one would think that it was a great year for Owens, but the cracks were beginning to show.106 His vaunted arm was wobbly and he appeared in fewer games and produced less offense than in 1925.

With 1926 in the books, Owens spent the offseason working as a barber.107 Unlike many other players of his era, he eschewed winter-league ball for the clinical smell of Barbasol.108 Barbering was a suitable occupation for Owens. He could make his own hours and maintain a steady income throughout the year.109 Owens continued to work as a barber in the offseasons throughout the rest of his career and beyond.110 Before he unplugged his clippers and picked up a baseball, his first competition was in the “Courier Pool Tournament,” in which he finished tied for 11th place.111 But just as he did in 1916, he easily jumped from the felt to the grass. Owens notched a few nice wins in April and early May of 1927, including a no-hit no-run gem on April 29 against Clairton.112 He continued to show some of his old mastery of the mound and at the dish through most of the summer. When he was not on the hill, he guarded first base and even did a stint as a catcher.113 In May, when he won his eighth straight game, it was declared that his “iron arm was still strong.”114 He galvanized his “Iron Man” title when he started “four games in four days” and “finished all of them.”115 In late August, he hurled another one of his famous doubleheaders, a split decision against the Beaver Falls Elks.116 A few days later, he blanked the Cokeburg nine, 12-0, setting down 14 batters.117 It was a remarkable year for Owens. He posted a whopping 35 wins.118 Courier columnist William G. Nunn declared that “Owens is just about the greatest Negro moundsman in the game.”119 He added that, “You can talk about your Winters, your Cockrells, your Fosters, your Smokey Joes, your Mendezes, and the rest, but I’ll take Oscar. And that’s that.”120

The 1928 season ushered in a new era for Owens and the Grays as members of the newly formed Eastern Independent Clubs.121 They were one of five aggregations in the new league, finishing in second place to the Hilldale Daisies, Ed Bolden’s perennial powerhouse club. Owens was in fighting shape for the new season and “ready for another grueling campaign.”122 He would need all the stamina he could muster for the more than 140 games played by the Grays. By June, he was the Gray’s leading pitcher.123 In July, he earned his 18th straight victory and 21 marks in the win column and just two defeats.124 Batters were finding Owens’s “underhanded shoots” rather “difficult to solve.”125 The season itself did not end a high note. On September 16, Owens gave up 11 hits and was dinged with a loss to the Baltimore Black Sox.126 Days later, amid financial and geographic disputes between Posey and Ed Bolden, the Grays lost three out of four away games to the Hilldales, their Independent League cross-state rivals.127 Owens was charged with one of those losses, 5-3.128 In his last start of 1928, he was pulled early and replaced by Sam Streeter who ate the 6-5 loss.129 Despite the disappointing end to the season, Owens had a true “Iron Man” season. He posted a breathtaking 40-5 record and batted over .300.130 Courier columnist Nunn compiled a litany of Owens’s accomplishments which included five no-hitters, a dozen one-hit games,” and noted that it was not “unusual for Owens to work both games of a double header [sic], and on one occasion he pitched three games in a single day—and won them all!”131 Nunn referred to the Grays as “Modern Baseball’s Miracle Team,” as though they were divinely gifted in comparison with their peers.132

It would have taken some divine intervention to convert 1929 into a good year for the average American. It was certainly not a good year for the stock market or for Owens and the Grays. The Grays’ season was marred by a murder, a car crash, broken bones, and a disappointing showing in their first year as a member of the newly formed American Negro League (ANL). Spring training began on a high note with a trip to Parkersburg, West Virginia “in the club’s sporty new Buick cars” and with the Grays arriving in “good spirits.133 Owens did not get his motor running until May 9 when he won his first start of the season, striking out 10 Beltzhoover swatters for a 7-0 win.134 Throughout the spring Owens was stationed primarily in the outfield, first base, or, on occasion, as the backstop.135 His first win against an ANL team came on May 11 when the “speed ball thrower…gave a brilliant exhibition,” at Forbes Field and lifted the Grays over the Cuban Stars to a 6-4 victory.136 But at the end of May, Owens and his teammates took the first of two road trips to Pennsylvania, both of which ended in tragedy. The first was an excursion to Darby for a series with Hilldale. In the first game on May 17, Owens was in left field when the Grays and Daisies played to a 6-6 tie, with darkness preventing a resolution.137 The next day, the Grays were ahead 5-0, when, during bottom of the third with Hilldale at bat and Owens on first base when, “…the reports of a revolver were heard from the stands behind the Grays’ dugout” where a “woman crumpled to the floor dead, killed by her husband.”138 The scene was chaotic. Remarkably, after the gruesome murder, the game was soon resumed with Hilldale scoring a comeback win, 7-6.139

The Grays headed back to Pittsburgh with a shocking story to tell and a new outfielder in tow, Charlie Mason, formerly of the New York Lincoln Giants.140 It was Posey’s intention to secure Mason in order to “use Oscar Owens exclusively for mound work.”141 His plan worked, for the most part through mid-June, with Owens spending more time twirling and posting wins for the Grays.142 Owens was having a good year at the plate, posting a mid-season .478 BA, the sixth best in the ANL.143 But on 3:30 P.M. on Tuesday, June 25, the Grays’ hopes for a championship season came to a screeching halt—literally. A three-car caravan filled with Grays players and staff was headed east for a series of games, first with the Lewistown, Pennsylvania Rayoneers, and then on to the East Coast to do battle with Hilldale, Bacharachs, and Black Sox.144 Cum Posey’s brother Seward “See” Posey was at the wheel of one their new Buick sedans when it, “hit a rut or ridge in the road” near Lewistown, “plunged head-long and turned completely over, being smashed to splinters, and completely demolished.”145 Seward Posey was pinned under the car but miraculously escaped serious injury, but the others with him were not so fortunate, including Owens.146 Owens had a possible broken shoulder or collarbone and was “badly bruised about the body and legs.”147 Shortstop Walter Cannady suffered the most serious injuries with a skull fracture, fractured rib, head lacerations, and a sprained ankle.148 Owens returned home to Pittsburgh by train for treatment and recovery.149

Astonishingly, on the same day as the accident, the remainder of the Grays motorcade continued on to Lewistown where they defeated the Rayoneers, 12-2.150 Even more amazing was how fast “Iron Man” Owens recovered from his injuries. Just three weeks after the accident, Posey sent him to the mound, but it was too soon. He lost to Beltzhoover, 11-8.151 A week later, Owens gathered himself up and pitched a five-hit shutout against the Massillon, Ohio Agathons.152 But he paid the price for pushing his return. It was his last win of the season. For the remainder of the year, he made sporadic appearances in relief, on first base, in the outfield, and as a pinch hitter.153 When the curtain fell on the 1929 season, the battered and broken Grays finished a disappointing third place in the ANL.154 Owens finished with a .360 BA in 75 plate appearances.155 To compare, the Grays’ top slugger for 1929, second baseman George Scales, hit .387 in 225 trips to the dish.156 It was indeed a terrible year for Owens and the Grays.

After the ANL folded, the Grays were once again an “Independent Club,” one of seven such aggregations in 1930. Owens and the Grays did their spring training in Hot Springs, Arkansas before embarking on a barnstorming tour in the South.157 Manager Posey used Owens primarily in right field during the spring and planned to do so during the regular season with only occasional assignments on the mound.158 After several seasons of nearly daily duty and the previous year’s injuries from a car accident, his aging veteran earned a break. It worked. Owens’s first start on April 22 was a good one—a no-hit, no-run victory over Canton, 2-0.159 It was the sixth such performance of his career.160 Owens pitched less frequently than before, and spent a good part of the season grazing in the outfield.161 When he did get the call, he mustered up his inner “Iron Man.”162 He did not lose a game until late June.163 Owens tossed not one, but two complete doubleheaders in 1930, winning all four games.164 Toward the end of the season, he was mainly used as a reliever or pinch hitter.165 He won his final start of the season on September 19, a 5-4 victory, notching nine strikeouts along the way.166 He played in two games during the Grays’ championship series with the New York Lincoln Giants as a reliever and a pinch-hitter as the Grays secured the Independent Clubs’ informal crown.167 When it was all over, Owens completed his 20th year in baseball. He was closer to 40 than to 30. And it was his penultimate season in a Grays uniform. Overall, he won at least 20 games during the regular season, an honorable benchmark, but half as many victories as he claimed in 1928.

The 1931 season was Owens’s curtain call with the Grays. He was named by Posey as one of the returning members of the “twirling corps” and plans were made for spring training in Hot Springs. 168 Owens, as he had done in previous years, spent his offseason working as a barber; but in 1931, he did his clipping on North Carey Street in Baltimore.169He played in his first game at shortstop, a position he had not played with any regularity since 1917.170 He was a bit rusty and committed two errors in the Grays’ win over the Dayton Marcos, 7-5.171 Owens’s defensive skills weren’t the only things coming up short. Concerns that Owens was past “his point of effectiveness” and had “gone the way of all flesh,” resulted in Posey cutting him from the team on the assumption that Owens’s “arm gave out.”172 The vaunted “Iron Man” was showing some cracks, and, for the first time since 1919, it looked like Owens would not be in a Grays uniform. He wouldn’t remain unclaimed for long. In May, rumors swirled that Owens signed with Gus Greenlee’s Pittsburgh Crawfords.173 But Owens’ dalliance with the Crawfords did not last. He stood up the Crawfords and returned to Baltimore.174 By July 1, he was wooed back by Posey.175 Owens notched his first win for the Grays on July 13, in a lopsided slugfest with the Bacharach Giants, 23-6.176 A few days later, however, he didn’t make it out of the first inning.177 Although he went on to cop at least five more wins, he failed to post any double-digit strikeout games as he had in previous years.178 Owens’s last win of the year was an 8-2 besting of the Sweaney Bakers of Canton, Ohio.179 When the Grays took on the Kansas City Monarchs in the World Series in late August, Owens was out of gas. He made only brief, ineffectual appearances. First was as a pinch hitter but was called out trying to leg out a single into double in a 6-5 loss.180 The second was in relief of Ted Radcliffe in a losing effort.181 Although the Grays claimed the championship, they ultimately lost a legend. Owens’s last appearance in the series was also his final game with the Grays, capping off 21 years of playing baseball in Pittsburgh.

After leaving the Grays and retiring from baseball, Owens relocated to Washington, DC where he established himself as a barber on U Street.182 Another major change in his life was the collapse of his first marriage. In 1933, Augustine Sanders Owens filed for divorce in Pittsburgh.183 Within a year after the divorce, Owens married his second wife, Clara, and they remained married until his death in 1960. By 1935, he was the proprietor of the “Blue Ribbon Barber Shoppe” the “most fashionable barber shop” on U Street.”184 The shop gave Owens the perfect venue to reminisce about his baseball career and sports in general, which earned him the title of the “sage of U Street.”185 Owens frequently regaled his customers with stories of the Grays, and on one occasion, pulled out a “gold watch charm” from his pocket that bore the inscription, “Oscar Owens, World Champion Pitcher, 43 consecutive victories,” presented by the A. J. Spaulding Co.186 Owens claimed that he once “fanned 22 [batters] in a single game,” pitched in 62 games in a single season, not to mention his eight no-hitters.187 He said that the 1926 edition of the Homestead Grays, and not the 1931 championship team, was “the greatest of the lot.” Although his livelihood was devoted to barbering, baseball remained in his blood. In the spring of 1938, he worked out with the Black Senators, and it was rumored that he would be signed as a “utility player” but that never came to pass.188 Later that year he was recruited to play in an old-timers game at Forbes Field.189

Well into his 40’s, Owens briefly signed with the Maryland Aztecs as a player-coach, and in his first start on the mound in May, set down 19 men to claim the 10-2 win over the Brentwood Flashes.190 According to his wife Clara, Owens had baseball on his mind, seven days a week.191 He worked as an instructor for the “Walter Johnson memorial baseball schools.”192 He also umpired at high school baseball championships and Negro National League games at Griffith Stadium.193 She said that “Every Sabbath morning you can find him up at the Banneker playground teaching the kids how to toss ’em across the plate.” She added, “And the kids, like we grown-ups, idolize a guy named Oscar.” And he never forgot the team that helped make his mark on baseball. After the Grays moved their home base to Washington, DC, Owens was a “regular box holder” at Griffith Stadium, and follower of the team until they folded in 1951.194

Oscar Owens died in Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, DC, on April 30, 1960, at age 66, from a heart attack following a long illness.195 He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Owens had no children. His wife was his only surviving family member. Clara Owens died on October 16, 1979, and was buried with him in Arlington.

Owens was one of the greatest pitchers of his era but has not been broadly recognized for his achievements. Owens did not receive the same level of attention as did other Grays stars.196 Owens played most of his games in semipro “sandlot” leagues, and his long tenure with the Grays as an “independent” club may have diminished his accomplishments. But how many other twentieth century pitchers produced eight no-hitters, had multiple seasons with more than 20 wins, and in one year, at least 40 victories, not to mention the number of times that he pitched both ends of a doubleheader—and won? Oscar Owens truly earned his “Iron Man” reputation and was one of the greatest pitchers of the Negro League era.

Sources

Unless otherwise indicated, all Negro League statistics and records were sourced from Seamheads.com and baseball-reference.com. Ancestry.com was used to access census, birth, death, marriage, military, immigration, and other genealogical and public records.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Gary Ashwill.

Notes

1 Cum Posey, “Pointed Paragraphs,” Pittsburgh Courier, February 18, 1933: 15.

2 Owens’s exact birth year is up for debate. The State of North Carolina did not issue birth certificates until 1913, well after Owens’s birth. All other official records agree that he was born on September 7, but the exact year in which he was born varies. The 1910 US Census, his World War I Draft Card, and World War II Draft Card use September 7, 1893, as his date of birth. The 1900 Census, 1910 Census, as well as his Social Security application, state that his birth year was 1894. In 1915, when Owens was arrested for ticket scalping at Forbes, his age was given as 22, which would place his birth year as 1893. Owens’s US National Cemetery Interment Form has his birth year as 1895, albeit with penciled-in edits for the years 1892 and 1894. The 1940 Census also lists his birth year as 1895. A major outlier was the 1920 Census which lists 1898 as Owens’s year of birth. Given that his only sibling, Crawford Franklin Owens was about two years older than Oscar Owens, and that Crawford Owens’s birth year was most likely 1892, it is logical to conclude that Oscar Owens’s birth year was probably between 1893 and 1894. It should be noted that Crawford Owens’s burial information at Long Island National Cemetery has his birth year as 1895, also an error. Crawford Owens was born no later than 1892. And although Oscar Owens’s memorial marker in Arlington National Cemetery shows his birth year as 1895 (the same as his brother’s), based on a constellation of records, that the correct birth year for Oscar Owens is most likely, 1893.

3 Nomenclature for the city of Pittsburgh has changed over time. It was once spelled as “Pittsburg” but was officially changed to “Pittsburgh” in 1910. To avoid confusion, and regardless of the time period, the city will be spelled as “Pittsburgh” throughout the chapter.

4 Frank Owens was buried in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, a historic cemetery in the Hill District established in 1865, and was for a time, the only cemetery that accepted African American burials in the city of Pittsburgh. During the twentieth century, the cemetery grounds were twice disturbed. The first occurred in 1931, ironically, when a portion of the cemetery property was taken for the construction of Greenlee Field, home of the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Oscar Owens never played on Greenlee Field. He retired from Negro League baseball at the end of the 1931 season. The second time was in 1938 when the entire cemetery was used for a new public housing development, the Bedford Dwellings. Unfortunately for the descendants of those buried in Lincoln Memorial, only 200 of the more than 4,000 graves were marked with headstones, resulting in thousands of unidentified remains reinterred in Woodlawn Cemetery in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, located about seven miles east of Pittsburgh. Frank Owens was among the “unknowns” reburied at Woodlawn. “’Hill’ Cemetery to be Moved for Housing Work,” Pittsburgh Courier, November 10, 1938: 32.

5 “Afro-American Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, August 28, 1910: 39.

6 Amateur baseball game reports during this era were bare-bones and rarely included a line or box score, so it is possible that Owens took the field prior to this date. “Afro-American Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, August 28, 1910: 39.

7 “Sporting Notes,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 6, 1912: 4.

8 “Colored Boys Beaten,” Pittsburgh Press, August 17, 1913: 20; “Well Played Game,” Pittsburgh Post, August 31, 1913: 29; “Colored Collegians Win,” Pittsburgh Post, September 2, 1913: 13.

9 “Snap for Swissvale,” Pittsburgh Post, May 24, 1914: 40; “Colored Team a Winner,” Pittsburgh Press, July 14, 1914: 17; “Collegians Clash,” Pittsburgh Post, July 15, 1914: 12; “Game Ends in Tie,” Pittsburgh Post, July 22, 1914: 12; “Youngstown Shut Out,” Pittsburgh Post, July 26, 1914: 33; “Colored Collegians Win,” Pittsburgh Post,” August 2, 1914: 35; “All-Stars Score Victory,” Pittsburgh Post, August 6, 1914: 14; “Colored Collegians Win,” Pittsburgh Post, August 9, 1914: 34; “Win Extra-Inning Game,” Pittsburgh Press, October 4, 1914: 18.

10 “Afro-American Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, June 28, 1914: 43; “Afro-American Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, July 5, 1914: 38; “Win for Phipps,” Pittsburgh Post, August 30, 1914: 34.

11 “Snap for Swissvale,” Pittsburgh Post, May 24, 1914: 40.

12 “Colored Team a Winner,” Pittsburgh Press, July 14, 1914:17; “Collegians Clash,” Pittsburgh Post, July 15, 1914: 12; “Game Ends in Tie,” Pittsburgh Post, July 22, 1914: 12; Youngstown Shut Out,” Pittsburgh Post, July 26, 1914: 33; “Colored Collegians Win,” Pittsburgh Post,” August 2, 1914: 35; “Colored Collegians Win,” Pittsburgh Post, August 9, 1914: 34; “Win for Phipps,” Pittsburgh Post, August 30, 1914: 34.

13 Among those who were recruited was Elmore “Bull” Barbour with whom Owens would reunite later that year as members of the All Stars of the Washington Park Colored League, and seven years later as members of the Pittsburgh Keystones. The Tigers clawed their way through spring training in West Baden, Indiana, before their planned opener in Louisville, Kentucky on April 4, 1915. “Afro-American Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, March 21, 1915: 26; “Sprudels Win,” Indianapolis (Indiana) Star, April 9, 1915: 10.

14 “8-4,” Salem Democrat (Salem, Indiana), July 28, 1915: 2.

15 “Homestead Shut Out,” Pittsburgh Press, May 30, 1915: 26.

16 “Homestead Grays Blanked,” Pittsburgh Post, May 28, 1915: 12.

17 “Amateur Baseball Notes,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, June 22, 1915: 14; “Colored Collegians Swamped,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 14, 1915: 13; “Afro-American Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, September 19, 1915: 40.

18 “Colored Collegians Swamped.”

19 Pitt won the game, 19-0, to claim the “Championship of Western Pennsylvania. “Alleged Ticket Scalpers Nabbed at Forbes Field,” Pittsburgh Press, November 7, 1915: 22; “Wash-Jeff Beaten by Pitt Team,” Pittsburgh Press, November 7, 1915: 21.

20 William G. Nunn, “Diamond Dope,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 25, 1925: 12; “Ready for Duty,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 7, 1928: 16; Clark, John C., “Wylie Avenue,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 16, 1930: 5.

21 “Billiard Match.”

22 “Billiard Tournament/Graybers Defeat Grays in Eleventh,” Pittsburgh Post, June 12, 1916: 11.

23 “Franklin Bumps Collegians,” Pittsburgh Press, September 3, 1916: 24; “Greenville Wins Twice,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, September 5, 1916: 7.

24 “Marriage Licenses,” Pittsburgh Post, June 5, 1917: 13.

25 “Marriage Licenses.”

26 Oscar Owens was listed in the 1917 Pittsburgh City Directory as a porter, living at 2411 Wylie Avenue. His World War I draft card, which he signed on June 5, 1917, stated that he worked for Arbuthnot, Stephenson and Company and that his mother was his dependent.

27 “Hall to Pitch Against Grayber Team Sunday,” Pittsburgh Press, April 25, 1917: 22.

28 “Lefty Hughes is in Form, and Defeats the Giants,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 30, 1917: 10; “Good Game at Spring Hill,” Pittsburgh Press, September 23, 1917: 18.

29 Johnson was the athletic trainer for the University of Pittsburgh for a variety of sports, especially track and field, and was probably most famous as the person who trained and discovered William DeHart Hubbard, the first African American athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. “South Hills A. C. Victors,” Pittsburgh Press, May 27, 1917: 27; “South Side Splits Even with Colored Collegians,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 31, 1917: 9; “Verona Wins Again,” Pittsburgh Post, June 17, 1917: 21; “Hunter Johnson,” Pittsburgh Courier, February 2, 1952: 1; Earl Johnson, “The Sports Whirl,” Pittsburgh Courier, February 9, 1952: 24; Earl Johnson, “The Sports Whirl,” Courier, September 20, 1952: 27.

30 “Sullivans Win Two,” Pittsburgh Press, July 8, 1917: 21; “Easy Victory for Firemen,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, September 3, 1917: 10.

31 “Sullivans Win Two.”

32 “Johnson’s Strong Lineup,” Pittsburgh Press, May 10, 1917: 26; “Board of Trade Wins,” Pittsburgh Post, July 1, 1917: 32; “Ambridge-Dillon Beats Collegians in Ten Innings,” Pittsburgh Post, June 11, 1917: 7; “Sullivans Win Two,”; “Fair Haven is Winner,” Pittsburgh Press, July 29. 1917: 27.

33 “South Side Splits Even with Colored Collegians,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 31, 1917: 9.

34 “South Side Splits Even with Colored Collegians.”

35 “South Side Splits Even with Colored Collegians.”

36 “Another Even Break,” Pittsburgh Post, July 6, 1919: 22; “Oscar Owens, ‘Iron Man’ of Grays Twirls and Wins Second Double Header. Beating Coalburg Nine,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 14, 1926: 15; “Owens Hurls Homestead Grays to Two Victories,” Chicago Defender, July 17, 1926: 10; “Elks Break Even with Homestead,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 29, 1927: 14; “Grays Win Nine More Games During Week,” Afro-American, (Baltimore, Maryland) July 12, 1930: 40.

37 “Field Club-Stars Tie,” Pittsburgh Post, June 21, 1918: 14; “Afro-American Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, June 30, 1918: 54; “Final Clash of Series,” Pittsburgh Press, June 30, 1918: 20.

38 “Afro-American Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, July 14, 1918; “All-Stars Even Field Club Series,” Pittsburgh Post, July 21, 1918: 20; “Field Club-Stars Tie,” Pittsburgh Post, August 1, 1918: 8.

39 Michael Clodfelter, The Lost Battalion and the Meuse-Argonne 1918: America’s Deadliest Battle. (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. Inc., 2007), 1-4.

40 “Colored Teams to Meet,” Pittsburgh Press, May 16, 1919: 34.

41 “American Giants Win,” Pittsburgh Post, May 18, 1919: 19.

42 American Giants Win.”

43 “Another Even Break,” Pittsburgh Post, July 6, 1919: 22.

44 “Collegians Prove Easy for Aluminum Tossers,” Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, June 29, 1919: 24; “Another Even Break.”

45 “Field Club Wins,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 26, 1919: 12.

46 “Greys [sic] at McKees Rocks,” Pittsburgh Post, August 28, 1919: 9; “Homestead Grays Play Lyceum Nine Tomorrow,” Pittsburgh Press, September 20, 1919: 8.

47 “Grays Will Be Strong,” Pittsburgh Press, March 7, 1920: 28.

48 “A. B. C. Ball Tossers Scheduled to Open with Chicago Club,” Indiana Daily Times (Indianapolis, Indiana), March 19, 1920: 15.

49 “Taylor’s Team Here Monday,” Birmingham Reporter, March 27, 1920: 1.

50 “Grays Still Winning,” Pittsburgh Press, June 20, 1920: 32.

51 “Athletics Ready for Game Saturday,” Pittsburgh Press, August 26, 1920: 20; “Grays Play Olympics,” Pittsburgh Press, August 27, 1920: 23; “Olympics to Change Lineup,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 28, 1920: 8.

52 “Homestead Grays Have Fine Record,” Pittsburgh Press, October 24, 1920: 29.

53 “Homestead Grays Have Fine Record.”

54 “Homestead Steel League,” Pittsburgh Post, August 14, 1920: 7; “Homestead Steel League,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 15, 1920: 20; “Homestead Steel League,” Pittsburgh Post, August 19, 1920: 9; “Homestead Steel League,” Pittsburgh Post, August 20, 1920: 9; “Homestead Steel League,” Pittsburgh Post, August 21, 1920: 7; “Athletics Ready for Game Saturday,” Pittsburgh Press, August 26, 1920: 20.

55 “Early Bird Chirpings from the Sandlotters,” Pittsburgh Post, March 13, 1921: 20.

56 “Homestead Steel League,” Pittsburgh Post, May 18, 1921: 9.

57 “Homestead Grays Win from Pershing A. C., 12-2,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 24, 1921: 12; “Homestead Greys [sic] Win,” Pittsburgh Post, May 25, 1921: 11; “Homestead Steel League,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 29, 1921: 31; “Homestead Steel,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 26, 1921: 13; “Homestead Steel League,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 3, 1921: 22; “Homestead Steel,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 29, 1921: 10.

58 “Homestead Steel League,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 29, 1921: 31.

59 Owens’s overall official record was 1-1, with a 4.80 ERA and a .292 BA. F. P. Alger, “Keeping in Touch,” Pittsburgh Post, August 14, 1921: 16.

60 “Colored Title at Stake,” Pittsburgh Press, September 17, 1921: 33; “American Giants Lose,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, September 19, 1921: 19; “Homestead Grays Win,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, September 19, 1921: 12; “Grays Win Title,” Pittsburgh Post, September 22, 1921: 11; “Series to Close Tonight,” Pittsburgh Press, September 23, 1921: 25; “Grays Beat Giants,” Pittsburgh Post, September 24, 1921: 10.

61 American Giants Lose.”

62 Ridgway is located approximately 110 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in mountainous Elk County, Pennsylvania.  Allen Harrison Dorsey, “Prime Sports News” The Gazette (Cleveland, Ohio), February 4, 1922: 1;

 “Pittsburgh Keystones Lined Up for Season,” St. Louis (Missouri) Argus, March 31, 1922: 12.

63 “Traders Face Keystones at Lyman Field,” Pittsburgh Press, July 23, 1922: 21; “Homestead Grays Take Elimination Tilt, 7 to 6,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 4, 1922: 11; “Grays Beat Keystones in Series Opener,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 6, 1922: 24; “Grays Defeat Monessen,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 11, 1922: 10; “Grays Beat Langleloth,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 12, 1922: 10; “Homestead Grays Win,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 26, 1922: 11.

64 “Local Keystone Nine Beats Tate Stars, 10-2,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 11, 1922: 14; “A. B. C.’s Win Game from Keystones, 4-1,” Indianapolis Star, May 24, 1922: 15; “Keystone Nine Defeats Cleveland All-Stars, 8-1,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, June 4, 1922: 29; “Indianapolis Defeats Keystone Nine, 7 to 5,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, June 11, 1922: 26; “Detroit Stars Beat Pittsburgh Keystone [sic],” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, June 18, 1922: 21; “Keystones Win,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 1, 1922: 10; “Keystones Beaten,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 2, 1922: 22; “Tate Beats Keystones,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 3, 1922: 8; “Keystones Beaten,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 8, 1922: 10; “Keystones Win,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 15, 1922: 8; “Homestead Grays Take Elimination Tilt.”; “Grays Win,” Pittsburgh Post, August 16, 1922: 11; “Grays Defeat Charleroi,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, September 21, 1922: 12; “Grays Win Again,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, September 23, 1922: 13.

65 Finishing first among the Independent Clubs, albeit with a meager 3-0-1 record, may have been some consolation for Owens and the Grays. The Keystones won more league games than the Grays but finished seventh out of eight NNL clubs with a 12-24 tally. “Crafton Pres. Play Grays for Title,” Pittsburgh Post, October 7, 1922: 11; “Crafton Outfit Wins Over Homestead Grays,” Pittsburgh Press, October 8, 1922: 33; “Crafton Pres. Win Baseball Championship,” Pittsburgh Post, October 8, 1922: 24.

66 “Players on Reserve List,” Chicago Whip, December 16, 1922: 7.

67 “National Negro League Holds Important Meeting Here,” Chicago Whip (Chicago, Illinois), December 16, 1922: 7.

68 “Grays Work Out,” Pittsburgh Press, April 8, 1923: 21.

69 “Homestead Grays Going at Sensational Clip,” Pittsburgh Courier, June 9, 1923: 6.

70 “Homestead Grays Victors Over Imperials, 9 to 5,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 6, 1923: 31.

71 “Homestead Grays Win and Lose in Cleveland,” Pittsburgh Post, May 14, 1923: 11.

72 “Oscar Owens, in ‘Iron Man’ Role, Wins for Grays Over Beaver Falls and Fineview,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 1, 1923: 6.

73 “Homestead Grays Trim Beaver Falls,” Pittsburgh Press, August 26, 1923: 12; “Grays Win Handily from Beaver Falls,” Pittsburgh Post, August 26, 1923: 29.

74 “Grays Keep Going,” Pittsburgh Post, September 6, 1923: 13.

75 After the Grays season was over, Owens was not done with taking the field—not a baseball field, but a soccer pitch. On Christmas Day he made his one and only appearance as a goalie for the Bridgeville “soccer football” team in a contest with the Scottdale club in Scottdale, Pennsylvania. The results of this contest were not published. “Grays Muster New Ball Tossers,” Pittsburgh Post, March 16, 1924: 27; “Soccer Fans are Promised Treat by Scottdale Team,” Daily Courier (Connellsville, Pennsylvania.), December 20, 1923: 3.

76 “Grays Muster New Ball Tossers.”

77 “Grays Hand Wallop to Collier Team,” Pittsburgh Post, May 2, 1924: 13; “Grays Hit Ball Hard; Win Two from Cumberland,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 3, 1924: 7; “Grays Beat Duquesne,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 6, 1924: 14; “Grays Swamp Donora,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 16, 1924: 14; “Homestead Grays Win From Etna Elks Club,” Pittsburgh Post, June 17, 1924: 14; “Grays Down Reinholds,” Pittsburgh Post, June 18, 1924: 11; “Grays Blank Midvale,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, June 21, 1924: 14; “Homestead Grays Trim Natrona, 9-4,” Pittsburgh Post, July 6, 1924: 29; “Homestead Grays Wallop Warren Moose by 8 to 3,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 14, 1924: 11; “Scottdale Loses to Homestead Grays,” Pittsburgh Post, July 20, 1924: 30; “Homestead Grays Bump Scottdale by 6-4 Score,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 20, 1924: 19.

78 “Grays Start Long Stretch at Wheeling,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 20, 1924: 19.

79 “Bellevue Blanks Homestead Grays by 6-0 Score,” Pittsburgh Post, June 27, 1924: 11; “Same Old Hoodoo Tabbed on Grays,” Pittsburgh Post, July 2, 1924: 10; “Sharon Elks Win from Homestead,” Pittsburgh Post, July 7, 1924: 8; “Grays Defeated by Tubers, 3 to 1,” Pittsburgh Post, July 9, 1924: 15; “Grays Defeated by Tubers, 3 to 1,” Pittsburgh Post, July 9, 1924: 15; “Bellevue Again Defeats Grays, 7-4,” Pittsburgh Post, July 23, 1924: 11; “Beaver Falls Beats Grays by 12-8 Score,” Pittsburgh Post, July 27, 1924: 23; “Evans City Winner Over Homestead Grays,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 5, 1924: 13; “Homestead Grays Beaten by Uniontown, 3 to 1,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 15, 1924: 12; “Jeannette Defeats Homestead Grays,” Pittsburgh Post, August 20, 1924: 13; “Whitewash for Grays from Altoona Works,” Pittsburgh Post, August 21, 1924: 9; “Grays Beaten by Giants, 6-2,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 27, 1924: 14; “Uniontown Elks Defeat Grays, 6-1,” Pittsburgh Post, September 4, 1924: 9.

80 “Homestead Grays Defeat Detroit Colored Stars,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, September 13, 1924: 14.

81 Fred P. Alger, “Sandlot Pitching Records Reveal Several Surprises,” Pittsburgh Post, September 14, 1924: 28; Expert, “Sport-Pickups,” Pittsburgh Courier, November 22, 1924: 7.

82 Expert, “Sport-Pickups,” Pittsburgh Courier, November 22, 1924: 7.

83 Fred P. Alger, “Sandlot Pitching Records Reveal Several Surprises.”

84 Owens’s official record in Independent Clubs play was 2-0 in five appearances, with a 2.08 ERA, making him the most successful pitcher for the Grays in 1924. But his paltry .214 BA reflected the toll that the Grays’ relentless schedule exacted. Expert, “Sport-Pickups,” Pittsburgh Courier, November 22, 1924: 7.

85 Teammate Dizzy Dismukes reflected on Owens’s 1924 season in his “Diamond Dope” column in the Courier: “Oscar Owens, star of the Homestead Grays pitching staff, while possessing bewildering speed, could never be relied upon to turn back a real high class club on account of his wildness. But the past season Owens, having a deceptive curve ball, as good as any pitcher in the game, proved a stumbling block to the best clubs in the game. Pitching nine innings against Detroit Stars he allowed four scattered hits and no runs against Rube Foster’s American Giants he allowed no hits and no runs for the five innings he opposed them. During these fourteen innings not a batter reached first base by the base on ball route. Owens, like [Charles“Bullet”] Rogan of the world’s champion Monarchs, is played in the outfield when not laboring on the mound on account of his timely hitting.” Dizzy Dismukes, “Dismukes Diamond Dope,” Pittsburgh Courier, December 20, 1924: 12.

86 Expert, “Sport-Pickups,” Pittsburgh Courier, March 21, 1925: 7.

87 “Grays Add Pitcher,” Pittsburgh Press, April 2, 1925: 27; William G. Nunn, “Diamond Dope,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 30, 1925: 12.

88 “Homestead Grays Open Year; Beat McConkeys, 4 to 2,” Pittsburgh Post, April 13, 1925: 10; “Grays Open Season by Defeating Wheeling,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 18, 1925: 12.

89 “Grays Play Tomorrow,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 17, 1925: 12; “Homestead Grays Defeat Duquesne Lilacs,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 30, 1925: 14; Joe Williams Toys with Bellaire; Grays Win, 13-1,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 2, 1925: 12; Expert, “Short-Pickups,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 9, 1925: 13; “Grays Beat Vestaburg,” Pittsburgh Post, May 14, 1925: 16; “Homestead Grays Defeat Lineys by 12 to 2 Score,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 20, 1925: 14; Jack Adams, “Sandlot Managerial Changes Make for Stiffer Competition,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 24, 1925: 28; “Grays Win Over Beaver Falls Elks,” Pittsburgh Post, May 28, 1925: 14; William G. Nunn, “Diamond Dope,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 30, 1925: 12; “Latest News of Semipro Clubs,” Pittsburgh Press, May 31, 1925: 24.

90 “Grays Beat Clairton,” Pittsburgh Post, June 27, 1925: 11; “Grays Near Century Figure in Contests,” Pittsburgh Post, August 2, 1925: 29.

91 William G. Nunn, “Diamond Dope,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 25, 1925: 12.

92 William G. Nunn, “Diamond Dope,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 25, 1925: 12.

93 William G. Nunn, “Diamond Dope,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 25, 1925: 12.

94 “Owens Pitches No-Hit, No-Run Game at Parkersburg,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 29, 1925: 6.

95 Pittsburgh Courier columnist W. Rollo Wilson later argued that Phil Cockrell of the Hilldale club also achieved this mark. “Owens Pitches No-Hit, No-Run Game at Parkersburg,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 29, 1925: 6; “Establishes No-Hit Record,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 5, 1925: 13; W. Rollo Wilson, “Eastern Snapshots,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 12, 1925: 13.

96 “Owens Pitches No-Hit, No-Run Game at Parkersburg,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 29, 1925: 6.

97 Five of the 12 Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers with at least 35 wins in one season have been inducted in the Hall of Fame. They include Old Hoss Radbourn, Cy Young, Kid Nichols, the original “Iron Man,” Joe McGinnity, and Big Ed Walsh. “Owens Wins 35th Game at Youngstown,” Pittsburgh Courier, October 3, 1925: 14; “Homestead Grays Down Homewood Twice,” Pittsburgh Press, October 4, 1925: 21; “Homewood Loses Two to Grays,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, October 4, 1925: 28.

98 Cum Posey, “The Sportive Realm,” Pittsburgh Courier, March 20, 1926: 12.

99 “Homestead Grays Trounce McConkey’s, 13-0, in Opener,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 5, 1926: 10; “Homestead Grays Top Youngstown General Tires by 10-1 Score,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 18, 1926: 32; “Homestead Grays Beat General Tires, 6 to 2,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 19, 1926: 10; “Grays Defeat Akron Tires in Fast Game,” Pittsburgh Post, April 26, 1926: 10; “Joe Williams May Pitch Against Donora Saturday,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 29, 1926: 16.

100 “Grays Nose Out McCormick Club,” Pittsburgh Post, May 4, 1926: 16.

101 “Grays Beat Stowe,” Pittsburgh Post, May 12, 1926: 16.

102 Posey, Cum, “The Sportive Realm,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 15, 1926: 14.

103 “Grays, Tied by Two Teams, Out for Independent Mark,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 26, 1926: 14.

104 “His Pitching Won,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 29, 1926: 14; “Grays Break Bellevue’s Record for Consecutive Victories; Total is 28,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 29, 1926: 14; “Homestead Grays Pass Record, Pittsburgh Courier, May 29, 1926: 14.

105 “Owens Hurls Homestead Grays to Two Victories,” Chicago Defender, July 17, 1926: 10.

106 His official record on Seamheads with the Grays was 1-0 with a whopping 6.00 ERA. He had two plate appearances, went hitless but was issued one walk. “Grays Win One,” Pittsburgh Post, August 24, 1926: 12; “Grays Win One.” Pittsburgh Post, August 24, 1926: 12.

107 William Forsythe, Jr., “What Do You Know,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 9, 1927: 17, 18.

108 Cum Posey, “The Sportive Realm,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 16, 1927: 16.

109 How Owens acquired his barbering skills is unknown, but he may have been influenced by his uncle James H. Owens, Sr., who operated a tonsorial parlor in his hometown of Reidsville, North Carolina. A. B. K., “In Memorium,” The Review (Reidsville, North Carolina), January 20, 1920: 8.

110 Ben Taylor, “Ben Taylor Tells What Baseball Players Do in the Winter Months,” Afro-American (Baltimore, Maryland), March 7, 1931: 14.

111 “Pool Tourney Interest Centers in Hill District,” Pittsburgh Courier, March 26, 1927: 17; “How Contestants Stand,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 2, 1927: 16.

112 “Grays Beat Eastern Ohio League All-Stars, 3 to 1,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 17, 1927: 25; “Grays Win Two from All-Stars on Eve of Southern Trip,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 23, 1927: 16; “Grays Win Eighth,” Pittsburgh Post, April 30, 1927: 13; “Homestead Grays Swamp Monongahela, 18 to 6,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 2, 1927: 13; “Grays Top Elizabeth,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 4, 1927: 14.

113 “Grays Defeat Scottdale,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 7, 1927: 12; “Homestead Grays Win,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 14, 1927: 10; “Homestead Grays Win,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 14, 1927: 10; “Another for the Grays,” Pittsburgh Post, June 5, 1927: 32; “Another for the Grays”; “McKeesport Splits in Doubleheader,” Pittsburgh Post, July 5, 1927: 10.

114 “Grays Win Three, Lose One, in Week-End Battles,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 28, 1927: 16.

115 “Grays Have Made Great Record as Mid-Season is Reached,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 16, 1927: 18.

116 Elks Break Even with Homestead,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 29, 1927: 14.

117 “Grays Wallop Cokeburg,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 3, 1927: 21.

118 Owens’s official Seamheads record was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and a .250 BA.

119 William G. Nunn, “WGN Broadcasts Sport Talks,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 27, 1927: 18.

120 William G. Nunn, “WGN Broadcasts Sport Talks,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 27, 1927: 18.

121 Neil Lanctot, Fair Dealing and Clean Playing: The Hilldale Club and the Development of Black Professional Baseball, 1910-1932(Syracuse University Press: Syracuse, New York, 2007), 187-195.

122 “Ready for Duty,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 7, 1928: 16.

123 “Following the Grays,” Pittsburgh Courier, June 9, 1928: 17.

124 “Beaver Falls-Grays in Twin Bill Today,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 21, 1928: 17; “Following the Grays,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 28, 1928: 18.

125 “Following the Grays,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 28, 1928: 18.

126 “Grays and Sox Divide Bill,” Afro-American (Baltimore, Maryland.), September 23, 1928: 13.

127 “Posey Writes on Hilldale Season,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 1, 1928: 16; W. Rollo Wilson, “Hilldale Wins in Big Series with Grays,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 22, 1928: 16.

128 W. Rollo Wilson, “Hilldale Wins in Big Series with Grays.”

129 “Grays Defeat Stars,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 3, 1928: 19.

130 According to Seamheads, Owens’s official league record as a pitcher was 0-1 with a bloated 9.35 ERA. His numbers at the plate were much better. He rang up a .412 BA. William G. Nunn, “Modern Baseball’s Miracle Team,” Pittsburgh Courier, November 3, 1928: 16.

131 William G. Nunn, “Modern Baseball’s Miracle Team.”

132 William G. Nunn, “Modern Baseball’s Miracle Team.”

133 “Grays in Initial Workout,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 13, 1929: 17.

134 “Beckwith Clouts Two Homers,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 10, 1929: 22.

135 Wells Gaynor, “Dunnmen Defeat Homestead Grays in Exhibition Tilt,” Springfield (Ohio) Daily News, April 23, 1929: 12; “Beckwith Hits Three Homers as Grays Win,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, April 28, 1929: 34; “Four Homers for Grays,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, April 30, 1929: 33; “Four Homers for Grays,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, April 30, 1929: 33; “Grays Beat Stowe,” Pittsburgh Press, May 4, 1929: 11; “Grays Capture League Opener,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, May 5, 1929: 38; “Grays Capture League Opener,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, May 5, 1929: 38.

136 “Grays Nose Out Cuban Stars, 6-4,” Pittsburgh Press, May 12, 1929: 40.

137 “Homestead Grays Tie Darby Daisies,” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 18, 1929: 22.

138 “Clan Held to Stalemate in First Encounter Comes Back to Take Final Game,” Philadelphia Tribune, May 23, 1929: 11; Homestead Grays Lose to Hilldale,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, May 19, 1929: 31.

139 Homestead Grays Lose to Hilldale,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, May 19, 1929: 31.

140 “Local Games Resumed by Homestead Grays,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 20, 1929: 19.

141 “Local Games Resumed by Homestead Grays,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 20, 1929: 19.

142 “Grays Beat Valley Nine,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 25, 1929: 20; “Grays Wallop Potters,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 30, 1929: 20; “Tenth Ward Beaten,” Pittsburgh Press, June 2, 1929: 49; “Grays Win Twin Bill,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 17, 1929: 15; “Grays Win Twin Bill,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 17, 1929: 15; “Grays Rally to Win,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 20, 1929: 21; “Grays Break Even in Hard Battles,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, June 23, 1929: 35.

143 “Ewing Leads Batsmen of the Negro Loop,” Pittsburgh Press, June 2, 1929: 52.

144 Joseph H. Rainey, “Seven Baseball Players En-Route Here Injured When Machine Overturns,” Philadelphia Tribune, June 27, 1929: 1.

145 Joseph H. Rainey, “Seven Baseball Players En-Route Here Injured When Machine Overturns.”

146 Joseph H. Rainey, “Seven Baseball Players En-Route Here Injured When Machine Overturns.”

147 Joseph H. Rainey, “Seven Baseball Players En-Route Here Injured When Machine Overturns”; “Baseball Team in Hospital,” Weekly News-Sun (Newport, Pennsylvania), June 28, 1929: 2.

148 All of the injured men were rushed to the Lewistown Hospital where they had the good fortune to be treated by Dr. Frederick W. Black, a World War I Medical Corps veteran with extensive experience treating serious injuries “Homestead Grays are Injured in Accident,” Altoona (Pennsylvania) Mirror, June 27, 1929: 21; “Seven Baseball Players Hurt When Speeding Car Goes into Ditch in Pa.,” St. Louis Argus, July 5, 1929: 7, 14; “Black Funeral Will be Held Tomorrow,” Mount Union (Pennsylvania) Times, February 5, 1960: 3.

149 “Homestead Grays are Injured in Accident,” Altoona Mirror, June 27, 1929: 21.

150 “Grays in Auto Wreck,” Pittsburgh Courier, June 29, 1929: 1

151 “Beltzhoover Downs Grays,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 23, 1929: 17.

152 “Owens Wins Ninth Straight for Grays,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 27, 1929: 16.

153 “Grays, Black Sox Split Even,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, July 21, 1929: 32; “Grays Defeat Smiths,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 24, 1929: 20; Muzz Runyon, “Logue’s Proteges Plastered by Homestead Grays, 16 to 2,” Altoona (Pennsylvania) Tribune, July 25, 1929: 10; “Sox and Grays in Even Break at Baltimore,” Philadelphia Tribune, July 25, 1929: 10; “Homestead Grays, Lincoln Giants Split,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 29, 1929: 14; “Clan Pounds Grays About in Slugfest,” Philadelphia Tribune, August 1, 1929: 11; “Homestead Grays Win the Second Victory of the Series,” Daily Notes (Canonsburg, Pennsylvania), August 2, 1929: 5; “Homesteads Win in 10,” Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), August 5, 1929: 23; “Coen Leads Agathons to 1-0 Victory Over Colored Homesteaders,” Coshocton (Ohio) Tribune, August 6, 1929: 2; “Grays Down Agathons,” Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, August 9, 1929: 15; “Grays Beat Hilldale, Clash Again Today,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 17, 1929: 16; “Grays Rout Semler,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 20, 1929: 15; “Hilldale Breaks Even with Grays,” Philadelphia Tribune, August 22, 1929: 11; “Grays Win at Butler,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 22, 1929: 17; “Grays Beat Giants,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, August 23, 1929: 25; “Grays Win Dual Bill,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, August 25, 1929: 33; “Grays Win Dual Bill,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, August 25, 1929: 33; “Homestead Grays Lose,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, August 27, 1929: 26; “Hilldale Beats Pittsburgh in American Negro League,” Atlantic City (New Jersey) Sunday Press, September 1, 1929: 19; “Stars Split with Homestead Grays,” Brooklyn (New York) Daily Times, September 2, 1929: 14; “Chicks in Keen Deadlock Fray,” Evening Journal (Wilmington, Del.), September 4, 1929: 20.

154 W. Rollo Wilson, “New American League Completes Schedule; All Loop Teams Impress,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 28, 1929: 16.

155 “Charley Smith Leads All Hitters in Final Figures of American Negro League,” Philadelphia Tribune, September 26, 1929: 11.

156 In official league play, his stats differed. Owens had a 1-0 record on the hill, but racked up a ghastly 8.35 ERA, and batted .380. “Charley Smith Leads All Hitters in Final Figures of American Negro League.”

157 “Homestead Grays Off on Training Trip,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, March 11, 1930: 32; “Afro-American Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, March 16, 1930: 44.

158 William G. Nunn, “WGN Sports Broadcast Talks,” Pittsburgh Courier, March 22, 1930: 15; “Grays Show Strength in Training Games,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 5, 1930: 17; “Grays Defeat Black Indians,” San Antonio (Texas) Light, April 6, 1930: 54; “Grays’ Bats to Carry Dynamite This Year,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 7, 1930: 15; “Homestead Grays Defeat Wiley College Team Twice,” Chicago Defender, April 12, 1930: 9.

159 “Owens Blanks Canton Club Without Hit,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 23, 1930: 20.

160 To compare Owens’s eight no-hit, no-run record as of 1930, Nolan Ryan pitched seven no-hitters between 1973 and 1991. Sandy Koufaxhad four, while Cy Young, Bob Feller, Larry Corcoran, and Justin Verlander each had three. All have been inducted into the Hall of Fame with the exceptions of Corcoran and Verlander, the latter who is still an active player. Paul A. R. Kurtz, “Poseymen Stronger This Year,” Pittsburgh Press, April 25, 1930: 51.

161 “Goodyear Defeated by Grays Nine, 9-2,” Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, May 12, 1930: 18; “Grays Pound Civics,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 14, 1930: 19; “Grays Take Another,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 22, 1930: 21; “Homestead Grays Top Local Club in Wild Tiff, 14 to 4,” Times Recorder (Zanesville, Ohio), May 26, 1930: 8; “Pitches One Hit Game,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 12, 1930: 20; “Grays-Giants Break Even,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 16, 1930: 16; “Grays Nose Out Homewood,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 18, 1930: 20; Os Figard, “Homestead Grays Topple Works 6-3 Before Record Crowd,” Altoona (Pennsylvania) Tribune, June 20, 1930: 11; “Grays Pile Up Score,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 21, 1930: 16; “Merchants Lose Close Game to Homestead Grays on Saturday,” Record-Argus (Greenville, Pennsylvania), June 23, 1930: 3; “Grays Win Two Games,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 23, 1930: 15; “Grays Defeat Pitcairn,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 26, 1930: 17; “Grays Blank Dormont,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 28, 1930: 17; “Scales Gets Seven Hits as Grays Win,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 30, 1930: 14; “Punxs’y Deadlocks Homestead Grays in Abbreviated Tilt,” Punxsutawney (Pennsylvania.) Spirit, July 2, 1930: 3; “20 Straight for Grays,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 7, 1930: 16; “Another for Grays,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 8, 1930: 17; “Grays Trim Homewood,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 10, 1930: 16; “Grays Win Night Game in 12th, 5 to 4,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 19, 1930: 18; “29 Straight for Grays,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 20, 1930: 16; “Grays Win at Erie,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 26, 1930: 15; “St. Louis Stars Will Meet Pittsburgh Nine in Game Tonight,” Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri), September 2, 1930: 14; “Homestead Grays Defeat Giants, 10-4,” Pittsburgh Press, September 7, 1930: 40; “Sox Defeat Grays; Meet Again Today,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 13, 1930: 14.

162 John C. Clark, “Wylie Avenue,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 16, 1930: 5.

163 “Grays Annex Six of Seven Games Played,” Afro-American (Baltimore, Maryland), June 28, 1930: 15.

164 “Owens Hurls Grays to Double Victory,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 5, 1922: 15; “Grays Win Nine More Games During Week,” Afro-American (Baltimore, Maryland), July12, 1930: 14.

165 “Jamestown Checks Homestead Grays, 3-1,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 25, 1930: 12; “St. Louis Stars Win from Pittsburgh in Second of Games, 9-1,” Globe-Democrat (St. Louis, Missouri.), September 1, 1930: 8; “St. Louis Stars Beat Homestead in Night Game, 18 to 11,” Globe-Democrat, September 3, 1930: 8; “Grays Break Even,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 8, 1930: 15; “Homestead Grays Extend Win Streak to Nine Beating Lincoln Twice,” Pittsburgh Press, September 21, 1930: 39.

166 “Grays Beat Yatesboro in Ten Inning Game,” Punxsutawney Spirit, September 20, 1930: 3.

167 Owens’s official stats in Independent Club play show that he rang up a .294 BA, a slight dip from previous years, and had a perfect 4-0 record in league play, and a 4.26 ERA. “Homestead Grays Extend Win Streak to Nine Beating Lincoln Twice,” Pittsburgh Press, September 21, 1930: 39; “Lincoln Splits with Grays in Colored Series,” Daily News (New York, New York), September 22, 1930: 76; “10,000 Watch Grays Split with Lincolns,” Chicago Defender, September 27, 1930: 9.

168 Havey J. Boyle, “Mirrors of Sport,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 2, 1931: 15; “Grays Get Ready for Inaugural Contest,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 6, 1931: 17.

169 Ben Taylor, “Ben Taylor Tells What Baseball Players Do in the Winter Months,” Afro-American (Baltimore, Maryland), March 7, 1931: 14.

170 “Sullivans Win Two,” Pittsburgh Press, July 8, 1917: 21.

171 “Grays Defeat Dayton,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 16, 1931: 20.

172 “Speaking of Sports,” Daily Republican (Monongahela, Pennsylvania), May 19, 1931.

173 “Crawfords-Thomas at Forbes Field,” Pittsburgh Press, May 12, 1931: 30; Paul Kurtz, “Whitaker Faces Cup Jenkin; Homewood-Brushton Wins,” Pittsburgh Press, May 16, 1931: 12; L. E. Pendleton, “Crawfords Drop Hard Battle,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 16, 1931: 14; “Want Games,” Latrobe Bulletin, May 21, 1931: 10.

174 “Oscar Owens Re-joins Homestead Grays Staff,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 4, 1931: 16.

175 Os Figard, “Phila. Terminal Meet Works Here Today,” Altoona Tribune, July 2, 1931: 8; “Oscar Owens Re-joins Homestead Grays Staff,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 4, 1931: 16.

176 “Grays Swamp Bacharachs, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 14, 1931: 14.

177 “Grays Defeat Homewood,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 18, 1931: 15.

178 Owens’s official record on the mound for 1931 according to Seamheads was 0-0, just 10 1/3 innings pitched but with an admirable 1.74 ERA. His BA was an abysmal .118. “Grays Pound Thomas,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 25, 1931: 16; “Grays Defeat Ingomar,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 1, 1931: 15; “Grays Cop Double Bill,” Pittsburgh Press, August 16, 1931: 44; “Loguemen Lose Heavy Hitting Baseball Tilts,” Altoona Tribune, August 17, 1931: 8; Monte Cross, “Hitless Game Ruined with Two Down in the Ninth,” Canton (Ohio) Repository, August 24, 1931: 6.

179 “Gray’s Pitcher Near No Hit, No Run Game, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, August 24, 1931: 15. .

180 James W. Schlemmer, “Monarchs Top Grays,” Akron Beacon Journal, August 29, 1931: 11.

181 “Grays-Monarchs Split,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 31, 1931: 14.

182 The Observer, “The Spiked Shoe,” Washington (District of Columbia) Tribune, July 20, 1933: 12.

183 “Legal Notices,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, August 7, 1933: 27.

184 “Legal Notices,” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, August 7, 1933: 27; Vincent X. Flaherty, “U Street Avoids Barber Tatum,” Washington (District of Columbia) Herald, September 24, 1935: 19.

185 Vincent X. Flaherty, “U Street Avoids Barber Tatum,” Washington Herald, September 24, 1935: 19; Vincent X. Flaherty, “U Street Avoids Barber Tatum,” Washington Herald, September 24, 1935: 19.

186 Vincent X. Flaherty, “They’re Punching, Feinting in U Street ‘Louisville,’” Washington (District of Columbia) Herald, August 9, 1935: 23.

187 Chester L. Washington, Jr., “Sez Ches,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 30, 1938: 16.

188 It was rumored that Owens would be signed as a “utility player” but that never came to pass. Art Carter, “From the Bench,” Washington(District of Columbia) Afro-American, April 23, 1938: 23.

189 “Former Grays Here for Game,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, August 5, 1938: 17.

190 “Oscar Owens Shows Old Skill; Fans 19,” Washington Afro American, May 25, 1940: 22.

191 Chester L. Washington, Jr., “Sez Ches,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 30, 1938: 16.

192 “Youngsters Register at 9 o’clock,” Washington Post, April 19, 1947: 9.

193 “Dunbar Wins First City-Wide Scholastic Title,” Washington Afro American, June 16, 1951: 25; “Oscar Owens, Baseball Star, Buried in Arlington,” Washington Afro American (Washington, DC), May 7, 1960: 22.

194 Cum Posey, “Posey’s Points,” Pittsburgh Courier, June 15, 1940: 17; “Disbanded Homestead Grays Were Kings of Negro Baseball,” Washington (District of Columbia) Evening Star, May 24, 1951: 57.

195 “Oscar Owens, Baseball Star, Buried in Arlington,” Washington Afro American (Washington, DC), May 7, 1960: 22.

196 As one fan noted, “every other member of the team has been ‘press agented’ [sic] better than the ‘Iron Man,’ and he was underplayed as a “box office attraction. John C. Clark, “Wylie Avenue,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 16, 1930: 5.