2012 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference

The 15th annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference was held July 19-21, 2012, at the Renaissance Cleveland hotel in Cleveland, Ohio.

The theme of the 2012 Malloy Conference was “Black Baseball in Ohio”. Black baseball has a strong history in Ohio and especially the city of Cleveland. In the 19th century, one of the first African American players in the majors, Moses Fleetwood Walker, played in Toledo. The city of Cleveland had more Negro League entries (11) than any other city in the Negro Leagues from the 1920s through the 1940s. The crowning success came with the 1945 Cleveland Buckeyes winning the Negro League World Series. Their roster included such key players as Quincy Trouppe, Sam Jethroe, Eugene Bremer and Archie Ware.

In 1948, the Cleveland Indians boasted the first African American player in the American League with the signing of Larry Doby and, later, the legendary Satchel Paige. The 15th annual Malloy Conference celebrated Ohio’s baseball history. In addition to two days of research presentations and player/author panels, attendees also enjoyed a special presentation about League Park and a Cleveland Indians game. A special stamp honoring Larry Doby, part of the U.S. Postal Service’s Major League Baseball All-Stars collection, also was unveiled during the conference. 

Featured speakers at the conference included Minnie Forbes, last living female owner of a Negro Leagues team; authors Dr. Thomas Aiello, Dr. Lee Lowenfish, Byron Motley, and Terry Pluto; and more. Click here for a list of more speakers.