Bismarck Churchills

From BR Bullpen

Satchel Paige claimed that the Bismarck Churchills were the greatest team that he played for. With a team, loaded with Negro League stars and white minor league standouts, he may have been right. Future Hall of Famers Paige and and Hilton Smith anchored a fine pitching staff which also featured hard-throwing Barney Morris and catcher/pitcher Double Duty Radcliffe. The team won the National Baseball Congress (semi-pro) tournament in Wichita, Kansas in 1935, behind Paige's 30-2 record. The Churchills were an interesting insight into what high profile, integrated teams could have been before Jackie Robinson. The team was named after owner Neil Churchill.