Hall of Fame first baseman Buck Leonard running to first during a game with the Newark Eagles, summer 1945.

Credit: Courtesy the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown NY

Capturing nine consecutive Negro National League championships between 1937 and 1945 the Homestead Grays were one of the greatest baseball teams of all time. Six members of the 1936 team, including Buck Leonard, would enter the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.