Effa Manley

Effa Manley (* March 27, 1897 or 1900; † April 16, 1981 in Los Angeles, California ) was a functionary in the Negro Leagues in the U.S. baseball.

Biography

Effa Manley was the result of a relationship between her mother Bertha Ford Brooks and John M. Bishop, a wealthy white woman from Philadelphia, in which this worked. Despite their Gemischtrassigkeit she chose the harder life of African Americans. Since her mother was later received two marriages with African- Americans, most people saw it as a light-skinned black woman.

During the World Series in 1932, she met her future husband at Yankee Stadium know, Abe Manley. This was very wealthy and was able to provide his wife some luxury. Her husband decided to invest some of his money in baseball and to set up a team named Newark Eagles, which played in the Negro Leagues. Abe Manley was too much occupied with other businesses, he put the Eagles into the hands of his wife. Effa Manley made ​​the Eagles to their team, she worked as a General Manager, Travel secretary and PR manager on their team. She kept with their opinions not behind the mountain and brought fresh wind into the Negro Leagues, which, however, did not arrive well everywhere. She tried to bring the Negro Leagues for a more professional standard. After the death of her husband in 1946, she led the team then alone.

Her greatest sporting achievements included the victory in the Negro League World Series 1946. Most famous players of the Eagles, who later played in the Major Leagues, were Larry Doby, Monte Irvin and Don Newcombe. With the end of apartheid in 1947 then sold the team.

Effa Manley died in 1981 in Los Angeles. On 27 February 2006, she became the first woman to the Baseball Hall of Fame.