A little FYI on how our affiliate the Mile High Green Elephant's name was derived; named after The Denver White Elephants who were a barnstorming baseball team comprised of African Americans. One might call them the “Jackie Robinson” of sports teams. A semi-pro squad nicknamed “The Baseball Wizards of the West”, they started playing five years before the formation of the Negro National League.
Denver Browns pay tribute to Black History Month
In addition to playing games around the West, they participated in The Denver Post Tournament, which in the team's final season, became the first integrated baseball competition in the U.S.
We are proud of Denver's rich baseball history, especially in regards to the Civil Rights movement within the United States.
The greatest to play for the White Elephants? Well that would be either Bubbles Anderson or Pistol Pete Albright... both were two future Negro National League Players with Pistol Pete Albright later managing the White Elephants (editors note: we'd like to retract an earlier statement that Pistol Pete "drew comparisons to the great Babe Ruth for his ability to pitch and hit". We had mistakenly mixed up the career of Bullet Joe Rogan and Pistol Pete Albright temporally, our apologies).
To commemorate the 100 year anniversary of Bubbles Anderson's playing for the White Elephants the latest Mile High Green Elephant team will participate in a ceremonial uniform unveiling at Bubbles Anderson's gravesite this Spring at Fairmont Cemetery. We've asked for permission and guidance from local baseball historian Jay Sanford who initially identified and placed his gravestone. Bubbles was considered the youngest to ever play in the Negro National League and Bubbles will have played for The White Elephants 100 years ago this season. Thanks for reading and thanks for taking the time to commemorate Black History Month.
