African Americans have made extraordinary contributions to the history and culture of the United States as part of the nation and apart from it. This month, Auction Finds present s “28 days (Plus 1)” of this collaborative history. The additional day is intended to break Black history out of the stricture of a month into its rightful place as an equal partner in the history of America. Each day, I will offer artifacts culled from the auction tables and my research, along with the stories they hold.
Feb. 8, 2022
Negro Leagues pitcher Terris McDuffie
Terris McDuffie was a pitcher in the Negro Leagues. In 1929 while stationed at Fort Benning, GA, he played for the Army’s segregated 24th Infantry Regiment, which faced pitcher Satchel Paige and the Birmingham Black Barons in ball games. McDuffie, a right-hander, started in the outfield with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1930, but wound up on the pitcher’s mound two years later, where he excelled. In the 1941 East-West All Star Game of the Negro Leagues, McDuffie – known as “Elmer the Great,” “Speed” and “Terris the Terrible” – was the winning pitcher.
McDuffie’s off-field antics were as storied as his play on the field. He was said to have a penchant for gold watches, flashy clothes and diamond rings. He was linked romantically to Effa Manley, who with her husband owned the Newark Eagles, for whom McDuffie played. She managed the team with her husband while he was alive and kept it afloat after he died. Read the full story.
Thank you for sharing this rare treasure of the photograph and providing his-story.