A Keystone Story: Pennsylvania's Negro League Legacy

Celebrate a storied part of Pennsylvania’s rich sports history.

Join the Josh Gibson Foundation for its annual Negro League Baseball Symposium, “A Keystone Story: Pennsylvania’s Negro League Legacy,” hosted in partnership with the Franco Harris Sports Museum at the History Center.

The program will feature an all-star panel of baseball historians, including author Courtney Michelle Smith, Ph.D.; Rob Ruck, historian at the University of Pittsburgh; and Ted Knorr, founder of the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Research Conference.

Ruck, a noted author who wrote “Sandlot Seasons: Sport in Black Pittsburgh,” will examine Pittsburgh’s outsized contributions to the Negro Leagues, including the legendary Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords.

Knorr, a longtime Harrisburg-based baseball researcher who has spent more than 40 years studying and preserving the history of Negro League baseball in Central Pennsylvania, will explore the history of the Harrisburg Giants. The Giants’ star-studded roster included legends like Rap Dixon, Fats Jenkins, and Spottswood Poles, whose nicknames were only surpassed by their on-field play.

Dr. Smith, a Philadelphia-based historian, professor, and author of “Jackie Robinson: A Life in American History” will share the lively history of the Philadelphia area’s Negro League teams, including the compelling story of Ed Bolden, who ran the Hilldale Club and the Philadelphia Stars during the course of his 40-year career.

Admission

Admission is free for History Center and Josh Gibson Foundation members and $10 for non-members. Tickets include access to the Franco Harris Sports Museum, which features a long-term exhibition on the history of Negro League baseball in Western Pa.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available upon request. Please contact us at [email protected] in advance to request accommodations.

This program is presented in partnership with America250PA, established by the Pennsylvania state legislature and Governor to plan, encourage, develop and coordinate the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, Pennsylvania’s integral role in that event, and the impact of its people on the nation’s past, present, and future.

Josh Gibson Foundation
The Josh Gibson Foundation believes in the endless possibilities for potential in today’s youth. By providing academic and athletic programs that foster leadership and scholarship, the skills necessary for tomorrow’s successes are created today. Its goal is to carry on the legacy of greatness and accomplishment embodied by Josh Gibson, by developing programs that help children of every level of ability reach their potential, and to create opportunities that set The Josh Gibson Foundation apart from other organizations and provides value for our communities. Learn more at joshgibson.org.

About the Speakers

Courtney Michelle Smith, Ph.D., is a historian, published author, and an avid baseball fan. Her love of baseball began in her childhood when she watched Phillies games narrated by Harry Kalas. She has retained her love for the Phillies, through all the highs and lows, and learned that she could combine her love of baseball and local history while taking a college course on Baseball & the American Tradition. That course came around the time of the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers and introduced her to the history of Negro League Baseball. Her research focus on Ed Bolden, the Philadelphia Stars, and Black baseball in the Philadelphia area began over twenty years ago and led to the publication of her first book. She earned her B.A. in History and Political Science at Cabrini College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in American History Lehigh University. She lives in Delaware County, PA with her family.

Ted Knorr is a longtime Harrisburg‑based baseball researcher who has spent more than forty years studying and preserving the history of Negro League baseball in Central Pennsylvania. A retired Pennsylvania state administrator, he has devoted his post‑career life to documenting overlooked players, recovering lost box scores, and helping families and communities reconnect with their baseball heritage. Knorr founded Negro League Nights in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York, as well as the Society for American Baseball Research’s Negro League Research Conference, now known as the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference. His writing has appeared in SABR publications, local game programs, and newspapers, and, currently, in the online Truth Seekers Journal. He is best known for his extensive scholarship on Rap Dixon, the Georgia‑born, Steelton‑raised outfielder he has championed as a deserving Hall of Fame candidate. For the Josh Gibson Foundation’s Pennsylvania Negro League seminar, Knorr represents Harrisburg with a perspective shaped by local memory, regional pride, and decades of hands‑on research.

Rob Ruck is an historian at the University of Pittsburgh, where he teaches and writes about sport. He focuses on how people use sport to tell a collective story about who they are—to themselves and to the world.

His books include “Sandlot Seasons: Sport in Black Pittsburgh” (1987), “The Tropic of Baseball: Baseball in the Dominican Republic” (1991), “Rooney: A Sporting Life” (2010) which he wrote with his late wife, Maggie Jones Patterson, “Raceball: How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin Game” (2011), and “Tropic of Football: The Long and Perilous Journey of Samoans to the NFL” (2018). His most recent, co-authored books are “Pittsburgh Rising: From Frontier Town to Steel City” with Ted Muller and “Mal Goode Reporting: The Life and Work of a Black Broadcast Trailblazer,” with Liann Tsoukas.

His documentaries, “Kings on the Hill: Baseball’s Forgotten Men” (NBC 1995) and “The Republic of Baseball: Dominican Giants of the American Game” (2006) appeared on PBS. A member of the 2006 Hall of Fame special election committee for black and Latin players, he collaborated with the Hall of Fame on a permanent exhibit about Latinos in baseball – Viva Beisbol! – as well as Souls of The Game: The Voices of Black Baseball, which opened in Cooperstown in 2024.