Beyond the Detroit Stars, legendary icons like Cool Papa Bell fueled a short-lived powerhouse. Discover the forgotten Wolves and the Rube Foster connection linking these historic rivals.
As the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox meet during Black in Baseball Weekend at Comerica Park, the history around the series goes much deeper than a typical divisional matchup.
The Tigers are honoring Detroit’s place in Black baseball history with Detroit Stars. The Stars are the name most fans recognize, and understandably so. Turkey Stearnes, Pete Hill, Andy Cooper and several others gave Detroit one of the great Negro Leagues franchises. But there was the Detroit Wolves, who are a part of this. They are the hidden piece of Detroit’s Black baseball story.
The Detroit Stars were organized in 1919 and became one of the original members of the Negro National League in 1920. Their story also connects directly to Chicago through Rube Foster, the legendary owner and manager of the Chicago American Giants and the central figure behind the creation of the Negro National League.
After the original Negro National League collapsed following the 1931 season, Detroit still had a place in Black baseball. In 1932, the Detroit Wolves played in the East-West League at Hamtramck Stadium. Their time was brief, but their roster was anything but minor.
Cool Papa Bell played for the Wolves. So did Willie Wells, Mule Suttles, Ray Brown and Smokey Joe Williams, all future Baseball Hall of Famers. For a team that lasted only one season, and for a league that folded during the financial strain of the Great Depression, that is an incredible amount of talent tied to one Detroit club. Bell is the name that should catch the attention of modern fans.
He is one of the most famous players in Negro Leagues history, remembered for his speed, his ability to reach base and the almost mythic stories that followed him. But his brief stop with the Wolves also places Detroit inside the larger map of his career. Bell is often associated with the St. Louis Stars, Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays, but the Detroit Wolves were part of his journey too.
That is why the Wolves deserve more attention during a weekend like this. They show how deep Detroit’s Negro Leagues history really runs. The Stars are the foundation, but the Wolves add another layer. Their short existence reflects both the brilliance and instability of Black baseball in the early 1930s. The talent was extraordinary. The business model, strained by segregation, travel costs and the Depression, was fragile.
Hamtramck Stadium is the physical reminder of that history. Thanks to the Friends of the Hamtramck Stadium, you can find the ballpark, restored, and in fact, they had a celebration there on Friday, for the Juneteenth Celebration.
The ballpark was home to the Stars and Wolves in the 1930s and remains one of the few Negro Leagues home ballparks still standing. That alone makes it one of the most important baseball landmarks in Michigan. It is not just a place where games were played. It is a place where fans saw future Hall of Famers, where Detroit’s Black baseball community gathered, and where a franchise like the Wolves briefly put one of the most talented rosters in the country on the field.
Black in Baseball Weekend should honor the famous names, but it should also open the door for fans to learn about the pieces of history that are easier to miss. The Detroit Stars deserve the recognition they receive. Turkey Stearnes deserves every tribute connected to his name. But the Wolves help complete the picture. You check out the Seamheads website that has a lot of Black baseball history.
They connect Detroit to Cool Papa Bell. They connect Hamtramck Stadium to a roster full of Hall of Fame talent. They connect the city’s baseball history to the rise and collapse of leagues trying to survive in a segregated country.
And with the White Sox in town, the Chicago connection is fitting.
Rube Foster helped build the Chicago American Giants into one of Black baseball’s model franchises. He also helped build the Negro National League, where Detroit became part of the original structure. More than 100 years later, Detroit and Chicago meet again, this time in a major league ballpark, during a weekend built to recognize the Black baseball history that came before them.
I wish the Tigers could play with the Detroit Stars jerseys again, but due to something about how many jerseys a team can wear per season, those are just something you can buy in a store or wear a cap. Not the same, but that is a way to honor the history of Black baseball in Detroit.
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