ORLANDO, Fla. — For the first time in over 60 years, an all-Black team of little league baseball players from Pensacola revisited the spot where they made history.
- All-black little league team reunities 60 years later in Pensacola
- Team reunited w/ former opponents Orlando Kiwanis
- Game was first interracial little league game in Deep South
The team fought to play their game, and when no other team in the league would play them, the Orlando Kiwanis team stepped up. On Tuesday, the two teams were reunited in the same spot previously riddled with racial tension.
“We were constantly reminded that we were not on our home field, that we were visitors,” said one former Pensacola Little League Base Ball Player, Admiral Leroy, as he described the historical game day back in 1955.
That feeling was one felt by a 12-year-old LeRoy and his fellow teammates. Back in 1955, his team knew they wanted to play baseball, but no little league team would play with the team, which was all made up of African Americans.
It wasn't until the City of Orlando voted to have the Kiwanis team step up to the plate where someone would finally play the team.
“It was just a ball game. I don’t remember it being anything other than a group of 12 year olds playing another group of 12 year olds from a different race," said former Orlando Kiwanis Little League Player Stewart Hall.
Although the players didn’t understand the significance of the game at the time, the newspapers did.
As adults, stepping back on the same field some 60 years later, they said they could feel how their game changed history and forever changed this community.
“To be here on this day some 60 something days later, we still look at each other in awe of what has taken place,” LeRoy said.
With a documentary about that one baseball game that changed history, it marked the first interracial game in the Deep South. LeRoy and his former team rival Hall and their teammates walked onto this East Orlando field with a different feeling and mindset -- this time welcomed by a community as heroes.
They told Spectrum News that what they want people to know is back in 1955, they were just kids who wanted to play baseball breaking barriers without any effort at all.
“No, (Tuesday’s arrival to the field) actually felt like we were coming home.” LeRoy said.
On Tuesday, all the remaining players of both teams were honored by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. The film the team will be featured in will be called 'Long Time Coming.'