Newark Eagles

In 1935, Effa and Abe Manley founded the New Jersey based “Newark Eagles”. They owned, managed and operated the team from 1935 to 1948. The Newark Eagles, a Negro National League baseball team defeated the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro American League baseball team, and won the Negro World Series game in 1946. They won four of the seven games in the series.

NEWARK EAGLES
Winners of the Negro League World Series – 1946

• Owned, operated and managed by Effa & Abe Manley 1935-1948
• The team was started as the “Brooklyn Eagles” in the Negro National League that Abe helped to establish. Effa & Abe purchased the “Newark Dodgers” and combined the two teams to form the“Newark Eagles” in 1935.
• The team was moved to New Jersey in 1936. The city of Newark welcomed the Newark Eagles to their town and to Ruppert Stadium.

Newark Eagles Team Photo – 1939

• In 1946, New York Mayor, Fiorello La Guardia, threw out the first pitch at one of the Newark Eagles games in Brooklyn, New York.
• The Newark Eagles drew more than 13,000 fans to Newark’s Ruppert Stadium at the 1942 Opening Day game.
• Under Effa Manley’s management the Newark Eagles were provided the best uniforms, better pay, improved travel conditions, and an air-conditioned bus to travel to the games.

• The Newark Eagles invited soldiers during World War II to Newark Eagles games for free. One of their benefit games featured a “Stop Lynching” theme.
• The Newark Eagles were a consistently competitive team. They finished above .500 all but 3 times in their fourteen year history.
• Joe Louis threw out the first ball for the Newark Eagles at the 1946 Negro World Series between the Newark Eagles and the Kansas City Monarchs.
• 1946 – The Newark Eagles, a Negro National League team won the Negro League World Series defeating the Kansas City Monarchs. This was Effa Manley’s most exciting moment!

• Years before Effa’s own induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, she advocated for and was instrumental in the effort to have seven Newark Eagles baseball players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Those inductees were: Ray Dandridge, Leon Day, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, Biz Mackey, Mule Suttles, and Willie Wells.
• The Newark Eagles were sold and moved to Houston Texas in 1948 where they became the Houston Eagles.
• For more information about the Newark Eagles, please visit Major League Baseball’s page about the Newark Eagles and The Negro Leagues, note you will be leaving this website.