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Integration Leaders and Laggards Trivia Quiz: Solutions

  
 
 

Here are the correct answers and explanations to the Integration Leaders and Laggards Trivia Quiz.

 
 
Leaders
1. Which was the second National League team to integrate?
a. Boston Braves
b. St. Louis Cardinals
c. New York Giants
d. Pittsburgh Pirates
The correct answer is (c). Giants with Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson in 1949.
 
2. Which Major League city was the first to have an integrated team in both leagues?
a. Philadelphia
b. New York
c. St. Louis
d. Chicago
The correct answer is (d). The White Sox integrated in early 1951 and the Cubs in late 1953.
 
3. Which teams met in the first World Series between integrated teams?
a. Indians and Giants
b. Yankees and Dodgers
c. Yankees and Braves
d. None of the above
The correct answer is (a). In 1954, the first World Series without the Yankees since 1948.
 
4. Which Major League team was the first to have more than one black player on its roster at the same time?
a. New York Giants
b. Cleveland Indians
c. St. Louis Browns
d. Brooklyn Dodgers
The correct answer is (c). In 1947, Hank Thompson and Willard Brown.
 
5. Which team was the first to have three black players on its roster at the same time?
a. New York Giants
b. Cleveland Indians
c. St. Louis Browns
d. Brooklyn Dodgers
The correct answer is (b). Larry Doby, Satchel Paige, and Minnie Minoso began the 1949 season with the Indians.
 
6. Which team was the first to have four black players on its roster at the same time?
a. New York Giants
b. Cleveland Indians
c. St. Louis Browns
d. Brooklyn Dodgers
The correct answer is (d). Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, and Dan Bankhead in 1950.
 
7. Which team was the first to have five black players in its lineup?
a. New York Giants
b. Cleveland Indians
c. Cincinnati Reds
d. Brooklyn Dodgers
The correct answer is (d). 6/17/54 Newcombe (P), Campanella (C), Robinson (3B), Jim Gilliam (2B), and Sandy Amoros (LF).
 
8. Which erstwhile integration laggard became the second team to have five black players in its lineup?
a. Cincinnati Reds
b. St. Louis Cardinals
c. Chicago Cubs
d. Washington Senators
The correct answer is (c). 4/20/56 Sam Jones (P), Banks (SS), Gene Baker (2B), Monte Irvin (LF), and Solly Drake (CF).
 
9. Which three National League franchises tied for the lead in employment of black big leaguers from 1947-1959?
a. Brooklyn Dodgers, New York/SF Giants and Cincinnati Reds
b. Brooklyn Dodgers, New York/SF Giants and Boston/Milwaukee Braves
c. Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston/Milwaukee Braves
d. New York/SF Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds
The correct answer is (d). Each employed 17 - the Dodgers employed 16.
 
10. Which American League franchise was second to the Cleveland Indians in black player employment from 1947-1959?
a. Washington Senators
b. St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles
c. Chicago White Sox
d. Kansas City Athletics
The correct answer is (b). Cleveland employed 17, Browns/Orioles 13, next highest White Sox 9.
 
11. Who was the first man to oversee the integration of two franchises as a general manager?
a. Branch Rickey
b. Hank Greenberg
c. John Quinn
d. Bill Veeck
The correct answer is (a). Brooklyn Dodgers (1947) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1953).
 
12. Who was the first man to oversee the integration of two franchises, first as a manager and later a general manager?
a. Lou Boudreau
b. Bucky Harris
c. Paul Richards
d. Jimmy Dykes
The correct answer is (b). Manager of Washington Senators (1954) and General Manager of Boston Red Sox (1959).
 
13. Who replaced Pinky Higgins as manager to facilitate the integration of the Boston Red Sox?
a. Billy Jurges
b. Billy Herman
c. Joe Cronin
d. Lou Boudreau
The correct answer is (a). He took over in July 1959 and the Sox integrated later that month.
 
14. Which team had four black future Hall of Famers on its roster at the same time?
a. St. Louis Cardinals
b. Brooklyn/LA Dodgers
c. New York/SF Giants
d. Cleveland Indians
The correct answer is (c). Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal (1960-66).
 
15. Which franchise is tied for the most black Hall of Famers in its history with seven?
a. Phil/KC/Oakland Athletics
b. Brooklyn/LA Dodgers
c. New York/SF Giants
d. New York Yankees
The correct answer is (a). Satchel Paige, Reggie Jackson, Orlando Cepeda, Billy Williams, Willie McCovey, Joe Morgan, and Rickey Henderson.
 
Laggards
16. Which was the last of the original major league cities to be represented by a black player?
a. City of Detroit
b. City of Boston
c. City of Philadelphia
d. City of Washington
The correct answer is (a). The Tigers were next-to-last team to integrate behind Red Sox, but Boston Braves integrated in 1950.
 
17. Which team didn't integrate its major league roster until nine years after signing its first black prospect?
a. Detroit Tigers
b. Boston Red Sox
c. New York Yankees
d. Philadelphia Phillies
The correct answer is (b). They signed Negro League veteran Piper Davis in 1950, but didn't promote Pumpsie Green until 1959.
 
18. Which team saw five black players it signed make the majors elsewhere before integrating its own ML roster?
a. St. Louis Cardinals
b. Boston Red Sox
c. New York Yankees
d. Philadelphia Phillies
The correct answer is (c). Former farmhands Vic Power, Ruben Gomez, Luis Marquez, Artie Wilson, and Nino Escalera debuted before Elston Howard (and Bob Thurman debuted same day).
 
19. Which team was the last to go through an entire season with a segregrated roster?
a. Boston Red Sox
b. Detroit Tigers
c. Philadelphia Phillies
d. Philadelphia/KC Athletics
The correct answer is (d). The A's became resegregated in May 1959 and remained all white throughout the entire 1960 season.
 
20. Which team was the last to win the National League pennant with a segregrated squad?
a. St. Louis Cardinals
b. Brooklyn Dodgers
c. Philadelphia Phillies
d. Boston/Milwaukee Braves
The correct answer is (c). 1950 Phillie Whiz Kids who soon became cellar dwellers.
 
21. In which year was the last American League pennant won with a segregrated squad?
a. 1953
b. 1954
c. 1955
d. 1959
The correct answer is (c). The Yankees won in 1953, but didn't integrate until 1955.
 
22. Which three major league teams were still segregrated when Jackie Robinson retired?
a. Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees
b. Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies
c. Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators
d. Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Athletics
The correct answer is (b). Phils integrated in 1957, Tigers in 1958, and Red Sox in 1959. Robinson retired after the 1956 season.
 
23. Which major league city saw its pro basketball and football teams integrate years before its baseball team?
a. City of Boston
b. City of Detroit
c. City of Philadelphia
d. City of Washington
The correct answer is (b). Pistons were already integrated when they arrived in 1957 and Lions employed black players back in the late 1940s.
 
24. Which franchise was the first to re-segregate?
a. Boston Red Sox
b. Detroit Tigers
c. Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics
d. St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles
The correct answer is (d). They remained segregrated for four years after releasing Hank Thompson and Willard Brown in 1947.
 
25. Which franchise was the last to have two black players on its major league roster at the same time?
a. Boston Red Sox
b. Detroit Tigers
c. New York Yankees
d. Philadelphia Phillies
The correct answer is (b). On May 7, 1960 Sandy Amoros was acquired from the Dodgers to join Chico Fernandez.
 
26. Which franchise was the last to have three blacks on its major league roster at the same time?
a. Boston Red Sox
b. Detroit Tigers
c. New York Yankees
d. Philadelphia Phillies
The correct answer is (c). In September 1960 Jesse Gonder joined Howard and Hector Lopez. In July Ozzie Virgil had joined Amoros and Fernandez in Detroit.
 
27. Which franchise was the last to have a black pitcher take the mound?
a. Washington Senators
b. Detroit Tigers
c. New York Yankees
d. Philadelphia Phillies
The correct answer is (c). Al Downing in July 1961.
 
28. Which were the last two original National League franchises to have a black All Star team representative?
a. Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates
b. Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals
c. Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds
d. St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds
The correct answer is (a). Tony Taylor (Phillies) and Roberto Clemente (Pirates) in 1960.
 
29. Which were the last two original American League franchises to have a black All Star team representative?
a. Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox
b. Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers
c. Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox
d. Washington Senators and Los Angeles Angeles
The correct answer is (a). Willie Horton (Tigers) and Felix Mantilla (Red Sox) in 1965. By then the two 1961 expansion teams already had black all-stars.
 
30. Which franchise was the last to sign and employ a black player in its organization?
a. Detroit Tigers
b. Philadelphia Phillies
c. Philadelphia Athletics
d. Washington Senators
The correct answer is (b). Prospect Charley Randall and Negro Leaguers Pancho Herrera and Hank Mason were acquired before the 1954 season.
 
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