OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Anderson Burgess was excited that he could be one of four Coppin State baseball players who participated in the historic ribbon-cutting ceremony of The Hubert V. Simmons Negro League Museum, which opened Thursday in Owings Mills.
It was an afternoon that Burgess and his Coppin State teammates Dillion O’Brien, Randal Mendez and Jayrese Jones will never forget. They even got to participate in the actual cutting of the ribbon by standing on the stage and holding the blue ribbon. The 35-minute opening ceremony held at the library on the campus of the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) celebrated Simmons’ legacy and impact as a member of the Negro Leagues.
“It was a good experience and it was great to be surrounded by so much history,” Burgess said. “One of the first things that got me into baseball was the color barrier and the fact that blacks and whites were separated because of Jim Crow laws. One of the things that motivated me to play was that I could be a minority on the field and get a chance to shine in a sport where there were a lot of color barriers. To be in that environment this morning was an honor and get to learn and hear stories from the veterans was great.”
Another highlight for the CSU baseball players, who wore their gray uniforms and blue baseball caps during the event, was being able to spend some time speaking with high school and elementary kids that were present in the room. They shared with them some stories of balancing being a student-athlete and playing Division I baseball.
“It was special to be part of the ceremony,” O’Brien said. “It’s good to know your history and those guys broke the barrier for everybody. It was nice that they included everybody in the ribbon cutting ceremony. That’s one thing I won’t forget.”
With baseball crossing all ethnic, cultural, gender, racial, and socio-economic barriers, it was perfect having several generations of people in attendance. There were former Negro League players on hand as well as some Tuskegee Airmen, a few Buffalo Soldiers, county and state councilmen as well as a gaggle of media members at the event.
While many people are aware of the struggles that Jackie Robinson went through to break the color barrier in professional baseball, not many people know Simmons’ name, who is a North Carolina A&T graduate. This museum and exhibit aims to help people understand Simmons’ importance in the history of the game. The new Negro League museum, named in his honor, showcases not only the achievement of Simmons, but all those players who never made it in the big leagues.
Simmons played for the Baltimore Elite Giants, a Negro League team, in 1950 as part of his nearly a decade-long baseball career. A World War II veteran, Simmons played for six teams in his career.
After his playing days, Simmons settled in Baltimore and became a teacher for three decades and a baseball coach for more than 40 years. He passed away in 2009, but his drive to make sure people remember one of the more important stretches in baseball history continues.
Among other things on display are artifacts, photos and other memorabilia that highlight and showcase the rich history of Negro League baseball. The museum, previously operating under the name Negro Leagues Baseball Museum of Maryland, Inc., had been housed in various temporary locations since 1996 until the County offered to give it a permanent home in the new library.
The Baltimore County Public Library provided 300 baseball pens as souvenirs and had light refreshments following the ceremony, which included cracker jacks, baseball cookies and drinks.