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Image Not Available for Smith, Big Bill, b. 1869
Smith, Big Bill, b. 1869
Image Not Available for Smith, Big Bill, b. 1869

Smith, Big Bill, b. 1869

BiographyWilliam T. "Big Bill" Smith was a catcher and manager in the Independent Negro Leagues from about 1889 to 1920, starting with Frank Leland and the Chicago Unions. He founded the first Negro National League. He played for a number of teams including the Chicago Unions (1889-1897), Cuban X-Giants (1903-1904, 1906), Brooklyn Royal Giants (1905, 1911-1912), and the Cuban Giants (1907-1909, 1912). He attended Fisk University in Tennessee.