SABR’s annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference was held on August 7-9, 2025, at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.
The conference was highlighted by a screening of the new film documentary I Forgot to Tell You About: The Story of the Cleveland Buckeyes, with former major-league All-Star Kenny Lofton, filmmaker Evelyn Pollard-Gregory, and authors Wayne Pearsall and Vince Guerrieri; a special presentation by poet Dorian Hairston; a Louisville Baseball History Panel with Harry Rothgerber and Anne Jewell; and a screening of a new film on Black Baseball in Nashville. Attendees also enjoyed a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, a “meet and greet” reception at the Roots 101 African American Museum, and a Louisville Bats baseball game at Slugger Field
Presentations were given by Max Almenas, John Bauer, Chris Betsch, Rich Bogovich, James Brunson III, Geri Driscoll, Gary Gillette, Clem Hamilton, Matt Jacob, Chris Jensen, Larry McGill, Paul Spyhalski, and Keith Wood. Click here to view the full schedule.
On Sunday, August 10, the SABR Pee Wee Reese Chapter, with the assistance of the Louisville Bats and the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, honored Louisville Negro Leagues great Sammy Hughes with a grave marker dedication at historic Louisville Cemetery. “Sammy T” was a six-time All-Star second baseman who played alongside Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and Buck Leonard, and won a championship with the 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants. Hughes died in 1981 and was in an unmarked grave at Louisville Cemetery ever since.
Click here to view a photo gallery at Flickr.com.
About the Conference
The Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference promotes activities to enhance scholarly, educational, and literary objectives. Since 1998, the event has been the only symposium dedicated exclusively to the examination and promotion of Black baseball history. The conference is open to baseball and history fans of all ages.
Each year, monies are targeted to donate books to schools or libraries; raise funds for the Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project; and award scholarships to high school seniors in a nationwide essay contest and an annual art contest. The Negro Leagues Committee is one of SABR’s original committees, formed in 1971. It has continued to preserve and highlight the contributions of African-American players in baseball history.
The committee published the landmark The Negro Leagues Book in 1994, which featured a complete register of more than 3,000 players, team rosters and in-depth histories from leagues of the late nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth.
Yoseloff Scholarship
With generous funding from The Nanar and Anthony Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to 4 scholarships to high school or college students to attend the 2025 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference. This scholarship will pay for registration, transportation and lodging (double occupancy) up to a total value of $1,250. Students must be currently enrolled in a high school, college undergraduate or graduate program, and be between 18 and 29 years of age at the time of the conference. Click here to apply or to download an application form. Deadline to apply: June 23, 2025.
Essay Contest
SABR’s Negro Leagues Research Committee is pleased to award $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors in its 17th annual Thomas R. Garrett Scholarship essay contest in 2025.
The contest is open to high school seniors and carrying a minimum GPA of 2.5 at the end of their junior year. Students have to write a 1,200-word essay answering a question related to one of the Negro League figures who are the namesakes of the scholarships. Deadline to apply: April 15, 2025.
Click here to learn more or to download the application forms
Art Contest
The 16th annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference Art Contest is open to all artists in 2025. Art from the winners will be on display at an upcoming Jerry Malloy Conference. The winning entry in the professional and amateur categories will receive a $150 prize and a certificate from the conference. The youth winner will receive a set of art supplies. Photos of the art will also be included in an upcoming issue of Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal, published by McFarland & Co.
The deadline to apply for the Art Contest is August 4, 2025. The deadline for the Youth Art Contest is September 15, 2025. Questions can be directed to Leslie Heaphy (Lheaphy@kent.edu).
Dick Clark Memorial Library Grants
SABR’s Negro Leagues Research Committee will award two $500 Dick Clark Memorial Library Grants for 2025. School and community libraries from across the country are invited to submit grant proposals centering on educating students and the community about black baseball and American history.
The deadline to apply is September 15, 2025. For questions, please contact Leslie Heaphy (Lheaphy@kent.edu).
