First published by 90.5 WESA-FM on July 7, 2023, by Katie Blackley
The lives and careers of western Pennsylvania Negro National Leagues baseball players are being recognized through a new initiative to mark their graves. Ernest E. “Pud” Gooden played for the Pittsburgh Keystones, Homestead Grays and several teams in Ohio and Michigan before his death in 1934. The dedication Friday is the first in a project spearheaded by the local Josh Gibson Foundation to commemorate the legacies of the former league for Black players.
“It’s a part of our history, African American history. It’s a part of baseball history. It’s a part of the Negro League history,” said Sean Gibson, great-grandson of Josh Gibson and president of the namesake organization. “And especially in Pittsburgh, we are a sports town. It’s part of our history in the city of Pittsburgh.”
Pittsburgh once was considered the center of Negro National League baseball, with the city historically having some of the best talents in the sport. Future Hall of Famers, including Josh Gibson, “Cool Papa” Bell and Buck Leonard won pennants for the Homestead Grays in the 1930s and ’40s. The initiative to recognize other players, however, began when high school teacher and history writer Vince Ciaramella of Bethel Park took a walk with his family through a cemetery in the early days of the COVID pandemic.
