The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Association are proud to announce the selection of the 1936-1938 Broadview Buffaloes into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame, Team Category, on Saturday, August 19, 2017 in Battleford, Saskatchewan.
This was a very unique, powerhouse baseball team in Saskatchewan that research indicates as the first fully integrated team in Western Canada and perhaps Canada, which took place 10 years before Jackie Robinson burst onto the major league scene.
The team started as an all white team in 1934 known as the Broadview Red Sox, then played exhibition and tournament games through 1935. In 1936, they began importing African Americans from south of the border and several African Americans were on the roster along with the talented locals until 1938.
In 1936, the beefed up Red Sox won three major tournaments. In June, they won the Broadview Annual Sports Day Tournament by blanking the Moose Jaw Athletics 5-0. On Canada Day, the Red Sox took home the Moosomin Dominion Day Tournament the Broadview Red Sox defeated Virden, Manitoba 9-3. They would also win a tournament in Yorkton later in July with an 8-4 win over the host team. Also that year, the Red Sox downed the famous House of David Barnstormers from Benton Harbor, Michigan during a game played in Indian Head.
The following year, the team changed their name to the Buffaloes and joined the elite Saskatchewan Southern League, which they won with an 8-1 record. Then by 1937, the team changed their name to Buffaloes and joined the elite Saskatchewan Southern League, where they won the pennant with an 8-1 record. They also picked up tournament wins that year at events in Grenfell, LaFleche, Broadview, Lemeberg and Regina.
By 1938, the Buffaloes were making a name for themselves outside of Saskatchewan, as the Winnipeg Free Press mentioned them as a team to watch for at an upcoming tournament in Moosomin. They finished in third place that weekend, but would win tournaments in Broadview, Watson and Norquay.
During the season, they picked up a win over the minor league San Antonio Missions, who were the Single A affiliate of the St. Louis Browns of the American League. They also won the Southern League pennant for a second straight season with a 16-5 record before disbanding.
Some of the prominent local players on the team were Bus Conn, Chris Edwards, Roy Scheppert, Dick Webb, Harold Horeak, Mack Sinclair and Kitchie Bates.
Among the African American players on the roster were Jimmy Miller, Gene Bremer, Lionel Decuir, Red Boguille, George Alexander and Sonny Harris.
All members of this team are deceased.
