September 22nd in African American History – James Raleigh “Biz” Macke

James Raleigh “Biz” Macke

September 22, 1965 James Raleigh “Biz” Mackey, Negro League baseball player and manager, died.

Mackey was born July 27, 1897 in Eagle Pass, Texas. He began playing professional baseball in 1918 and played until 1947. He was regarded as the premier catcher in the Negro League in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

By 1937, Mackey was managing the Baltimore Elite Giants where he mentored a teenaged Roy Campanella. Later he would work with young players such as Monte Irvin, Larry Doby, and Don Newcombe. Mackey retired from baseball in the 1950s and was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.