William Sousa Bridgeforth

William Sousa "Soo" or "Sou" Bridgeforth Jr. (March 23, 1907 – July 26, 2004), was the owner of several Negro leagues baseball teams as well as the New Era Club in Nashville.[1]

William Sousa Bridgeforth
Owner
Born: (1907-03-23)March 23, 1907
Athens, Alabama
Died: July 26, 2004(2004-07-26) (aged 97)
Nashville, Tennessee

Early life

William Bridgeforth Jr. was born in Tanner, Alabama in 1907, the grandson of former slaves.[2] He went to high school at Trinity High School in Athens where he played baseball.[3] After his parents deaths when he was 18, he moved to Nashville working as a bricklayer with his uncle Nick Stuart.[1]

Career

In 1932, Bridgeforth used the proceeds of the sale of his parents' farm to purchase a pool hall in downtown Nashville.[2] He went on to open two more pool halls before opening the New Era Club in downtown Nashville in 1939.[1] In the 1940s, Bridgeforth raised enough money to purchase the Baltimore Elite Giants, a Negro league baseball team. As time went on, he would also own for some time the Negro league teams the Nashville Stars and the Birmingham Black Barons.[1]

References
  1. Ce'Dra Jackson (20 February 2014). "Black History Month: 'Soo' Bridgeforth Jr. owned baseball teams, legendary club". Tennessean. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  2. Daniel Cooper (12 December 1996). "Scuffling - The Lost History of Nashville Rhythm & Blue". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  3. Dianna Gee (26 July 2004). "Last Surviving Negro League Team Owner Dies". NLBPA. Retrieved 26 February 2018.


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