St. Paul Colored Gophers
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The St. Paul Colored Gophers was a small club of black baseball players formed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1907. The club lasted only 4 years, as the market in St. Paul was too small. They were not a formal Negro League team, as the Negro League was not created until 1920. However, like other barnstorming teams of the time, they had considerable impact on the desegregation of baseball.
In 1909, the Colored Gophers defeated what was considered to be the most powerful Negro baseball team, the Leland Giants.
Today, the Colored Gophers are rarely mentioned in Negro baseball history, and stats and rosters are hard to find. On occasion, the Minnesota Twins have honored them by wearing replica throwback jerseys of the 1909 team.