Negro Leagues Rickwood Field Bobbleheads Featuring Four Alabama Legends Unveiled Ahead of Tribute Game in Birmingham

MILWAUKEE – This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled four limited-edition Negro Leagues Rickwood Field Bobbleheads in conjunction with Juneteenth Day and the “MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues” game. The collection features bobbleheads of four Negro Leagues star plyers standing in front of the historic Rickwood Field façade: Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Satchel Paige as well as Negro Leagues legends Artie Wilson and Bill Perkins.

A portion of the proceeds of each sale is being donated to the Negro Southern League Museum located in Birmingham and to the Friends of Rickwood. The special edition bobbleheads are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with Baseball Art LLC. The MLB at Rickwood Field game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals is set to be played on Thursday, June 20th at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, the former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues.

Standing on a base bearing their names, the Aaron, Paige, Wilson, and Perkins bobbleheads are wearing their respective Negro Leagues uniforms. The backing of the base features a replica of the historic Rickwood Field façade. The Aaron bobblehead is standing with his legs crossed while leaning on a bat with his hand on his hip. The Paige bobblehead is positioned as if he just unleashed a pitch, while the Wilson bobblehead is taking a mighty left-handed swing, and Perkins is in a catcher’s fielding pose.

Each bobblehead will be individually numbered to 2,024 and they are available exclusively through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in November, are $40 each or $150 for the set of four plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark in the United States, is named after industrialist Rick Woodward, who built the stadium with help from legendary manager Connie Mack. Modeled primarily after Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, it opened on August 18th, 1910, and became the home field of the Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1921. The Black Barons, who played in the Negro Leagues until 1960, shared the field with the white Birmingham Barons as the teams alternated home stands. Over the years, the diamond dazzled with play by some of the greatest players in baseball history. Since 1992, the ballpark has been under the care of the “Friends of Rickwood,” who have been restoring the facility to its former glory. Rickwood Field is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Among the countless notable players to play at Rickwood Field were Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, Artie Wilson, and Bill Perkins. Aaron, a native of Mobile, Alabama, played at Rickwood against the Barons as a member of the Mobile Black Bears before embarking on his Hall of Fame career in the majors. The well-traveled Paige was also from Mobile and spent four seasons in Birmingham and won more games for the Black Barons than for any other professional team per baseball-reference.com. Wilson, an Alabama native, was a seven-time All-Star at shortstop in eight seasons for the Black Barons. In 1948, Wilson mentored a young Willie Mays, who was just breaking into baseball. Perkins, who was born in Georgia, but spent much of his life in Alabama, caught for Paige early in their careers and became Paige’s favorite catcher joining him on multiple teams over the decades.

As part of a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first Negro League World Series and in observance of Juneteenth, MLB is holding a special Negro Leagues tribute game on Thursday, June 20th between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. It will be the first regular-season MLB game played in the state of Alabama. A sellout crowd of 10,800 is expected. The game will honor Hall of Famer Willie Mays, a Birmingham native who began his professional career with the Barons as a 16-year-old high school junior in 1948. Mays is generally considered baseball’s greatest living player. To pay homage to San Francisco and St. Louis’ histories in the Negro Leagues, the Giants plan on wearing the San Francisco Sea Lions uniforms, while the Cardinals plan on wearing St. Louis Stars uniforms.

“We are excited to release these four bobbleheads in conjunction with the Negro Leagues tribute game at Rickwood Field,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “The famous stadium has witnessed a lot of history in over 100 years, and this anticipated game will certainly add to it. These bobbleheads are must-haves for baseball fans everywhere!”

About the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum:
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals, and teams across the country. Visit us online and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Baseball Art, LLC
Baseball Art, LLC specialized in creating products and traveling exhibits based on original art. They have the largest collection of Negro Leagues art in the country, many of which are featured in an exhibit and book entitled Black Baseball in Living Color. In August 2024, they will be releasing a 67-card set commemorating the centennial of the Negro Leagues first World Series in 1924 between the Hilldale Club and the Kansas City Monarchs. Visit us at baseballartllc.com.