Andrew "Rube" Foster

Born in Texas in 1879, Rube Foster began playing baseball at an early age. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade to play for a local team called the Waco Yellow Jackets. In 1902, he went to play for the Chicago Union Giants. Over the next few years, Foster played for several teams and established himself as a top pitcher, also becoming a team manager in 1907 for the Leland Giants. Around 1910, Foster started his own team. In 1920, he became famous when he helped establish the Negro National League, the first successful professional baseball league for African-American players. Foster died in Illinois in 1930.