1951 Norton Little League Teams

1951 Norton Little League Teams: First Integrated Little League Baseball Teams in Virginia

The 1951 Norton All Star Little League Team

The 1951 Norton Little League baseball teams were the first integrated Little League teams in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This webpage contains photos and news articles about the teams, as well as firsthand accounts from some of the players on the teams. Please click through the below links for more information.

Historic Marker

In June 2022, a historic marker was unveiled in downtown Norton recognizing the 1951 Norton Little League baseball teams for being the first integrated Little League teams in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The marker, pictured above, is engraved with the following commemoration:

Just south of this sign was the baseball field of the 1951 Norton Little League teams. Under the progressive leadership of Dr. Charles Litton, league president, and team managers Jack Hatcher, Eugene Mullins, Ralph Bradley, and Reid Simmons, the first Little League baseball teams in Western Virginia were organized and open to all young boys, regardless of the color of their skin. Thus, each of the four teams in the league included an African-American. The All-Star Team, chosen at the end of the season, included two African-Americans. Initially the team was barred from the playoffs if it remained integrated. The leadership of the Norton Little League Team held firm and refused to remove the African-American All Stars from the team. Finally, a compromise was reached. The integrated team played at the Norton Municipal Stadium and won the Virginia State Championship by defeating Charlottesville, the Eastern Division Champions, 12-3 on Aug. 4, 1951.

2022 Marker Dedication Ceremony (Video)

2022 Marker Dedication Photos
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News Articles

A History of the Norton Little League Team (Article by L.M. (Lynn) Sutter)
This article discusses the formation of the 1951 Norton All-Star Little League Team, its journey to the Little League Championship of Virginia, and how the Little League teams in Norton came to be the first integrated Little League baseball teams in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The article is written by L.M. (Lynn) Sutter. Sutter is a writer and artist who has lived in Norton for nearly 20 years, having come here from New Mexico with too many dogs in tow. She is the author of three books on historic baseball: Baseball in the Appalachian South (winner of the 2019 Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award); New Mexico Baseball; Miners, Outlaws, Indians and Isotopes (winner of the 2010 Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award) and Arlie Latham: A Baseball Biography of the Freshest Man on Earth. When not creating, Lynn works helping coal miners get black lung benefits.
- Part I Published in the Coalfield Progress on June 3, 2022.
- Part II Published in the Coalfield Progress on June 7, 2022.
The Kids of Summer: The Integration of the Little League in Norton, Virginia 1951
This article is being reprinted with permission from the Virginia Cavalcade, Autumn 1998, Vol. 47:4, Copyright 1998 The Library of Virginia. This is a firsthand account written by Lann A. Malesky, a member of the 1951 Norton Lions Club Little League team.
Article and Radio Interview from June 20, 2022 Radio IQ on WVTF (Virginia's Public Radio) This interview was conducted with a reporter for the online journal Cardinal News, looking into Norton's efforts in launching a Little League Team in 1951.
Article from the June 5, 2022 Kingsport Times News This article highlights the planned marker dedication ceremony honoring the 1951 Norton Little League Team.
Editorial from the Aug. 8, 2021 Bristol Herald Courier
This editorial recalls the integration of the Norton Little League teams in 1951.
The following three articles originally appeared in The Coalfield Progress. The articles cover a 2018 reunion event for the 1951 Norton Little League teams' players. Also below is a video from the June 16, 2018 reunion ceremony that honored the players.

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TV Media Coverage of the June 2022 Historic Marker Dedication

This video was published June 10, 2022 on WCYB as part of coverage for the dedication of a historic marker in downtown Norton on June 11, 2022 that recognizes the 1951 Norton Little League teams for being the first integrated Little League teams in the Commonwealth of Virginia.