Wednesday is a big day for the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame as they induct the class of 2025. One of those inductees, Theodore “Bubbles” Anderson, is the only Colorado native to play baseball for the “Negro Leagues.”
Anderson is one of six inductees at the hall of fame’s 60th annual banquet. Also included in this year’s class are former Rockies infielder Troy Tulowitzki, World Cup skiing record holder Mikaela Shiffrin, former Denver Broncos linebacker Simon Fletcher, former Denver Nuggets coach and two time American Basketball Association Coach of the Year Larry Brown, and University of Colorado’s Lisa Van Foor, who is the only CU student to exceed 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their career.
Before the debut of Jackie Robinson in 1947, Black baseball players like Anderson were unable to play in the American and National Leagues, leading to the formation of the “Negro National League” in 1920.
Anderson, born on Nov. 4, 1904, began his baseball career at the age of 15. He played as second baseman for the semi-professional Black baseball team the Denver White Elephants. At 17, he signed with the Kansas City Monarchs, whom he helped win a league title in 1923. He played for the Washington Potomacs, Birmingham Black Barons and the Indianapolis ABCs. During his four seasons in the Negro Leagues, he batted .251 in 125 games through 1925, had 99 hits and 47 RBI. But Anderson had to return home due to an illness.
After his baseball career ended, he served in World War II. He worked as a janitor and continued to play baseball in Denver with the Home Onwed Groveries, a group organized by locally owned businesses. He never married and had no children when he passed away in 1943.
Baseball historian Jay Sanford said, “He went home because he was ill, on leave, and he died. He had an ulcer in his stomach, and it ruptured. And he was only 38.”
There have been several efforts to get Anderson into the Hall of Fame. CBS Colorado’s Justin Adams is a voting committee member and nominated Anderson.
