Thomas Wilson was a prominent businessman, baseball pioneer, and National League leader. Wilson moved to Nashville with his parents when they attended Meharry Medical College. Wilson’s passion for baseball began to flourish when he met Rube Foster, known as the Father of Negro League Baseball, in 1914, during a game between Foster’s Chicago Giants and the Nashville Capital City league team.
Wilson’s dedication to promoting black baseball in Nashville led to the formation of the Nashville Elite Giants. Under his leadership, the team evolved into the renowned Baltimore Elite Giants, a significant chapter in Negro League baseball history.
Wilson was instrumental in jump-starting the careers of several baseball legends, including Nashville’s Norman “Turkey” Stearns, James “Junior” Gilliam, Milan’s Burris “Wild Bill” Wright, and Nashville’s Henry Kimbro.
Wilson went on to become one of the founding members of the Negro Southern League in 1920. In 1929 Wilson built one of the first black-owned ballparks in the country, Tom Wilson Park, which received a historical landmark plaque from the Tennessee Historical Commission in 2003. He served as president of the Negro Southern League in 1929 and 1936, and from 1938 to 1946, he was the president of the Negro National League.
During his tenure, he proposed and helped finance the first East-West All-Star Game at Comiskey Park, increased player salaries, and is credited with transforming the Negro National League into a $2 million enterprise by 1945.
Wilson was also a leader in the California Winter League during the 1930s and was named the 6th most influential person in Nashville’s baseball history by Skip Nipper. As a prominent businessman and baseball pioneer, Wilson’s influence extended far beyond Tennessee, leaving a lasting mark on the game of baseball.