North Valley Broncos honored as 1st all-Black team to play in 1965 Bronco World Series
The team overcame segregation and hardship and made history along the way.
PACOIMA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It all started with baseball and a dream in Pacoima in 1965.
"We really didn't know what the fathers were really doing. We only knew they were trying to get a field for us to play," said North Valley Broncos player Anthony Davis.
The North Valley Broncos little league team was created when four fathers got together and leased a plot of land for $1 a month after their sons were denied from practicing on the field across the street.
Davis, a USC Rose Bowl Hall of Fame running back, was on the North Valley Broncos. He said his teammates didn't fully understand why they had to play on separate fields.
"I don't think a lot of the kids understood segregation and discrimination, but they knew something was wrong to have a beautiful field and no minorities playing over there," Davis said.
The team overcame segregation and hardship and made history as the first all-Black team to make it to the 1965 Bronco World Series.
"First they went to the quarter-finals, which were in Utah where they won there. This allowed them to advance all the way to Bedford, Massachusetts, where they played in the championship game," said Pacoima Historical Society board member Lon Grandison.
The team ended up losing in the championship game, but their story will always be remembered.
To honor the team's accomplishments, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez dedicated the intersection of Dronfield Avenue and Osborne Street in Pacoima as the North Valley Bronco Little League Team Square.
"The fact that they accomplished that here on this field when everyone else didn't allow them to play as part of their little league team shows us, 'You know what? We can pave our own way,'" said Rodriguez.
"I didn't ever think this would be possible because when we were younger, they didn't do anything like this for us. Oh man, I can't even begin to explain," said North Valley Broncos player Ricky Chapron.
The players reminisced on all the memories they had when they played on the field. They said nothing else mattered but playing baseball.
"This field right here taught me everything about baseball," Chapron said.
The players say they hope their story inspires the younger generation of athletes to follow their dreams.
"If you would have told me we would be where we are today and get a corner dedicated, I would say 'It would never happen,'" Davis said. "Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do and accomplish anything that you want."
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