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Who Is the Only Woman in the National Baseball Hall of Fame?
No female athlete has yet made the enormous leap to one of the four major league sports in America, but Effa Manley did accomplish a major league-type deed: In 2006, Manley became the first – and so far, the only – woman inducted into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
With her husband, Manley was the co-owner of the Newark Eagles, who in 1946 won the Negro League World Series. But her real accomplishments came as a civil rights leader, arguing for fair player compensation and striving to make the MLB a place where everyone would be treated fairly, especially former Negro League players who were making inroads into Major League Baseball. She was also a leader for a number of local causes, including welcoming returning soldiers and helping African-American civic groups.
Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame:
- Only about 0.06 percent of all Major League players get enshrined in the hall, making it the toughest of all major sports.
- Manley might be the only woman in the hall, but it also features a "Diamond Dreams" exhibit featuring women who have made important contributions to the game.
- The building housing the Hall of Fame was originally a high school gymnasium.
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![Civil rights advocate and Newark Eagles owner Effa Manley was the first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.]()
Civil rights advocate and Newark Eagles owner Effa Manley was the first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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