‹‹ Colorado In Depth

Black History, Baseball History, and William ‘Bay Bay’ Richardson

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For decades, the name William Richardson symbolized hope and opportunity in a close-knit northeast Denver community. But Richardson had lived an extraordinary life even before that. This is the never-before-told story of a Colorado family who uncovers their dad’s contributions to sports history, Black history, and American history while playing in the Negro Baseball League, a league born out of a period of racial segregation. Then he went on to touch the lives of hundreds of young people in metro Denver.

UNCROPPED VERSION William Richardson Baseball Negro League
Courtesy Richardson Family
For nearly three decades, William Richardson touched the lives of hundreds of young people as a leader at two YMCAs in his close-knit northeast Denver neighborhood, after he'd already made Black history, American history and sports history pitching for two Negro Baseball League teams.

Colorado In Depth is a podcast of special reporting, documentary news and investigations from CPR News. Follow the podcast for reporting from the Four Corners to the Eastern Plains to the mountains.

Reporter and writer: Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Editor and host: Rachel Estabrook
Sound design, production and mixing: Pedro Lumbraño
Artwork: Mia Rincón
Executive producers: Kevin Dale and Brad Turner
Thanks also to Carl Bilek