The first professional black team in St. Louis was the Giants, in 1910.  The Giants became charter members of the Negro National League, organized by Rube Foster, in 1920.  They finished sixth that initial season, with a 25-32 record .  Led by Oscar Charleston, they were third in 1921, at 40-28.

A change of ownership and name occurred after 1921.  James “Cool Papa” Bell joined the St. Louis Stars in 1922.  They were 35-26 and finished fourth that year.  In 1923 they dropped to 25-40 (sixth), but rebounded to 42-34 (fourth) in 1924.  The 1925 entry, including Bell and Willie Wells, finished one game behind Kansas City the first half and won the second half.  Overall, they had a terrific record of 69-27.  They fell to the defending World’s Champion Monarchs in a seven game playoff.

The Stars dropped back to fourth in 1926, at 49-30.  In 1927, they suffered a sub-par season.  Their star hitter, George “Mule” Suttles, was out with a broken ankle much of the season.  They were the champions of the NNL in 1928, under Candy Jim Taylor.  Their overall record was 66-26, but the Colored World Series was no longer being played.  In 1929, the Stars had the second best record at 59-3, as Kansas City took both halves.  The 1930 team won the first half flag and finished 65-22, defeating Detroit in seven games for the title.  Again, no World Series was played.  In 1931, with the Depression in full swing, the Stars disbanded before the end of the year.  Many outstanding Stars went on to form the heart of fine future Negro Leagues teams.  The best were Cool Papa Bell, Dewey Creacy, Slap Hensley, Wilson Redus, Branch Russell, Mule Suttles, Ted Trent, and Willie Wells.

St. Louis played at Stars Park, a strange field where a trolley car barn was located in left field about 250 feet away.  Ground rule doubles were the norm.  But this power hitting squad had plenty of firepower and hit many more homeruns than any other NNL team during this period.

St. Louis rejoined the “majors” four times after 1931.  A new club joined the newly formed Negro American League in 1937, finishing way back.  In 1939, it returned and jelled after a miserable first half to take the second half crown, eventually losing to Kansas City in a five game post-season series.  Dropping out again, the Stars returned in 1941, splitting home games between St. Louis and New Orleans.  Out of league play in 1942, the y rejoined the NNL as the Harrisburg-St. Louis Stars, but only played in the first half as they were suspended for going on a barnstorming tour.  This was a sad ending for a proud black baseball tradition.