(February 16, 2011 – Littleton, Colorado) – Dennis “Bose” Biddle of Yesterday’s Negro League Baseball Players Foundation will speak at Arapahoe Community College (ACC) at 6 p.m. Feb. 22 in the College’s Half Moon. Biddle began his career in baseball in 1953 at the age of 17, making him the youngest person to play in the Negro Baseball League. 

Biddle will talk about his experience in the league and sign autographs of his book and DVD, “Secrets of the Negro Baseball League.”

Biddle was born on June 24, 1935 in Magnolia, Arkansas. At 17, while playing for the National Farmers' Association in Arkansas, a scout and booking agent for the Chicago American Giants saw him pitch a no-hitter in a championship game and asked him to try out for their team. Biddle made the team and played for the Chicago American Giants in 1953 and 1954. Because he was only 17, Biddle was entered into the Congressional Record as the youngest person to play in the Negro baseball leagues. In 1955, the Chicago Cubs were interested in purchasing his contract from the Chicago American Giants. Unfortunately, on the first day of spring training, Biddle broke his ankle in two places while sliding into third base. The injury never fully healed and Biddle's baseball career ended.

In 1958, Biddle went back to school and earned his bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin. Biddle worked for the next 24 years as a social worker in Wisconsin. After retiring, he began working for the Wisconsin-based social service agency Career Youth Development.

In 1996, Biddle founded the organization Yesterday's Negro League Baseball Players LLC to support the surviving members of the Negro League baseball teams and defend their economic interests.

The event is sponsored by ACC Student Affairs and is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Student Affairs at 303.797.5668.

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