By Sam Crenshaw
ATLANTA (WUPA) — When was the last time you attended a celebration that was 64 years in the making? For the Simpson Road Trojans, one of Atlanta’s best Little League baseball teams, that long-awaited recognition finally arrived this week.
In 1962, the Simpson Road Trojans made history as the first all-Black team from Georgia to earn an invitation to the Little League World Series. But instead of their moment of glory, the team was sidelined by an accusation of having an overaged player—a claim that was later proven false. By then, however, it was too late for the Trojans to fulfill their World Series dream.
“We were just 12-year-old kids who loved baseball,” recalled Terrance Chatman, co-executive producer of a new documentary about the team. “The more adversity they experienced, the more they triumphed over all of it.”
Coach Larry Morrow remembers the obstacles the team faced in 1962. “Back then, there were people who tried to keep us from going,” he said.
Dr. Eddy Von-Mueller, co-executive producer of the documentary, reflected on the larger significance: “We’d like to think that kids are exempt from the casual brutality that systemic racism and Jim Crow meant. But the truth is, it wasn’t just that they were Black—it was that they were winning.”
This week, eight surviving players, their coach, and family members gathered at Atlanta City Hall, where they were honored with a proclamation initiated by City Councilman Byron Amos. The ceremony was a powerful reminder that the Simpson Road Trojans have not been forgotten.
“It meant so much,” said Levi Miller, the team’s third baseman. “God blessed us to do what we did.”
The Trojans’ story is now the subject of a documentary, ensuring that their legacy—and their long-overdue celebration—will inspire future generations.
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