CHICAGO — Historic Wrigley Field, built in 1914 and renamed from Cubs Park in 1926, is the second-oldest active Major League Baseball stadium, located on the city’s North Side.
Two weekends ago, Wrigley became the first-ever site of an HBCU baseball game when Prairie View A&M and Alabama A&M faced off in the three-game Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic, May 1-3. The middle game was sandwiched between contests played at other parks in the area, but the famed ballpark was the crown jewel of the event for both SWAC teams, Black baseball fans, alumni from both schools, and for this reporter, attending Wrigley for the first time as the only Minnesota media in attendance.
“To be able to bring HBCU culture and baseball to the city, I think is massive, and I’m just excited to be a part of it,” Prairie View Coach Daniel Dulin told MSR before the game. His Panthers went 2-1 that weekend but lost to Alabama A&M, 10-7, on Saturday night in Chicago.
Dulin was hired in 2025 after two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois Chicago (2023-25). Prairie View A&M is his first Division I head coaching position; he previously served as head coach at Highland Community College (2016-20) and in assistant roles at Murray State, Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, and Lawrence (Kan.) High School since 2008.
“I’ve lived here for the last two years, and the diverse community this city has, that was one thing I always loved about it,” Dulin said.
Senior outfielder Michael Burroughs of San Antonio said it was his first time at Wrigley and spoke to the significance of a national spotlight on Black college baseball being shown there. “We’re getting a lot of attention now. We have the same talent on all levels. The SWAC is going up,” he said.
Wrigley Field is the only MLB stadium still standing where Jackie Robinson played during his major league career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Now it is also the place where HBCU baseball has been played.
That was precisely what Black Baseball Media CEO Earnest Horton wanted when he organized the Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic. He thanked the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, for their support.
“We cannot thank them enough,” Horton said. “This event is showing that barriers are being broken.”
The May 2 game was a two-for-one for Jamian Lattin-Sims of Houston, who spoke with MSR outside the ticket office. A Prairie View alum, he made a quick trip to Chicago to catch both the Cubs-Arizona contest and his school’s historic baseball appearance at the ballpark.
“I came here for the Prairie View game but also the Cubs game,” he said. He and his 14-year-old son watched the games together. “He’s a big Cubs fan… he’s been to Wrigley about 12 times,” said Lattin-Sims, for whom it was his first visit. “So being able to have my first time at Wrigley with him, that’s going to be a great experience.”
“There are certain places that are special, that have a universal historic meaning to them, and Wrigley is one of them,” Lattin-Sims said. “Just being able to see HBCU baseball highlighted here, and see these players get the experience they’re getting, and really getting exposure to baseball in the community a little bit more. My son also plays baseball. He’s a catcher.”
Horton’s broader mission, according to his organization’s annual report, is to expand Black Baseball Media’s national footprint and market reach beyond Chicago, with the Wrigley game as one launching point. He said the May 2 event can serve as a model for hosting future HBCU games in other MLB cities, including Minneapolis.
“Hey, man, Minnesota, get ready,” Horton said. “We’ve got something special for you in 2027.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses at challman@spokesman-recorder.com.