Logo of a baseball team that played in the old Negro American League, the Kansas City Monarchs. The Monarchs were the longest running franchise of all the teams in the Negro Leagues, and one of the most memorable, and sent more players -9 – on to the major leagues than any other Negro League team. Their list of distinguished alumni includes Buck O’Neil, Willard Brown, Hilton Smith, Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Ernie Banks and Elston Howard. The Monarchs also were the first team in professional baseball history to use portable lighting to play night games, in 1930, five years before any major league teams did.