RUBE FOSTER RETURNS TO FORT WORTH: Pitch, Hit & Run Invitational Becomes a Grand Slam for Fun Over Guns.

July 26, 2025

RUBE FOSTER RETURNS TO FORT WORTH: Pitch, Hit & Run Invitational Becomes a Grand Slam for Fun Over Guns. Link: He was a superstar ball player in Texas. You’ve never heard of him because he was Black: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article286890325.html

“You can’t steal second base with your foot on first.”

— Jackie Robinson

FORT WORTH, TX — With a bat in hand and faith in their hearts, the children of North Texas are running toward something greater.

This summer, Gateway Park became sacred ground for the third annual Rube Foster Pitch, Hit & Run Invitational, a transformative youth event uniting families, churches, coaches, and communities through the power of baseball and belief. Named for one of the greatest minds in Black baseball history, this gathering honors the past while pitching a bold vision for the future—where fun wins over fear, and faith steps up to the plate.

The legacy belongs to Andrew “Rube” Foster, who played two memorable seasons in Fort Worth in 1901 and 1902 before going on to found the Negro National League in 1920. Known as the Father of Negro League Baseball, Rube turned diamonds into platforms for Black excellence. Today, over 100 years later, his legacy lives on in Fort Worth youth choosing hope over hardship.

“We’re not just honoring Rube Foster—we’re reactivating his vision,” said Pastor Kyev Tatum, founder of Fun Over Guns and lead pastor of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church. “This is about more than the game. It’s about giving our kids the confidence to dream and the courage to run.”

More Than a Game: A Revival on the Diamond

With more than 75 young athletes from Fort Worth, Arlington, Crandall, Coppell, Burleson, Grand Prairie, Rhome—and even Oklahoma—this year’s event became a powerful symbol of unity, purpose, and promise.

Hosted in partnership with the City of Fort Worth Parks & Recreation Department, the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, Bowtie Boys, and the Ministers Justice Coalition, the Invitational turned Gateway Park into a stage for joy, hope and healing.

Kids pitched with purpose, hit with heart, and ran with radiant determination. First-timers found their rhythm. Shy children discovered confidence. Coaches became mentors. And every parent in the stands became a believer.

“This is what happens when faith shows up in cleats and community shows up in the stands,” said Pastor Tatum.

Rube Foster’s Spirit Returns to Cowtown

Before Rube Foster transformed American baseball, he was dazzling fans right here in Fort Worth—laying the groundwork for a movement that would lift up a generation of Black athletes and visionaries.

Today, the Rube Foster Pitch, Hit & Run Invitational stands as a living tribute to that legacy. It’s a celebration of excellence, history, and heritage—reclaiming sports as a sacred space where dreams are nurtured and futures are formed.

The dream is to elevate this Invitational into a premier postseason youth development initiative, hosted annually in Fort Worth and replicated across the state—bringing together children, churches, civic partners, and cultural pride in one shared mission.

Buffalo Soldiers on the Field: Past, Present & Power

Held during Buffalo Soldiers Month, this year’s event also honored the historic legacy of the Black cavalrymen who served with valor, dignity, and resilience.

Led by Commander RosieLeetta Reed and the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association, the Young Buffalo Soldiers at the park brought goosebumps to the crowd. Smiles flew, heads turned, and hearts swelled.

As Pastor Tatum noted, many Negro League legends—including Jackie Robinson—served in segregated military units before breaking barriers in baseball. Their stories remind us: greatness is forged in struggle, and legacy is birthed in resistance.

Buffalo Soldiers Sunday – A Citywide Call to Remember.

To deepen this connection, New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church will host a special Buffalo Soldiers Sunday on July 27, 2025, the day before National Buffalo Soldiers Day (July 28), as proclaimed by President George H. W. Bush in 1992.

The worship service will include a tribute to African American military veterans, a community fellowship meal, and a citywide call to remember the sacred responsibility of raising today’s young soldiers—not for war, but for wisdom, wellness, and worth.

Fun Over Guns: A Postseason Platform with Purpose

The Invitational is the cornerstone of the Fun Over Guns movement—a faith-based initiative using sports, mentorship, and literacy to reduce youth violence and expand opportunity.

“If there’s a pastor, a park, and a few players,” Tatum said, “we’ve got everything we need to transform a town.”

Plans are already underway to expand the event across Texas and reach 150 youth in next year’s competition.

This is not just an event. It’s a formula:

Faith + Family + Fun = Freedom.

A Home Run for the City’s Soul.

In a time when too many headlines speak of loss, Fort Worth is writing a different kind of story—one of redemption, resilience, and revival.

From the foot of the pulpit to the dirt of the pitcher’s mound, the Rube Foster Pitch, Hit & Run Invitational is becoming a sacred rhythm of this new generation.

“This is baseball with a blessing,” said Tatum. “A grand slam for the soul of our city.”