Pitcher – 1991
An exceptional high pitcher, Max was the first black player on a Pleasantville HS baseball team. He pitched for the varsity squad coached by the former Federal League player Ty Helfrich. When Max was a junior, he was pitching for Johnson’s All-Stars of Atlantic City, under the direction of John Henry “Pop” Lloyd. Manning went from the sandlots to the professional Negro League, when he joined the Newark Eagles in Northern NJ in 1939. With the Eagles from 1939 to 1948, except for 3 years in the U.S. Army, he compiled a 54-29 pitching record. Manning pitched the Newark Eagles to the championship of the 1946 Negro League World Series, with a 1-1 record. Max then pitched in the Cuban League from 1946-1949, compiling a 27-33 record.
A graduate of Glassboro State College, Manning went on to teach elementary school in Pleasantville for 28 years. While teaching, he supervised a local playground for 28 summers, giving baseball instructions and being a role model for the local youth.