Porter joined the Negro Baseball leagues in 1932 and retired in 1954 after a 22-year career, playing for several teams all over the country[2] and even outside its borders, in Canada[3] Cuba,[4] Mexico[5] and Venezuela.

Porter, along with Bill Byrd and Jonas Gaines, formed part of the Big Three on the Elite Giants' pitching staff.

[7] For the next six seasons Porter was a mainstay pitcher for the Elite Giants, which became rather nomadic, moving from Nashville, Tennessee to Columbus, Ohio in 1935 and to Washington D.C. in 1936, before landing finally in Baltimore, Maryland in 1938.

It came in October 1936 during an exhibition series, when Porter faced an all-white, All-Star team that included future Hall of Famers Rogers Hornsby and Johnny Mize, as he was 1–1 with a 3.00 ERA in two appearances.

[9][10] Porter stayed with the Elite Giants in 1938, posting a 4–1 record and 2.57 ERA in six games (five starts) [8] before jumping to the Mexican League the following spring,[5] when he joined the Alijadores de Tampico in 1939.

He then shifted to the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo,[5] where he became a real workhorse, appearing in nearly half of his team's games and winning 21 of their 39 victories while ending with a 3.34 ERA.

[5] In 1942, Negro league baseball rescinded their ban on players in Mexico and Porter returned to the Elite Giants in the spring.

[8] Upon his return to the Elites, Porter recovered his form and won 3 of his 4 decisions in 1944, and followed in 1945 with a perfect 7–0 record and a 3.38 ERA in 11 games, including two shutouts, leading the league in winning percentage and showing good control while striking out 30 batters and walking 18 in 81+2⁄3 innings.

He posted a 5–6 record and a 5.26 ERA in 18 appearances, including 12 starts and five complete games, but struggled with his control throughout the season while allowing 60 walks and striking out 37 in 101.0 innings.

Porter was slated to hold the second slot on the pitching staff behind player-manager Chet Brewer and, despite his age of 41, enthusiastically was well above average in the six-team league, posting a 3–5 mark and a 4.27 ERA in 78.0 innings of work.

[12] He spent his final playing days in the Mandak League with the Carman Cardinals, appearing for them over part of two seasons spanning 1952–1953.

The idea of the special draft was conceived by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, well known for his exceptional community service through the years.