Thomas Henry Hayes Jr. (November 20, 1902 — July 20, 1982) was an American Negro league baseball executive who served as owner and president of the Birmingham Black Barons from 1939 to 1952.
[3] Hayes was involved in multiple other business ventures in Memphis, including insurance, hotels, restaurants and nightclubs.
[4] Hayes purchased the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League in December 1939 after the previous owners failed to field a club that year.
[7] While owner of the Black Barons, he began a partnership with Abe Saperstein, who oversaw the clubs promotions and venue booking while Hayes retained ownership and handled player signings and negotiations.
[2] By January 1952, the Black Barons had fallen into financial difficulty,[11] with Hayes ultimately selling the club to Baltimore Elite Giants owner William Sousa Bridgeforth in February 1952.