The USL was organized as a minor league in 1945 by Branch Rickey to serve as a platform to scout black players.
In 1945, Branch Rickey anticipated the integration of black players into Major League Baseball.
Along with Gus Greenlee, the owner of the original Pittsburgh Crawfords, he created the USL as to scout black players who might break the color line.
The next year, Robinson broke the Major League color line with Rickey's Brooklyn Dodgers.
[2] The Pittsburgh Crawfords, Philadelphia Hilldales and St. Louis Stars assumed the nicknames of unrelated defunct teams.