One of the most successful of those teams was the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1920 Rube Foster organized the Negro National League, and J. L. Wilkinson entered his Monarchs as a charter member. Foster's Chicago American Giants' reign was broken by the Monarchs when they capture three consecutive Negro League pennants from 1923–25.

The Monarchs had two dynasties—one in the twenties and the other in the forties. Both dynasties featured strong pitching staffs with depth. The twenties staff included "Bullet" Joe Rogan, Jose Mendez, Chet Brewer, William Bell, and Andy & Army Cooper. While the forties showcased an in-depth staff containing Leroy "Satchel" Paige, Hilton Smith, Connie Johnson, and Lefty LaMarque.

The Monarchs also featured strong defenses and offenses, and had sound managers which included the likes of Bullet Joe Rogan, Buck O'Neil, and Frank Duncan.

Satchel Paige is perhaps the player most often recalled when the Monarch are discussed. However, when discussing the early twenties, the name of Bullet Joe Rogan comes to fore. And of course Jackie Robinson, who only played for the Monarchs one year after Hilton Smith scouted him, is well known for having integrated major league baseball.

It has been said that no other team in the Negro Leagues can boast of a richer history. In 1930, it was the Monarchs who introduced night baseball to the world when they innovated a portable lighting system. It was five years later that the majors installed a system of lights for night games.

Throughout their thirty years of organized play (1920–1950) they won two world series, ten pennants, and had only one losing season. And in the words of a documentary covering the Kansas City Monarchs, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Like It Since."