Alabama State League
The Alabama State League was a minor league baseball league that played between 1940 and 1950, with an interruption due to World War II. The Alabama State League was a Class D level league. The Alabama State League consisted of teams based exclusively in Alabama, evolving from and into the Alabama-Florida League, as that league added and reduced Florida based franchises.
| Formerly | Alabama-Florida League |
|---|---|
| Classification | Class D (1940–1941, 1947–1950) |
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| Inaugural season | 1940 |
| Ceased | 1950 |
| Replaced by | Alabama-Florida League |
| President | Charles T. Laney (1940) J. Eric Ballard (1941) Jack Hovater (1947–1948) Charles T. Laney (1949–1950) |
| No. of teams | 11 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 2 Dothan Browns |
History
In 1940, the Alabama-Florida League changed its name to the Alabama State League after the Florida based Panama City Pelicans franchise folded, leaving the league with only Alabama based franchises.[1][2] After two years, the league shut down due to World War II, but resumed activity in 1946. After another five years of operation, the Alabama-Florida name was brought back for the 1951 season, when the Panama City Fliers franchise joined the league.[3] The Alabama State League was a Class D level league for its duration.[4]
The Alabama State League began play as a six–team league in 1940, with the Andalusia Rams, Brewton Millers, Dothan Browns, Greenville Lions, Tallassee Indians and Troy Trojans as charter members.[5]
Cities represented
- Andalusia, AL: Andalusia Rams 1940–1941; Andalusia Arrows 1947–1950
- Brewton, AL: Brewton Millers 1940–1941, 1946–1950
- Dothan, AL: Dothan Browns 1940–1941, 1946–1950
- Enterprise, AL: Enterprise Boll Weevils 1947–1950
- Geneva, AL: Geneva Red Birds 1946–1950
- Greenville, AL: Greenville Lions 1940–1941, 1946–1948; Greenville Pirates 1949–1950
- Headland, AL: Headland Dixie Runners 1950
- Ozark, AL: Ozark Eagles 1946–1950
- Tallassee, AL: Tallassee Indians 1940–1941
- Troy, AL: Troy Trojans 1940; Troy Dodgers 1941; Troy Trojans 1946–1947; Troy Tigers 1948–1949
- Tuskegee, AL: Tuskegee Airmen 1941
Standings & statistics
1940 Alabama State League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | GB | Pct. | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tallassee Indians | 84 | 45 | .651 | – | Steve Bysco |
| Greenville Lions | 71 | 59 | .546 | 13.5 | Dick Luckey |
| Dothan Browns | 67 | 62 | .519 | 17.0 | Cat Milner |
| Troy Trojans | 66 | 63 | .512 | 18.0 | Ellis Johnson / Harold Fehrenbacher |
| Brewton Millers | 51 | 79 | .392 | 33.5 | Yam Yaryan |
| Andalusia Rams | 49 | 80 | .380 | 35.0 | Bruner Nix / Oscar Mosley |
Playoffs: Greenville 3 games, Troy 2; Dothan 3 games, Tallassee 2.
Finals: Dothan 4 games, Greenville 2.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emory Lindsey | Tallassee | BA | .350 | John Travis | Greenville | W | 20 | |
| Felix Jurwiak | Dothan | Runs | 121 | Steve Bysco | Tallassee | W | 20 | |
| James Persons | Tallassee | Hits | 172 | Royce Lint | Andalusia | So | 166 | |
| Johnny Ostrowski | Troy | RBI | 120 | John Travis | Greenville | ERA | 3.18 | |
| Gordon Goodell | Tallassee | HR | 31 |
1941 Alabama State League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | GB | Pct. | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dothan Browns | 79 | 40 | .664 | – | Cat Milner |
| Tallassee Indians | 75 | 45 | .625 | 4.5 | Steve Bysco |
| Andalusia Rams | 60 | 60 | .500 | 19.5 | Ralph McAdams |
| Brewton Millers | 49 | 68 | .419 | 29.0 | Lee Head |
| Troy Dodgers / Tuskegee Airmen | 48 | 71 | .403 | 31.0 | Pudge Powers |
| Greenville Lions | 45 | 72 | .385 | 33.0 | Ernie Wingard / Herb Thomas |
Troy (37–50) moved to Tuskegee July 31.
Playoffs: Dothan 3 games, Andalusia 1; Tallassee 3 games, Brewton 1.
Finals: Dothan 4 games, Tallassee 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luther Gunnells | Dothan | BA | .395 | Joe Rivers | Dothan | W | 20 | |
| Luther Gunnells | Dothan | Runs | 143 | Francis Mannheim | Tallassee | SO | 184 | |
| Ray Knowles | Tallassee | Hits | 199 | Cy Moore | Tallassee | ERA | 2.84 | |
| Forrest Austin | Tallassee | RBI | 149 | Forrest Austin | Tallassee | HR | 32 |
1946 Alabama State League
| Team standings | W | L | GB | Pct. | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dothan Browns | 72 | 58 | .554 | – | Frank Martin |
| Geneva Red Birds | 69 | 61 | .531 | 3.0 | Charles Holly |
| Greenville Lions | 67 | 62 | .519 | 4.5 | Dan Miller / William Anderson |
| Brewton Millers | 63 | 65 | .492 | 8.0 | Ben Catchings |
| Troy Trojans | 60 | 68 | .469 | 11.0 | Norman DeWeese |
| Ozark Eagles | 55 | 72 | .433 | 15.5 | Ray Knapp / Dick Coffman |
Playoffs: Geneva 3 games, Brewton 1; Greenville 3 games, Dothan 1.
Finals: Geneva 3 games, Greenville 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emil Bozick | Troy | BA | .354 | James Atkins | Geneva | W | 20 | |
| Melvin Schwab | Ozark | Runs | 128 | Max Peterson | Greenville | W | 20 | |
| Emil Bozick | Troy | Hits | 178 | Carl Johnson | Dothan | ERA | 2.46 | |
| Harold Walther | Green/Gen | RBI | 124 | Earl Johnson | Dothan | SO | 271 | |
| Harold Walther | Green/Gen | HR | 17 | Melvin Schwab | Ozark | HR | 17 |
1947 Alabama State League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville Lions | 90 | 48 | .652 | – | 40,000 | Sam Demma |
| Brewton Millers | 78 | 59 | .569 | 11.5 | 42,000 | Norman Veazey |
| Enterprise Boll Weevils | 77 | 61 | .558 | 13.0 | 53,000 | Ben Catchings |
| Dothan Browns | 69 | 70 | .496 | 21.5 | 50,000 | Frank Martin/ Woody Coombs / Emory Lindsey |
| Andalusia Arrows | 67 | 71 | .486 | 23.0 | 62,000 | Robert Engle |
| Ozark Eagles | 65 | 74 | .468 | 25.5 | 45,000 | Dolly Lambert |
| Troy Trojans | 58 | 80 | .420 | 32.0 | 37,000 | Bob Benish |
| Geneva Red Birds | 49 | 90 | .353 | 41.5 | 35,000 | Jimmy Francoline / Francis Welker |
Playoffs: Greenville 4 games, Enterprise 3; Brewton 4 games, Dothan 3.
Finals: Greenville 4 games, Brewton 3.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Roberts | Greenville | BA | .389 | Max Peterson | Greenville | W | 27 | |
| Ben Catchings | Enterprise | Runs | 126 | Max Peterson | Greenville | SO | 266 | |
| Perry Roberts | Greenville | Hits | 228 | Max Peterson | Greenville | ERA | 2.02 | |
| Perry Roberts | Greenville | RBI | 152 | Andy Archipoli | Ozark | HR | 24 |
1948 Alabama State League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Tigers | 83 | 41 | .669 | – | 40,242 | Bob Benish |
| Greenville Pirates | 80 | 46 | .635 | 4.0 | 30,424 | Walt Tauscher |
| Dothan Browns | 64 | 62 | .508 | 20.0 | 57,638 | Cat Milner |
| Ozark Eagles | 61 | 65 | .484 | 23.0 | 36,500 | Frank Martin |
| Brewton Millers | 58 | 68 | .460 | 26.0 | 29,227 | Joe Beaugez / Bill McGhee |
| Enterprise Boll Weevils | 57 | 67 | .460 | 26.0 | 39,416 | Dolly Lambert / Richard Bixby |
| Geneva Red Birds | 54 | 72 | .429 | 30.0 | 36,781 | Harold Ferenbacher |
| Andalusia Arrows | 45 | 81 | .357 | 39.0 | 40,000 | John George / Charlie Wilcox |
Playoffs: Dothan 4 games, Troy 2; Greenville 4 games, Ozark 3.
Finals: Dothan 4 games, Greenville 0.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill McGhee | Brewton | BA | .356 | Frank Hill | Dothan | W | 22 | |
| John Burns | Greenville | Runs | 108 | Frank Hill | Dothan | SO | 209 | |
| Bill Godwin | Ozark | Hits | 157 | Richard Gilkerson | Troy | ERA | 1.69 | |
| Glen Lindermuth | Greenville | RBI | 107 | John Powell | Andalusia | HR | 17 |
1949 Alabama State League schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville Pirates | 83 | 44 | .654 | – | 23,443 | Walt Tauscher |
| Ozark Eagles | 82 | 45 | .646 | 1.0 | 25,804 | George Hennessey |
| Enterprise Boll Weevils | 63 | 61 | .508 | 18.5 | 30,603 | Russell Taylor |
| Andalusia Arrows | 59 | 65 | .476 | 22.5 | 39,958 | Manny Russo / Robert Engle |
| Dothan Browns | 57 | 68 | .456 | 25.0 | 32,471 | Joe Cavosie / James Coller / Daniel Long |
| Geneva Red Birds | 56 | 69 | .448 | 26.0 | 23,775 | Carl Wollgast |
| Brewton Millers | 51 | 73 | .411 | 30.5 | 25,533 | Joe Szuch / Norman Veazey |
| Troy Tigers | 49 | 75 | .395 | 32.5 | 18,323 | Cat Milner |
Playoffs: Greenville 4 games, Enterprise 1; Andalusia 4 games, Ozark 1.
Finals: Andalusia 4 games, Greenville 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roy LeFevre | Greenville | BA | .321 | Carl Wollgast | Geneva | W | 22 | |
| George Hughes | Ozark | Runs | 114 | Spencer Davis | Ozark | SO | 220 | |
| Roy LeFevre | Greenville | Hits | 151 | Carl Wollgast | Geneva | ERA | 1.89 | |
| Doug Walker | Ozark | RBI | 107 | Tom McBride | Geneva/Ozark | HR | 15 |
1950 Alabama State League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Boll Weevils | 76 | 49 | .608 | – | 23,269 | Paul O'Dea |
| Dothan Browns | 72 | 53 | .576 | 4.0 | 51,665 | Shovel Hodge |
| Headland Dixie Runners | 68 | 56 | .548 | 7.5 | 27,121 | John A. McPherson |
| Greenville Pirates | 65 | 61 | .516 | 11.5 | 17,106 | Mickey O'Neil |
| Andalusia Arrows | 63 | 62 | .504 | 13.0 | 43,163 | Bubba Ball |
| Brewton Millers | 54 | 72 | .429 | 22.5 | 24,397 | Cat Milner / Cotton McCaskey / Sam Demma |
| Geneva Red Birds | 52 | 73 | .416 | 24.0 | 14,194 | Johnny Grodzicki / Robert Comiskey |
| Ozark Eagles | 51 | 75 | .405 | 25.5 | 17,779 | Julian Morgan |
Playoffs: Headland 4 games, Enterprise 3; Dothan 4 games, Greenville 2.
Finals: Dothan 4 games, Headland 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John A. McPherson | Headland | BA | .405 | David Hataway | Andalusia | W | 23 | |
| Joe Harper | Headland | Runs | 138 | Thomas Stone | Headland | SO | 246 | |
| John A. McPherson | Headland | Hits | 197 | James Pomykala | Greenville | ERA | 2.19 | |
| John A. McPherson | Headland | RBI | 132 | Lamar Bowden | Dothan | HR | 15 |
References
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- "1939 Panama City Pelicans Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "1951 Panama City Fliers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Alabama State League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "1940 Alabama State League". Baseball-Reference.com.