Excelsior of Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Excelsiors were an amateur baseball team that played in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1854, the Excelsior ballclub featured stars such as Jim Creighton, Asa Brainard, and Candy Cummings.

Excelsior of Brooklyn
E worn on button-on-shield on shirt
Full nameExcelsior Base Ball Club of Brooklyn
Nickname(s)Jolly Young Bachelor Base Ball Club [1]
Motto Ever Ownward![2]
FoundedDecember 8, 1854 at Florence's Hotel, Broadway and Howards Streets in NY [1]
GroundCarroll Park (1854-1859)
South End of Court Street Red Hook (1859-1870)
Presidents
Jeremiah Nelson Tappan (1854-1857)
Dr. Joseph Bainbridge Jones (1857-1865)
Richard K. Cooke (1865-1866)
Dr. Joseph Bainbridge Jones (1866-1870) [3]
LeagueNABBP
Uniform
Belt with 'Excelsior' written in Blackletter Font
Bow ties
Black Baseball caps with white brims
Dark Pants
White shirts with a button-on shield with a black 'E'
The 1860 Brooklyn Excelsior Base Ball Club

The team is known for originating the "Brooklyn-style" baseball cap, precursor to the modern cap.[4][5] They also were one of the first baseball clubs to undertake a long-distance tour to compete outside their home region.

1860 Championship Season
Grand base ball match for the championship, between the Excelsior and Atlantic clubs, of Brooklyn, at the Excelsior Grounds, South Brooklyn, on Thursday, July 19 1860

In 1860, the Excelsior club made a now-famous tour around New York and large cities in surrounding states. They defeated the Champion Club of Albany, the Victory Club of Troy, the Buffalo Niagaras, and the powerful Brooklyn Atlantics. Besides establishing the tradition of ball clubs traveling long distances to compete with other clubs, the tour helped advance the game's popularity outside the New York region.[6]

In 1860 the Excelsiors compiled a record of 19 wins and two losses, and were champions of the National Association, finishing in a draw with the Brooklyn Atlantics Club. However, the Atlantics were the accepted champions.

During the 1860 season, the Excelsiors began wearing an ancestor of the modern, snug-fitting baseball cap, including a long visor and button top.[7] The cap, which became popular by the 1900s, was known as "Brooklyn-style", and was the predominant baseball cap until the 1940s.[5]

References
  1. Peverelly, Charles (1866). the Book of American Pastimes: Containing a History of the Principal Base-ball, Cricket, Rowing, and Yachting Clubs of the United States. New York City: New York Public Library. p. 400.
  2. Sullivan, Dean (1997). Early Innings. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN 0-8032-9244-9.
  3. Peverelly, Charles (1866). the Book of American Pastimes: Containing a History of the Principal Base-ball, Cricket, Rowing, and Yachting Clubs of the United States. New York City: New York Public Library. pp. 400–405.
  4. "Baseball cap has endured generations as the all-American hat, USA Today, April 26, 2014
  5. Clair, Michael (9 May 2023). "The history of the baseball cap: The long, strange history of the baseball cap". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  6. Ryczek, William. "The Brooklyn Excelsiors: Baseball's First Road Gang | The National Pastime Museum". Archived from the original on 2015-03-20. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  7. "19th Century Baseball Cap History," StrictlyFitted.com, July 28, 2008
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