The Blackwell Broncos were a minor league baseball team based in Blackwell, Oklahoma. Preceded by the 1924 to 1926 Blackwell Gassers, Blackwell teams played in the Class D level as members of the 1924

Oklahoma State League The Oklahoma State League was a Class D level minor baseball league based in Oklahoma that existed in 1912 and again from 1922 to 1924. L.S. Dodds (1912), Leo Meyer (1912), C.E. Plott (1922), E.A. Daniels (1922–1924) and A.L. Ragan (1924) serve ...

Southwestern League The Southwestern League was the name of four former minor league baseball leagues that operated in the Southwestern United States. The second league, also known as the ''Oklahoma State League'', was in operation for the 1904 season. The third l ...

from 1924 to 1926, 1952

Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League The Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League (or KOM League) was a name of an American minor league baseball league which was established in 1946 and played through 1952. As the name indicates, the Class D level league had franchises based in Kansa ...

and 1954 Western Association. The Blackwell Broncos won the 1954 Western Association championship and were a minor league affiliate of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

in 1952 and 1954. Blackwell hosted home minor league games at Fairgrounds Park and Morgan Field, which were on the same site.

History

Minor league baseball began in Blackwell, Oklahoma with two separate teams in the 1924 season. First, the 1924 Blackwell Gassers began play as members of the Class D level

, before the league folded during the season. On July 8, 1924, Blackwell had a record of 20–53 and were in seventh place when the Oklahoma State League permanently disbanded. Blackwell played under managers J. Rustenhaven and Hal Grun, finishing 32.0 games behind the first place Ardmore Bearcats. The Gassers' home field in Blackwell was Fairgrounds Park. After the Oklahoma State League folded, Blackwell quickly gained a second team in 1924. On July 26, 1924, the

Newton Railroaders The Newton Railroaders were a minor league baseball team based in Newton, Kansas between 1909 and 1924. Preceded by the 1888 Newton team and the 1908 Newton Browns, Newton minor league teams played as members of the Western League (1885–1899), We ...

of the Class D level

briefly moved to Blackwell after a windstorm damaged their stadium in Newton. The team played 11 total games for Blackwell (7–4) before the team moved to Ottawa, Kansas on August 5, 1924. The team was 13–11 in Ottawa before being able to move back to Newton on August 28, 1916. On the field, Newton/Blackwell/Ottawa team finished with an overall record of 79–50 in the regular season, placing first overall in the Southwestern League to capture the league pennant. In the Southwestern League Finals, the Arkansas City Osages defeated Newton/Blackwell/Ottawa team 4 games to 3. The Blackwell Gassers returned to play in the 1925 Southwestern League. In the six–team Class D level Southwestern League, Blackwell had a record of 61–66, placing fifth. The Gassers finished 11.5 games behind the first place

Salina Millers Salina may refer to: Places United States *Salina, Arizona *Salina, Colorado * Salina, Iowa *Salina, Kansas *Salina, Michigan, a former village now part of Saginaw, Michigan *Salina, New York *Salina, Oklahoma * Salina, Pennsylvania *Salina, Utah ...

in the Southwestern League final standings, playing under manager Ralph Heatley. With Blackwell continuing play in 1926, the Southwestern League played their final season. The Blackwell Gassers ended the season with a 45–71 record placing sixth and last in the Southwestern League regular season standings. The Gassers finished 30.5 games behind the first place Salina Millers in the final standings. Blackwell was managed by Stormy Kromer and Mike Balenti. The Southwestern League permanently folded after the conclusion of the 1926 season. Minor league returned to Blackwell when the franchise joined the 1952 Class D level

as an affiliate of the

. Blackwell had regained a franchise when the

Carthage Cubs Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

franchise relocated to Blackwell. The Blackwell Broncos were also known as the Blackwell Cubs. With a regular season record of 57–69, Blackwell placed fifth in the six–team Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League, finishing 22.0 games behind the first place

Iola Indians Iola or IOLA may refer to: * ''Iola'', the ''nom de plume'' of African-American writer Ida B. Wells * ''Iola'' (steamboat 1885), a steamboat active on Puget Sound from 1885 to 1915 * Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts, a method of raising money for ...

. The manager was Al Reitz. The team began play at Blackwell's Morgan Field, drawing a total season attendance of 51,000. The Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League permanently folded after the 1952 season. In 1954, the Blackwell Broncos returned to minor league play and won the league championship in a new league. Blackwell became members of the Class C level Western Association as an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Blackwell finished the 1954 Western Association regular season with a record of 79–61, placing fourth, finishing 9.0 games behind the first place

Topeka Owls The Topeka Owls was the primary name of the minor league baseball franchise based in Topeka, Kansas, USA. History Topeka first began professional play in 1886 as the Topeka Capitals and had numerous names throughout their existence as a mino ...

. Managed by Joe Consoli and Al Kubski, Blackwell qualified for the playoffs behind a league leading 37 home runs and 144 RBI from player/manager Kubski. In the first round of the playoffs, Blackwell swept the

in three games. In the Western Association Finals, the Blackwell Broncos defeated the St. Joseph Saints 4 games to 1 to win the league championship. Season attendance at Morgan Field was 39,637. Blackwell was unable to defend their title, as the Western Association permanently folded after the 1954 season. Blackwell, Oklahoma has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballparks

The Blackwell Gassers of 1924 to 1926 hosted minor league home games at Fairgrounds Park. Fairgrounds Park was located at South Main & East Lawrence Avenue in Blackwell Oklahoma. The Blackwell Broncos played at Morgan Field in 1952 and 1954. The ballpark was on the same lot as Farigrounds Park and had a capacity of 2,500 (1952) and 3,500 (1954). Morgan Field was located at 900 South Main & Adams, Blackwell, Oklahoma. Today, the site is still in use as home of the Blackwell Flycatchers of the Pecos League.

Timeline

Season–by–season

Notable alumni

* Mike Balenti (1926) * Bill Lewis (1926) *

Andy Varga Andrew William Varga (December 11, 1930 – November 4, 1992) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each p ...

(1952) *

Blackwell Gassers players Blackwell may refer to: Places ;Canada * Blackwell, Ontario ;United Kingdom * Blackwell, County Durham, England * Blackwell, Carlisle, Cumbria, England * Blackwell (historic house), South Lakeland, Cumbria, England * Blackwell, Bolsover, Alfret ...

References

{{reflist

External references

Blackwell - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Sports clubs and teams in Oklahoma Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates Baseball teams established in 1952 Baseball teams disestablished in 1954 Defunct baseball teams in Oklahoma Professional baseball teams in Oklahoma 1924 establishments in Oklahoma 1954 disestablishments in Oklahoma Kay County, Oklahoma Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League teams