The Columbus Foxes were a
minor league baseball team that played in
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
. USA.
History
The team originally played in the
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...
from 1909 to 1917, then reformed in the
Southeastern League from 1926 to 1932.
It resurfaced as a
St. Louis Cardinals' affiliate known first as the Columbus Red Birds and then the Columbus Cardinals from 1936 to 1955 in the South Atlantic League. As the Red Birds, it won two league championships, first in 1936 under manager
Eddie Dyer, and second in 1940 under manager
Clay Hopper
Robert Clay Hopper (October 3, 1902 – April 17, 1976) was an American professional baseball player and manager in minor league baseball. Hopper played from 1926 through 1941 and continued managing through 1956.
Managing the Montreal Royals ...
.
The team name returned to the Foxes after the Cardinals left in 1956 and became affiliated with the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
in 1956, the Cardinals again in 1957, and the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
in 1958. The team played in the
Alabama–Florida League
The Alabama–Florida League was a low-level circuit in American minor league baseball that existed from 1936 through 1939 and 1951 through 1962. In 1940–1941 and from 1946–1950. The absence of clubs based in Florida caused the league to chan ...
in 1958.
As a
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
' affiliate in 1959, they were known as the Columbus Pirates. It moved to
Gastonia, North Carolina, on July 6, 1959, and became the
Gastonia Pirates
The Gastonia Pirates were a minor league baseball team, based in Gastonia, North Carolina, between 1959 and 1972. The club was a Class-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played primarily in the Western Carolinas League. The club was origin ...
.
The ballpark
Beginning in 1926, the Foxes played at
Golden Park, located at 100 4th Street Columbus, Georgia 31901. Golden Park is still in use today and was renovated and used in the
1996 Olympic Games
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
for softball.
Notable alumni
Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
alumni
*
Walter Alston
Walter Emmons Alston (December 1, 1911 – October 1, 1984), nicknamed "Smokey", was an American baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball He is best known for managing the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1954 through 1976, and sig ...
(1939) inducted, 1983
*
Bob Gibson
Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ( ...
(1957) inducted, 1981
*
Enos Slaughter (1936) inducted, 1985
Notable alumni
*
Luis Arroyo (1954) 2 x MLB All-Star
*
Jackie Brandt (1954) 2 x MLB All-Star
*
Hub Collins
Hubert B. "Hub" Collins (April 15, 1864 – May 21, 1892) was an American professional baseball player. He was a second baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball from 1886 to 1892 with the Louisville Colonels and Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Gro ...
(1885) 1890 NL Hits Leader; Died Age 28
*
Eddie Dyer (1936, MGR) Manager: 1946 World Series Champion
St. Louis Cardinals
*
Lenny Green
Leonard Charles Green (January 6, 1933 – January 6, 2019) was an American professional baseball baseball player, player. The outfielder played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles (1957–59; 1964), Washington ...
(1956)
*
Jim Hearn
James Tolbert Hearn (April 11, 1921 – June 10, 1998) was an American professional baseball player, a pitcher in Major League Baseball for 13 seasons (1947–59). The right-hander was listed as tall and .
Career
Born in Atlanta, Hearn attended ...
(1942) MLB All-Star; 1950 NL ERA Title
*
Ray Jablonski (1950) MLB All-Star
*
Oscar Judd
Thomas William Oscar Judd (February 14, 1908 – December 27, 1995) was a Canadian-born professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. Listed at and , he threw and batte ...
(1936) MLB All-Star
*
Eddie Kazak
Edward Terrance Kazak (July 18, 1920 – December 15, 1999) was a Major League Baseball third baseman who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds from 1948 to 1952. Born Edward Terrance Tkaczuk, he graduated from Cecil Township Hi ...
(1946) MLB All-Star
*
George Kissell
George Marshall Kissell (9 September 1920 – 7 October 2008) was an American baseball minor league player, manager, coach, scout, and instructor, as well as a Major League coach, for the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Born in Evans Mills, New ...
(1954)
*
Clyde Kluttz
Clyde Franklin Kluttz (December 12, 1917 – May 12, 1979) was an American professional baseball player, scout and front-office executive. In Major League Baseball, Kluttz was a catcher for the Boston Braves (1942–45), New York Giants (1945– ...
(1940)
*
Denny Lyons
Dennis Patrick Aloysius Lyons (March 12, 1866 – January 2, 1929) was an American Major League Baseball player. He played third base for the Providence Grays (1885), Philadelphia Athletics (1886–90), St. Louis Browns (1891), New York Gia ...
(1885)
*
Skeeter Newsome
Lamar Ashby "Skeeter" Newsome (October 18, 1910 — August 31, 1989) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1935–39), Boston Red Sox (1941–45) and Philadelphia Phillies (1946–47).
Bo ...
(1956)
*
Rip Repulski (1949-1950) MLB All-Star
*
Dick Sisler
Richard Alan Sisler (November 2, 1920 – November 20, 1998) was an American player, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball. The son of Hall of Fame first baseman and two-time .400 hitter George Sisler, Dick Sisler's younger brother Dave was ...
(1941) MLB All-Star
*
Dave Wickersham
David Clifford Wickersham (September 27, 1935 – June 18, 2022) was an American baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Kansas City Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Ka ...
(1959)
References
External links
Baseball Reference
Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliates
Defunct minor league baseball teams
South Atlantic League (1904–1963) teams
St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates
Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates
Los Angeles Dodgers minor league affiliates
Sports in Columbus, Georgia
Baseball teams established in 1909
Sports clubs disestablished in 1959
1909 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
1959 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Defunct baseball teams in Georgia
Defunct South Atlantic League teams
Baseball teams disestablished in 1959
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