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The Camden Riversharks were an American professional baseball team based in
The Riversharks were not the first baseball team to call Camden home. The Camden Merritt, named for former state senator Albert Merritt, of the Interstate Association played there in 1883, and disbanded the same year. Another team from the Tri-State League played in Camden in 1904, and they too disbanded, during the season. The inception of the Riversharks in 2001 was the first professional baseball team in Camden since the 1904 season.
The team colors of the Camden Riversharks were navy blue, Columbia blue, and white. The Riversharks' last logo, introduced in 2005 with a new ownership group, consisted of a shark biting a baseball bat superimposed over a stylized depiction of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The Riversharks' former logo, used from 2001 to 2005, consisted of a navy blue ring with a shark centered above the wordmark superimposed over it.
The Riversharks' primary caps were navy blue with a Columbia blue visor and the "shark-fin" cap logo centered on the front. The home jerseys were white with navy blue piping and feature the "Sharks" wordmark across the front in white with navy blue and Columbia blue outline. The away jerseys were gray with the "Camden" wordmark centered across the jersey in navy blue with Columbia blue outline.
Camden Riversharks
official website {{Defunct Philadelphia sports teams Sports in Camden, New Jersey Defunct Atlantic League of Professional Baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in New Jersey Opening Day Partners Professional baseball teams in New Jersey Baseball teams established in 2001 Baseball teams disestablished in 2015 Sports in Philadelphia 2001 establishments in New Jersey 2015 disestablishments in New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
, from 2001 to 2015. They were a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...
, which was not at that time affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Riversharks played their home games at Campbell's Field, which was situated at the base of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Due to its location on the Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
, the ballpark offered a clear view of the Philadelphia skyline. The "Riversharks" name referred to the location of Camden on the Delaware River, and the primary logo incorporated the Benjamin Franklin Bridge that links Camden to Philadelphia.
On October 21, 2015, the Camden Riversharks announced they would cease operations immediately due to the inability to reach an agreement on lease terms with the owner of Campbell's Field, the Camden County Improvement Authority (the authority had purchased Campbell's Field from Rutgers University two months prior).
The Riversharks were replaced by the New Britain Bees
The New Britain Bees are an American collegiate summer baseball team based in New Britain, Connecticut. They are a member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with teams in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticu ...
, a separate franchise for the 2016 season.
History of Camden baseball
The Riversharks were not the first baseball team to call Camden home. The Camden Merritt, named for former state senator Albert Merritt, of the Interstate Association played there in 1883, and disbanded the same year. Another team from the Tri-State League played in Camden in 1904, and they too disbanded, during the season. The inception of the Riversharks in 2001 was the first professional baseball team in Camden since the 1904 season.
Logos and uniforms
The team colors of the Camden Riversharks were navy blue, Columbia blue, and white. The Riversharks' last logo, introduced in 2005 with a new ownership group, consisted of a shark biting a baseball bat superimposed over a stylized depiction of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The Riversharks' former logo, used from 2001 to 2005, consisted of a navy blue ring with a shark centered above the wordmark superimposed over it.
The Riversharks' primary caps were navy blue with a Columbia blue visor and the "shark-fin" cap logo centered on the front. The home jerseys were white with navy blue piping and feature the "Sharks" wordmark across the front in white with navy blue and Columbia blue outline. The away jerseys were gray with the "Camden" wordmark centered across the jersey in navy blue with Columbia blue outline.
Season-by-season records
Retired numbers
; 42 (Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
): Second baseman, Retired throughout professional baseball on April 15, 1997
; 16 (Brad Strauss): 1B / 3B / OF / DH, Retired by the Riversharks on August 12, 2007
Notable alumni
* Kim Batiste * Danny Bautista * Alberto Castillo * Mike Costanzo * Ben Davis * Stephen Drew * Pedro Feliz * Brian Lawrence * José Lima *Blaine Neal
Blaine Neal (born April 6, 1978) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Neal played with the Florida Marlins (–), San Diego Padres (), Boston Red Sox (), and Colorado Rockies (2005) of Major League Baseball (MLB). He ba ...
* Valentino Pascucci
*René Rivera
René Rivera (born July 31, 1983) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Met ...
* Félix Rodríguez
*Ted Silva
Theodore A. Silva (born August 4, 1974) is an American baseball coach and former pitcher. Silva played college baseball at California State University, Fullerton from 1993 to 1995 for coach Augie Garrido. He then went on to play in the minor leagu ...
*Josh Towers
Joshua Eric Towers (born February 26, 1977) is a former right-handed professional baseball pitcher. Towers stands at 6 ft 1 in tall, and weighs 188 lb.
Professional career
Baltimore Orioles
Towers was drafted by the Baltimore Orio ...
* Wilson Valdez
* Jered Weaver
* Delwyn Young
References
External links
Camden Riversharks
official website {{Defunct Philadelphia sports teams Sports in Camden, New Jersey Defunct Atlantic League of Professional Baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in New Jersey Opening Day Partners Professional baseball teams in New Jersey Baseball teams established in 2001 Baseball teams disestablished in 2015 Sports in Philadelphia 2001 establishments in New Jersey 2015 disestablishments in New Jersey