The Davenport Hawkeyes were a minor league baseball team based in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

. In 1888 and 1889, the Hawkeyes were charter members of the independent level Central Interstate League, winning the league's first championship in 1888. The Hawkeyes were preceded by the first minor league team in Davenport, the 1879 Davenport "Brown Stockings" of the

Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for five seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, and 1886–1887. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by the We ...

. The Hawkeyes were succeeded by the 1891 Davenport "Pilgrims" of the 1891 Illinois-Iowa League. In 1888, Davenport briefly hosted a second team of the season, the Davenport "Onion Weeders" who finished the season as a member of the Class A level

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western ...

after the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

team relocated to Davenport. In 1879, at age 19,

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 ...

member

Bid McPhee John Alexander "Bid" McPhee (November 1, 1859 – January 3, 1943) was an American 19th-century Major League Baseball second baseman. He played 18 seasons in the majors, from until , all for the Cincinnati Reds franchise. He was elected to the B ...

played for the Davenport Brown Stockings.

History

1879 Northwestern League

In 1879, the Davenport "Brown Stockings" became the first minor league baseball team based in Davenport, Iowa, when the Brown Stockings became charter members of the four-team independent

. The Dubuque Red Stockings, Omaha Green Stockings and

Rockford White Stockings Rockford or Rockfords may refer to: Places United States * Rockford, Illinois, a city, the largest municipality of this name *Rockford, Alabama, a town * Rockford, Idaho, a census-designated place * Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois, a United St ...

teams joined Davenport in league play. The league is acknowledged to be the first minor league with franchises west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. The Brown Stockings ended short the Northwestern League season in fourth place. The league season began on May 1, 1879, and ended on July 7, 1879. Davenport ended the season with a record of 5–15, finishing 12.0 games behind the first place Dubuque Red Stockings, as J. W. Green served as manager. The Northwestern League did not return to play in 1880 and reformed in 1883 without a Davenport based franchise.

member

played for the 1879 Davenport Brown Stockings at age 19, after having played for the semi-professional Davenport team in 1878. McPhee hit .229 in action limited to 20 games in 1879. In 1880, discouraged by his baseball career, the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

native McPhee remained in the city and secured a job as a bookkeeper in Davenport instead of playing minor league baseball. He then resumed playing baseball in 1881, playing in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

Two leagues 1888 & 1889

Davenport resumed minor league baseball play in 1888, when the city hosted two teams during the season and won a championship. To begin the 1888 season, the Davenport "Hawkeyes" franchise became charter members of the eight-team independent level Central Interstate League. The Bloomington Reds,

Crawfordsville Hoosiers The Crawfordsville Hoosiers were a minor league baseball team briefly based in Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1888. The Crawfordsville Hoosiers were charter members of the Independent level Central Interstate League, before relocating to Terre Haute ...

, Danville Browns, Decatur,

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

Peoria Reds The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peori ...

and

Rockford Rox The Rockford Rox was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Rockford, Illinois, between 1871 and 1949. In an era of early baseball, Rockford hosted teams in numerous leagues beginning in 1871. From 1916 to 1923, the Rox p ...

teams joined Davenport as charter members in league play, which began on May 1, 1888. The Davenport "Hawkeyes" team nickname corresponds with the state of

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

being nicknamed "The Hawkeye State," with the state nickname dating to 1838. The

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

also began using the Hawkeye nickname in the era. On July 27, 1888, the Davenport Hawkeyes were in first place with a 40–18 record, when the Central Interstate League folded. Playing under manager William Lucas, Davenport finished 3.5 games ahead of the second place Peoria Reds in the final standings of the shortened season. Owen Williams of Davenport led the league with 65 runs scored, while teammate

Willard Mains Willard Eben Mains (July 7, 1868 – May 23, 1923) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He joined the National League at the age of 20 with the Chicago White Stockings (1870–89), Chicago White Stockings and Games started, started ...

led the Central Interstate League with a 16–4 record. After the folding of the Central Interstate League on July 27, the vacancy in Davenport gained the city a second team during the 1888 season. On August 18, 1888, the

of the Class A level

played their final game before the franchise was sold and relocated to Davenport. The Millers had after compiled a 28-52 record while based in Minneapolis. The newly formed Davenport "Onion Weeders" began play in the league on August 25, 1888. Davenport joined the

Chicago Maroons The Chicago Maroons are the intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Chicago. They are named after the color maroon. Team colors are maroon and gray, and the Phoenix is their mascot. They now compete in the NCAA Division III, mostly as ...

, Des Moines Prohibitionists, Kansas City Blues,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Omaha Omahogs Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

St. Louis Whites The St. Louis Whites were a minor league baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1888, the St. Louis Whites played briefly as members of the Class A (baseball), Class A level Western Association. The Whites were created as an early version ...

, St. Paul Apostles and

Sioux City Cornhuskers The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...

teams in league play. William Lucas returned to manage his second Davenport team of the season, as the Davenport Onion Weeders began play in the Western Association. Playing the remainder of the league schedule based in Davenport, the Onion Weeders had a 4–21 record after the move. When the 1888 season ended, the Minneapolis/Davenport team had a combined 32–74 record and placed last in the eight-team Western Association. Despite folding during the season of the previous year, the Central Interstate League reformed in 1889, with the Davenport Hawkeyes returning to the league. Managed by Bob Allen, Charles Holcaher and Charles Hall, the Hawkeyes folded from six-team league during the season. On September 10, 1889, the Hawkeyes had a 57–45 record when the team folded. Philip Routcliffe of Davenport led the league with 122 runs scored and the

Quincy Ravens The Quincy Gems was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Quincy, Illinois, that played in various seasons from 1883 to 1973. Quincy teams played as members of the Midwest League (1960–1973), Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League (19 ...

were the eventual league champions with a 66–50 record. The 1890 Central Interstate League continued play without a Davenport franchise. The 1889 Hawkeyes team folded after the Davenport team quit the league rather than play road series at Quincy and Springfield. Davenport complained that umpiring was unfair in the Illinois cities. The Central Interstate League played its final season in 1890 without a Davenport franchise.

1891 Illinois-Iowa League

In 1891, the Davenport "Pilgrims" became members of the eight-team Illinois-Iowa League in the second season of the league, before disbanding during the season. George Nicol compiled a 15–8 record with a 1.36 ERA in 23 games, with five shutouts. On Sunday July 19, 1891, Nicol pitched his final game for Davenport in front of a home crowd of 2,000. After the game, Nicol joined the

Chicago Colts The following is a North American professional sports league organization, franchise history of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, a charter member of the National League who started play in the National Association of Base Ball Players, ...

, and manager

Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 c ...

, who offered him a $225 a month contract and bought his contract from Davenport for $300. On July 22, 1891, shortly after Nicol's departure, the Pilgrims folded. Davenport ended their season with a record of 23–38, playing their partial Illinois-Iowa League season under managers Kerken and John Crogan. Davenport did not return as a member of the 1892 Illinois-Iowa League. Davenport next hosted minor league baseball in 1901, when the

Davenport River Rats Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta ** District Council of Davenport, former local gover ...

became charter members of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. Today, Davenport continues hosting minor league play as home to the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, one ...

of the Class A level

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

The ballpark(s)

The name of the Davenport home minor league ballpark from the 1879 to 1891 seasons is unknown. Early Davenport minor league teams were noted to have played at a ballpark located on the West side of Davenport. Located in West Davenport, Schuetzen Park was in use in the era, having opened in 1870 as a private park with athletic facilities and streetcar access. The pre 1900's Davenport minor league teams were noted to have hosted Sunday games on "Sullivan Island," which is likely Sylvan Island.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

(1879) Inducted

, 2000 * Bob Allen (1889, MGR) * Charlie Briggs (1888) *

Joe Blong Joseph Myles Blong (September 17, 1853 – September 17, 1892) was an American professional baseball player who played pitcher and outfield from 1875 to 1877. He attended the University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, kno ...

(1879) * Charlie Bohn (1879) *

Art Croft Arthur F. Croft (January 23, 1855 – March 16, 1884) was an American Major League Baseball player. He played for three teams during three-year professional and Major League career. Career Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Croft began his profess ...

(1879) *

Pat Deasley Thomas H. "Pat" Deasley (November 17, 1857 – April 1, 1943) was a 19th-century professional baseball player. Deasley primarily played catcher during his eight-year career from 1881 to 1888. Deasley played for the Boston Red Stockings, St. ...

(1889) * Jack Fanning (1889) * Tom Forster (1888) *

Eddie Fusselback Edward L. Fusselback (July 17, 1856 in Philadelphia – April 14, 1926 in Philadelphia), was a professional baseball player who played pitcher and catcher in the Major Leagues from 1882 to 1888. He would play for the St. Louis Browns, Baltimore ...

(1889) * Charlie Gessner (1889) * Sam Gillen (1891) *

Jerry Harrington Jeremiah Peter Harrington (August 12, 1868 – April 16, 1913) was a professional baseball player whose career spanned six seasons, including four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Harrington played the majority of his games in the majors at ...

(1888-1899) * James Harris (1891) *

Belden Hill Belden L. Hill (August 24, 1864 - October 22, 1934) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association in nine games in 1890. He remained active as a player in minor league baseball thro ...

(1891) *

Charlie Hoover ''Charlie Hoover'' is an American sitcom which aired on Fox from November 9 to December 28, 1991, starring Tim Matheson in the lead role and Sam Kinison, Lucy Webb and Bill Maher. Synopsis Charlie Hoover (Tim Matheson) is a man who just reached ...

(1888) *

Harry Jacoby Harry Joseph Jacoby (September 2, 1910 – November 9, 1993) was an American football and basketball coach and athletics administrator. He served as the third head football coach at Boise Junior College—now Boise State University—coaching in ...

(1888) *

Heinie Kappel Henry "Heinie" Kappel (September 1863 – August 27, 1905) was an American infielder. He played professional baseball for 11 years from 1884 to 1895, including three seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1887–1888) ...

(1889) *

Joe Kappel Joseph Kappel (April 27, 1857 – July 8, 1929) was a professional baseball player who played outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. I ...

(1889) *

Rudy Kemmler Rudolph Kemmler, born ''Rudolph Kemler'', (January 1860 – June 20, 1909) was an American Major League Baseball catcher for all or part of eight seasons. He played for seven different teams in the National League and American Association betw ...

(1879, 1888) * Mike Jordan (1891) *

Jerry Kane Jeremiah Kane (October 11, 1865 – October 25, 1948) was a professional baseball player. He played from 1888–1890 in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and catcher for the St. Louis Browns in . After his playing career, Kane was a mino ...

(1891) * Andy Knox (1891) *

Chuck Lauer John Charles Lauer (April 5, 1865 – May 4, 1915), was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infie ...

(1889) *

(1888) * Charlie Mason (1879) * Ed Mayer (1888) *

Harry McCaffery Harry Charles McCaffery (November 25, 1858 in St. Louis, Missouri – April 19, 1928 in St. Louis) was a 19th-century professional baseball player. He primarily played outfield for the St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major Lea ...

(1879) * Al McCauley (1888) *

Trick McSorley John Bernard "Trick" McSorley (December 6, 1852 – February 9, 1936) was an American professional baseball player. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Red Stockings of the National Association of Prof ...

(1888) *

Kid Mohler Ernest Follette "Kid" Mohler (December 13, 1870 – November 4, 1961) was an American baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three games with the Washington Senators (1891–1899), Washington Senators of the Nation ...

(1891) *

Gene Moriarty Eugene John Moriarty (January 6, 1863 – May 18, 1904) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These def ...

(1889) *

Mike Moynahan Michael Moynahan (1856 – April 9, 1899) was an American professional baseball player from 1879 to 1886. He appeared in 169 games across four seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a shortstop, for the Buffalo Bisons (1880), Detro ...

(1879) *

Connie Murphy Cornelius David Murphy (November 1, 1870 – December 14, 1945) was a Major League Baseball catcher. He played parts of two seasons, and , for the Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincin ...

(1889) * George Nicol (1891) *

Sam Nicholl Samuel Anderson Nicholl (April 20, 1869 – April 19, 1937) was an Irish-born Major League Baseball player. He played for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League during the 1888 in baseball, 1888 baseball season and the Columbus Solons o ...

(1889) *

Robert Pender Robert Edmund Pender (1867 – July 16, 1936) held multiple roles in professional baseball. He played, managed and umpired at the minor league level for many years. His playing career began in 1886 and lasted through 1907. Records indicate tha ...

(1889) *

Charlie Reising Charles Reising (August 28, 1861 – July 26, 1915), nicknamed "Pop", was a Major League Baseball outfielder for the 1884 Indianapolis Hoosiers Indianapolis Hoosiers was the name of three major league and at least three minor league baseball club ...

(1888) *

Billy Rhines William Pearl Rhines (March 14, 1869 – January 30, 1922) was a professional baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of nine seasons (1890–1899) with the Cincinnati Reds, Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He led the National ...

(1889) *

Phil Routcliffe Philip John Routcliffe (October 24, 1870 – October 4, 1918) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. Nicknamed "Chicken", he played for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, know ...

(1889) *

Harry Sage Harry Sage (March 16, 1864 – May 27, 1947), nicknamed "Doc", was a Major League Baseball catcher in 1890 for the Toledo Maumees of the American Association. He was a native of Rock Island, Illinois. In his only major league season, Sage pl ...

(1891) *

Crazy Schmit Frederick M. "Crazy" Schmit (February 13, 1866 – October 5, 1940) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Baltimore Orioles, New York Giants, Cleveland Spiders, and Baltimore Orioles. At the time of t ...

(1891) * Ben Stephens (1888) * Len Stockwell (1879) *

George Treadway George B. Treadway (November 11, 1866 – November 5, 1928) was an American baseball player in the National League from 1893 to 1896. He played for the Baltimore Orioles for one season, the Brooklyn Grooms for two seasons, and finished off his ca ...

(1888) *

Pat Whitaker William H. "Pat" Whitaker (December 6, 1865 in St. Louis, Missouri – July 15, 1902 in St. Louis, Missouri) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Baltimore Orioles from 1888 to 1889. Whitaker made his Major League debut on Octo ...

(1889) * Guerdon Whiteley (1888) * Henry Yaik (1889) *

Davenport Brown Stockings players Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta ** District Council of Davenport, former local gover ...

* Davenport minor league players *

Davenport Hawkeyes players Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

Davenport Onion Weeders players Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local governm ...

Davenport Pilgrims players Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia ** Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Davenport - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Iowa Defunct baseball teams in Iowa Baseball teams established in 1888 Baseball teams disestablished in 1888 Baseball teams disestablished in 1889 Central Interstate League teams Davenport, Iowa Sports clubs and teams in the Quad Cities

History

1879 Northwestern League

Two leagues 1888 & 1889

1891 Illinois-Iowa League

The ballpark(s)

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links