The East Texas League was a

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

–based minor league baseball league that existed between 1916 to 1950. The East Texas League played as a Class D level league in 1916 and from 1923 to 1926. The league became a Class C level league from 1936 to 1940, 1946 and 1949 to 1950. The Tyler Trojans and Henderson Oilers each won three league championships.

Cities represented

Bryan, TX Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley (East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of College ...

Bryan Bombers The Bryan Bombers were a Class-C minor league baseball team based in Bryan, Texas that played in the Lone Star League (1947–1948) and East Texas League (1949). Major league players Jo-Jo Moore, Stan Goletz, Jesse Landrum and Mel Deutsch played ...

1949;

Bryan Sports The Bryan Sports were an East Texas League minor league baseball team based in Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley ( East and Central Texas). ...

1950 * Crockett, TX: Crockett 1916 * Gladewater, TX:

Gladewater Bears The Gladewater Bears were a minor league baseball team that played in the East Texas League (1936, 1949–1950) and Lone Star League (1948). The team was based in Gladewater, Texas and is the only known professional team to be based in that city. ...

1936, 1949–1950 *

Greenville, TX Greenville is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, about northeast of Dallas. It is the county seat and largest city of Hunt County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557, and in 2019, its estimated population was 28,827 ...

: Greenville Staplers 1923; Greenville Hunters 1924–1926; Greenville Majors 1946 * Henderson, TX: Henderson Oilers 1936–1940, 1946, 1949–1950 * Jacksonville, TX: Jacksonville Tomato Pickers 1916;

Jacksonville Jax The Jacksonville Jax were a minor league baseball team based at Ragsdale Park in Jacksonville, Texas, USA. They played in the West Dixie League from 1934–1935, the East Texas League from 1936–1940, and again in 1946, the Lone Star League in 194 ...

1936–1940, 1946 * Kilgore, TX: Kilgore Braves 1936; Kilgore Rangers 1937–1938; Kilgore Boomers 1939–1940; Kilgore Drillers 1949–1950 * Longview, TX: Longview Cannibals 1923–1926; Longview Cannibals 1936–1939;

Longview Texans The Longview Texans minor league baseball team played in the East Texas League (1940, 1949–1950) and the Lone Star League (1947–1948). The team, which was based in the American city of Longview, Texas, was affiliated with the Chicago White Sox ...

1940, 1949–1950 * Lufkin, TX: Lufkin Lumbermen 1916; Lufkin Foresters 1946 *

Marshall, TX Marshall is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Harrison County and a cultural and educational center of the Ark-La-Tex region. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Marshall was 23,392; The population of the Greater ...

: Marshall Indians 1923–1926; Marshall Orphans 1936; Marshall Tigers 1937–1940; Marshall Browns 1949–1950 * Mount Pleasant, TX: Mount Pleasant Cats 1923–1925 *

Nacogdoches, TX Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchitoch ...

: Nacogdoches Cogs 1916 * Palestine, TX: Palestine Athletics 1916;

Palestine Pals The Palestine Pals were a minor league baseball team that played on-and-off from 1925 to 1940. The team played in the Texas Association (1925–1926), Lone Star League (1927–1929), West Dixie League (1934–1935) and East Texas League (1936–19 ...

1936–1940 *

Paris, TX Paris is a city and county seat of Lamar County, Texas, United States. Located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods, the population of the city was 24,171 in 2020. History Present-day Lamar County was part of Red River C ...

: Paris Grays 1923; Paris North Stars 1924; Paris Bearcats 1925–1926;

Paris Red Peppers The Paris Red Peppers Minor League Baseball team played in the East Texas League in 1946 and the Big State League In 1947. The Peppers were based in the United States city of Paris, Texas, and were affiliated with the St. Louis Browns of the Ameri ...

1946; Paris Panthers 1949–1950 * Rusk, TX: Rusk Governors 1916 *

Sherman, TX Sherman is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas. The city's population in 2020 was 43,645. It is one of the two principal cities in the Sherman–Denison metropolitan statistical area, and it is part of the Texoma region ...

: Sherman Twins 1946 * Sulphur Springs, TX: Sulphur Springs Lions 1923; Sulphur Springs Saints 1924; Sulphur Springs Spartans 1925 * Texarkana, TX: Texarkana Twins 1924–1926; Texarkana Liners 1937–1940; Texarkana Bears 1946 *

Tyler, TX Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the 33rd most populous city in Texas and 299 ...

: Tyler Trojans 1924–1926, 1936–1940, 1946, 1949–1950

History

1916

In 1916, the first East Texas League began play. A Class D level league, it folded on July 19, 1916. The "league champions", by default, were the Palestine Athletics and Lufkin Lumbermen, who both finished atop the league with a .609 winning percentage. The other teams in the league were the Nacogdoches Cogs, Rusk Governors, Jacksonville Tomato Pickers and a team based in

Crockett, Texas Crockett is a city and the county seat of Houston County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 6,332. Houston County is the oldest county and Crockett the fifth-oldest city in Texas. His ...

that did not have a (known) nickname. Crockett,

Nacogdoches Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchitoch ...

and

Rusk A rusk is a hard, dry biscuit or a twice-baked bread. It is sometimes used as a teether for babies. In some cultures, rusk is made of cake, rather than bread: this is sometimes referred to as cake rusk. In the UK, the name also refers to a whea ...

would never field a professional baseball team again. The Athletics dissolved following the season, with the next Palestine team showing up in 1925 as the

in the

Texas Association The Texas Association was a sports league of Minor League Baseball, minor league baseball teams in Texas that operated from 1923 through 1926. An earlier league, initially known as the Texas-Southern League, used the same name from mid-1896 throu ...

. The Lumbermen dissolved as well, although a team with that name played in the

West Dixie League 'The West Dixie League was an American professional minor league baseball league that operated for two seasons from 1934 to 1935 as a Class C level league. History The West Dixie League was created when the Dixie League divided into the East ...

in 1934.

1923–1926

The next incarnation of the league began play in 1923, and ran until 1926. After playing in the Texas–Oklahoma League in 1921 and 1922 as the Paris Snappers, the Paris Grays moved to the East Texas League and finished at the top with a 76–43 record in 1923, with the Longview Cannibals finishing last, with a 41–77 record. Other teams in the league that year were the Greenville Staplers who played in the Texas–Oklahoma League as the Greenville Togs in 1922; the Marshall Indians; the Mt. Pleasant Cats and Sulphur Springs Lions.https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?code=ETXL&class=D East Texas League The Cannibals, Cats and Indians returned to the league in 1924. The Greenville,

Sulphur Springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage under ...

and Paris-based teams did as well, however they underwent name changes: the Greenville Staplers became the Greenville Hunters, the Sulphur Springs Lions became the Sulphur Springs Saints and the Paris Grays became the Paris North Stars. In its very first season of existence, league newcomer the Tyler Trojans were league champions with an 83–37 record. Another team, the Texarkana Twins, was new to the league as well. Returning to the league in 1925 were the

Tyler Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...

Trojans, Greenville Hunters, Longview Cannibals, Texarkana Twins,

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

Indians and Mt. Pleasant Cats. The Sulphur Springs Saints became the Sulphur Springs Spartans for 1925, and the Paris North Stars became the Paris Bearcats. The Bearcats won the league championship with a 76-46 record. The Spartans disbanded on June 7 of that year, and because of that the Cannibals consolidated with the Mt. Pleasant Cats, playing as the Longview-Mount Pleasant Longcats until July 12, when the team permanently settled in Longview. The records on June 7 were Longview 18-27 and Mt. Pleasant 22-22. 1926 was the final year of the second incarnation of the East Texas League. The Longview Cannibals, Texarkana Twins, Greenville Hunters, Tyler Trojans and Paris Bearcats returned to the league with the names they held the previous year. The Marshall Indians became the Marshall Snappers-Indians. After finishing first in the league in 1925, the Bearcats finished last in the league in 1926, with a 39–81 record. The Cannibals finished with the best record in the league that year, with a mark of 83–39.

1931

The league was revived in 1931, lasting not even the whole season. The Longview Cannibals and Tyler Trojans returned to the league, and newcomers the Henderson Oilers and Kilgore Gushers joined the league as well. Tyler disbanded on May 5 and the entire league disbanded on May 7, with the default league champions being the Oilers who went 4–1. The Gushers and Trojans both went 1–3, while the Cannibals went 4–3.

1936–1940

In 1936, the league resumed play once again, this time until 1940. For the first time in the league's history, it was a Class C level league, upgrading from a Class D level league. Returning teams were the Tyler Trojans, Longview Cannibals and

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

Oilers. The

Kilgore Kilgore may refer to: Fictional characters * Kilgore Trout, a recurring character in the novels of Kurt Vonnegut * Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore, a character in the Francis Ford Coppola movie ''Apocalypse Now'' * Teddybear Kilgore (AKA Kilgour), a cha ...

team was now known as the Kilgore Braves, while the Marshall team, which did not participate in the 1931 incarnation, was known as the Marshall Orphans.

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

and Palestine had representatives in the league for the first time since 1916, with teams known as the

and Palestine Pals, respectively. The

were completely new to the league, coming from the

, where they played in 1935. The Bears won the League Championship, as they beat the Trojans four games to two in the finals. The Trojans had placed first in the regular season standings that year, going 94–56, while the Bears went 93–59 to finish second in the league. The Braves finished last in the league, going 45–106. Following the season, the Bears ceased to exist in

Gladewater Gladewater is a city in Gregg and Upshur counties in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 census population of 6,134. In the early 20th century, Gladewater was an oil boom town. In 1995, the Texas Legislature proclaimed it the "Antique Capital o ...

. A new team with that name would show up in 1948, playing in the

Lone Star League The Lone Star League was the name of three American minor professional baseball leagues located in the state of Texas during the 20th century. The leagues operated from 1927–1929 (as a Class D circuit), 1947–1948 (Class C) and 1977 (Class A ...

. The Tyler Trojans, Jacksonville Jax, Henderson Oilers, Palestine Pals and Longview Cannibals returned to the league for 1937 with their names the same. The Marshall team changed its name to the Marshall Tigers, while Kilgore became the Kilgore Rangers. Texarkana had a representative in the league for the first time since 1926, with a team known as the Texarkana Liners. Despite Tyler leading the league with an 85–52 record in the regular season, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Jacksonville beat Marshall in the league finals four games to two, to become the league champions. Kilgore finished last in the league with a 42–97 record. For the first time in East Texas League history, the same exact same teams played in the league two consecutive seasons: 1937 and 1938. Following 1937, there were no league departures, and there were no name changes or new teams for the 1938 season. The Trojans, who had finished in fourth place in the regular season, beat the Oilers, who had finished in third place during the regular season, four games to three in the league finals to win the league championship. Marshall (84–55) and Texarkana (80–60) had finished first and second in the league, respectively, however they were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. The Jax finished last with a 58–82 record. No teams would leave the league following 1938, and only one team would change its name for the 1939 season: the Kilgore Rangers became the Kilgore Boomers. Aside from that, every team would stay the same. The Henderson Oilers had the best record in the league, going 85-55, while the Jacksonville Jax went only 51–89. In the league finals, the second-place Boomers beat the first-place Oilers four games to zero. The Jax again finished last in the league, this time with a 51–89 record. 1940 was the final year of the fourth incarnation of the East Texas League. Each team returned from the previous season, and only one team underwent a name change: the Longview Cannibals became the

. The third-place Trojans beat the fourth-place Tigers in the league championship. Longview had finished first in the league with a 79–53 record, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. On June 5, both the Palestine Pals and Jacksonville Jax disbanded. The Marshall Tigers moved on to the

Cotton States League The Cotton States League''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: The Official Record of Minor League Baseball'' – Lloyd Johnson, Steve McDonald, Miles Wolff (editors). Publisher: Baseball America, 1997. Format: Paperback, 672pp. Language: Englis ...

for the 1941 season. The Texarkana Liners changed their name back to the Texarkana Twins and moved to the Cotton States League as well.

1946

The league made a one-year comeback in 1946, with the Oilers, Trojans and Jax returning. Texarkana came back with a new team name, the Texarkana Bears, as did Greenville (which hadn't had a team in the league since 1926), its team known as the Greenville Majors. Paris, too, returned with a team called the

, and Lufkin returned to the league for the first time since 1916, with a team known as the Lufkin Foresters. Sherman was entirely new to the league, with a team known as the

Twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

. Henderson finished atop the league with an 83–56 record, and they won the League Championship as well, defeating Texarkana four games to two. Lufkin finished last in the league with a 47–92 record. The league disbanded following the 1946 season. The Oilers, Jax, Foresters and Trojans moved on to the

, while the Bears, Majors, Red Peppers and Twins moved on to the

Big State League The Big State League was a mid-level, Class B level circuit in American minor league baseball that played for 11 seasons, from 1947 through 1957. Its member clubs were exclusively based in Texas. The Corpus Christi Clippers (1955-1956), Texark ...

. The Twins became known as the Sherman–Denison Twins.

1949–1950

1949 was the beginning of the sixth and final incarnation of the East Texas League. It would last until 1950. The Longview Texans returned to the league after not playing in it during the 1946 incarnation, coming from the Lone Star League. The Gladewater Bears returned as well, after not playing in the league since 1936. They too arrived from the Lone Star League. The Tyler Trojans and Henderson Oilers returned after spending time in the Lone Star League, as well. The Paris team arrived from the Big State League, changing its name from the

Paris Rockets The Paris Rockets were a Class-B minor league baseball team that played in the Big State League in 1948. The team, managed by Homer Peel, was based in Paris, Texas and featured future and/or former Major League Baseball players Red Borom, Frank Ca ...

(it changed its name to the Rockets for the 1948 Big State League season) to the Paris Panthers. Kilgore returned as the Kilgore Drillers, coming from the Lone Star League. The Marshall team was now known as the Marshall Browns. They arrived from the Lone Star League, where they were known as the Marshall Comets in 1947 and Marshall Tigers in 1948.

Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley ( East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of Colleg ...

had a representative in the league for the first time, the

. They arrived from the Lone Star League. So many team arrived from the Lone Star league because that league folded following the 1948 season. Longview finished first in the league in 1949, with an 89–51 record. Gladewater ended up winning the league championship, however, defeating the fourth–place Kilgore four games to zero. The Bombers finished last in the league, with a 48–91 record. Every team that played in the league in 1949 returned for 1950, with the Bombers changing their name to the

. The Sports and Paris Panthers disbanded on July 20. Gladewater led the league with a 92–45 record, but second-place Marshall beat fourth–place Longview four games to one in the finals. The league folded following the 1950 season. The Gladewater Bears, Marshall Browns, Henderson Oilers and Kilgore Drillers folded with it. The Longview Texans did not play in 1950, however Longview was represented by the Longview Cherokees in 1952 and the Longview Pirates in 1953 in the Big State League. The Tyler Trojans became the Tyler East Texans and moved to the Big State League. A team named the Paris Indians represented Paris in Big State League from 1952 to 1953.

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

had minor league teams through 1957. Bryan had minor league teams until 1954, although none in 1951 and 1952.

Standings & statistics

1916

1916 East Texas League Jacksonville joined the league June 29 and disbanded July 13; Crockett disbanded July 15.
The league disbanded July 19.

1923 to 1926

1923 East Texas League 1924 East Texas League
schedule
1925 East Texas League
schedule
Sulphur Springs disbanded June 7.
Mt. Pleasant and Longview merged June 7, playing as the Longview-Mt. Pleasant Longcats.
Playoff: Paris 2 games, Texarcana 1, one tie, for the first half championship. 1926 East Texas League
schedule

1931

1931 East Texas League
schedule
Tyler disbanded May 5
League disbanded May 7.

1936 to 1940

1936 East Texas League Playoffs: Tyler 4 games, Jacksonville 2; Gladewater 4 games, Longview 1.
Finals: Gladewater 4 games, Tyler 2. 1937 East Texas League
schedule
Playoffs: Marshall 4 games, Tyler 1; Jacksonville 4 games, Henderson 3.
Finals: Jacksonville 4 games, Marshall 2.
1938 East Texas League
schedule
Playoffs: Tyler 4 games, Marshall 1; Henderson 4 games, Texarkana 3.
Finals: Tyler 4 games, Henderson 3. 1939 East Texas League
schedule
Playoffs: Henderson 4 games, Marshall 3; Kilgore 4 games, Palestine 1.
Finals: Kilgore 4 games, Henderson 0. 1940 East Texas League
schedule
Palestine and Jacksonville disbanded June 5.
Playoffs: Marshall 3 games, Henderson 2; Tyler 3 games, Longview 2.
Finals: Tyler 4 games, Marshall 3.

1946, 1949 to 1950

1946 East Texas League Playoffs: Texarkana 4 games, Tyler 1; Henderson 4 games, Greenville 3.
Finals: Henderson 4 games, Texarkana 2. 1949 East Texas League Playoffs: Kilgore 4 games, Longview 3; Gladewater 4 games, Paris 3.
Finals: Gladewater 4 games, Kilgore 0. 1950 East Texas League Paris and Bryan disbanded July 20.
Playoffs: Longview 4 games, Gladewater 3; Marshall 4 games, Kilgore 1.
Finals: Marshall 4 games, Longview 1.

References

The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Second Edition. {{Authority control Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Texas