The Gladewater Bears were a minor league baseball team that played in the

East Texas League The East Texas League was a Texas–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 ...

(1936, 1949–1950) and

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) ...

(1948).BR Minors page
/ref> The team was based in

Gladewater, Texas 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 of ...

and is the only known professional team to be based in that city. The squad won two league championships, in 1936 under manager Ed Hock and in 1949 under manager Hal Van Pelt. Major leaguers who played for the team include

John Burrows John Burrows (October 30, 1913 – April 27, 1987) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional spor ...

Vallie Eaves Vallie Ennis Eaves (September 6, 1911 – April 19, 1960) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1935 to 1942 for the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs. Eaves die ...

, Hock,

L. D. Meyer Lambert Daniel "Little Dutch" Meyer (October 7, 1915 – January 19, 2003) was an American college football player and professional baseball player and manager, as well as the nephew of the famous and similarly named Texas Christian University foot ...

(who also managed the team),

George Milstead George Earl Milstead (June 26, 1903 – August 9, 1977) was a professional baseball pitcher. A left-hander, he played three seasons in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1926 with the Chicago Cubs of the National League. He pitched in 36 games du ...

Otho Nitcholas Otho James Nitcholas (September 13, 1908 – September 11, 1986) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who appeared in seven games, all in relief, for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. The 36-year-old rookie right-hander stood and weighed . Nitchol ...

Jennings Poindexter,

Jim Reninger James David Reninger (March 7, 1915 – August 23, 1993) was a 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 play, with the g ...

and

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

References

Baseball teams established in 1936 Defunct minor league baseball teams 1936 establishments in Texas 1950 disestablishments in Texas Baseball teams disestablished in 1950 Gregg County, Texas Upshur County, Texas Defunct baseball teams in Texas West Dixie League teams East Texas League teams {{Texas-baseball-team-stub