The Jackson Convicts were a minor league baseball team based in Jackson, Michigan. From 1906 to 1915, Jackson teams played as members of the

Southern Michigan League The Southern Michigan League was a Minor League Baseball circuit which operated between 1906 and 1912. It was classified as a Class D league from 1906 to 1910 and as a Class C league from 1911 to 1912. After that, the league was known as the Sou ...

for the duration of the league but did not claim a league championship in their tenure. In 1914 and 1915, Jackson played one season each known as the "Chiefs" and "Vets." Jackson teams hosted home minor league teams at Keeley Park. The team "Convicts" nickname corresponded to Jackson serving as home to the

Michigan State Prison Michigan State Prison or Jackson State Prison, which opened in 1839, was the first prison in Michigan. After 150 years, the prison was divided, starting in 1988, into four distinct prisons, still in Jackson: the Parnall Correctional Facility which ...

in the era.

History

After minor league baseball began in Jackson with the 1888 Jackson Jaxons of the

Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball. History The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. The second leagu ...

, the Convicts were preceded by the 1902 Jackson White Sox, who played a partial season in the

Michigan State League The Michigan State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in various seasons between 1889 and 1941. The league franchises were based exclusively in Michigan, with the league forming on six different occasions. Twenty two different ...

. On February 19, 1906, the National Commission awarded the

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

cities of Jackson and Kalamazoo to the newly formed Southern Michigan League, after the existing

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassified ...

had first claimed the Kalamazoo franchise for that league. In 1906, the Jackson Convicts became charter members of the six–team Class D level

, also called the "Southern Michigan Association". The Battle Creek Crickets, Kalamazoo White Sox,

Mount Clemens Bathers The Mount Clemens Bathers were a minor league baseball team based in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Between 1906 and 1914, the Bathers played as members of the Class D level Southern Michigan League in 1906 and 1907, Border League in 1912 and 1913 and ...

, Saginaw and Tecumseh Indians teams joined Jackson in beginning league play on May 6, 1906. Jackson's "Convicts" nickname for the ballclub corresponds to the city being home to the

in the era. The first state prison, located in Jackson was built in 1842. Today, the original 1842 prison site houses residential apartments, several art galleries and a

bicycle cooperative A bicycle cooperative ("bike co-op") can take the many forms of the cooperative model. These often include co-ops composed of businesses to achieve economies of scale ( retail cooperative), co-ops managed by those who work at the business ( work ...

. In their first season of play, the Convicts ended the 1906 season with a record of 52–52 to place fourth in the final Southern Michigan League standings. Managed by Mo Meyers and George Deneau, Jackson finished 17.0 games behind the first place Mount Clemens Bathers. Mount Clemens (69-34) was followed by the second place Kalamazoo White Sox (63–41), who were followed by the Tecumseh Indians (57–47), Jackson Convicts (52–52), Battle Creek Crickets (39–56) and Saginaw (34–60). Michigan State Prison Jackson D

The Jackson Convicts continued play in the 1907 eight-team Southern Michigan League but folded during the season. On July 15,1907, Jackson folded with a record of 17-27 playing the partial season under manager Bruce Haynes. The Tecumseh Indians won the league championship after the league played the remainder of the season with seven teams. Despite folding the previous season, the Convicts returned to play in the 1908 Michigan State League. On June 30, 1908, the Saginaw Wa-was and Jackson played a 20-inning game at Keeley Park in Jackson. Saginaw won the game 5-4. Jackson ended the season with a record of 68–57 and in third place. Led by manager Bo Slear, the Convicts finished the season 4.5 games behind the first place

Saginaw Wa-was Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

, as the league held no playoffs. The Convicts were involved in a close championship race in the 1909 Southern Michigan League, which held no playoffs. Jackson ended the season with a final record of 71–52 to place third in the eight-team league. Playing under returning manager, Bo Slear, the Convicts ended the season just 1.0 game behind first place Saginaw. Elmer Criger finished 22-7 to lead the league. In a close race, the Saginaw Wa-was finished with a record of 73-52, followed by the second place Flint Vehicles at 72-52 and the Convicts at 71-52. Jackson placed seventh in the eight-team league in 1910. Playing under continuing manager Bo Slear, the Convicts finished with a final record of 51-85. Jackson ended the Southern Michigan League season 34.5 games behind the first place Lansing Senators. In 1911, the Southern Michigan League was upgraded from a Class D league to a Class C league and the Convicts finished in last place. With a record of 39–98 under manager Charley Fox, Jackson finished 48.0 games behind the first place Kalamazoo Celery Pickers (88-51). John Connors of Jackson won the Michigan State League batting title, hitting .377. The Convicts finished as the runner-up in the 1912 Southern Michigan League standings. Jackson ended the season with a record of 71–55, placing second, as Mo Meyers returned as manager. The Convicts finished 3.5 games behind first place Adrian Lions. Jackson's John Connors had 168 hits to lead the league. The 1913 season was the final season for Jackson playing as the "Convicts." Jackson ended the season in third place in the eight-team Southern Michigan League, with a 66-60 record. Mo Myers continued as manager as the Convicts ended the season 15.5 games behind first place Battle Creek Crickets. Jackson continued Southern Michigan League play in 1914 and became known as the "Chiefs." The league expanded to a ten-team league. with a 70-71 record, Jackson placed sixth of the ten teams. The Chiefs were managed by Mo Meyers and Don Brown, finishing 24 games behind first place Bay City Beavers. Jackson did not qualify for the two-team playoff won by the Saginaw Ducks over Bay City. In the final season of the league, the 1915 six-team Southern Michigan League folded on July 7, 1915, with the onset of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

greatly affecting minor leagues. Jackson played as the "Vets" in 1915. When the league folded, the Vets had a record of 29-34 and finished in third place, ending 14.0 games behind first place

South Bend Factors South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

in the final standings. The Southern Michigan League never reformed. Jackson, Michigan has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

Jackson teams hosted home minor league games at Keeley Park. The 7,000 capacity ballpark was located North of Ganson Street, across the Grand River from the

. Today, Keeley Park, also known as the "Jackson County Fairgrounds" is still in use as a public park, with an event center and amenities. The park remains home to the annual Jackson County Fair and is located at 200 West Ganson Street.

Timeline

Year-by–year records

Notable alumni

Red Bowser James Harvey "Red" Bowser (September 20, 1881 – May 22, 1943) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox.

(1912) * James Baxter (1915) * Jim Brown (1913-1914) *

Wese Callahan Wese LeRoy Callahan (July 3, 1888 – September 13, 1953) was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals c ...

(1915) *

Al Clauss Albert Stanley "Lefty" Clauss (June 23, 1891 – September 13, 1952) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Clauss played for the Detroit Tigers in . In 5 career games, he had a 0-1 record, with a 4.73 ERA. He batted right and threw left-hand ...

(1912) * Bill Dammann (1908) * Bert Daniels (1906) * George Deneau (1906, MGR) *

Bunny Fabrique Albert La Verne Fabrique (December 23, 1887 in Clinton, Michigan – January 10, 1960 in Ann Arbor, Michigan), was a professional baseball player who played shortstop for the 1916–1917 Brooklyn Robins The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major Leagu ...

(1908-1911) * William Garlow (1911) *

Paddy Greene Patrick Joseph Greene (March 20, 1875 – October 20, 1934) was a professional baseball player. He played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Highlanders and Detroit Tigers in 1902 and 1903. ...

(1911) *

Arthur Hauger John Arthur Hauger (November 18, 1893 – August 2, 1944) was a major league baseball player and scout and minor league manager. Hauger was an outfielder for the Cleveland Naps. He played in fifteen games and only managed one hit (a single) ...

(1911) * Bill James (1910) *

Bill Killefer William Lavier Killefer (October 10, 1887 – July 3, 1960), nicknamed "Reindeer Bill" was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillie ...

(1907) * Jake Pitler (1913-1915) * Hosea Siner (1908) * Hooks Warner (1913-1914)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Jackson - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Michigan Baseball teams established in 1906 Baseball teams disestablished in 1913 Jackson, Michigan Southern Michigan League teams