The Lincoln Links were an American minor league baseball franchise that represented Lincoln, Nebraska, for 18 seasons over a 23-year period (1917–39) during the 20th century. They played in the Class A Western League (1917; 1924–27), the Class D

Nebraska State League The Nebraska State League (NSL) was an American professional minor league baseball league with five incarnations between 1892 and 1959. The Nebraska State League formed five times: in 1892, from 1910 to 1915, from 1922 to 1923, from 1928 to 1938 a ...

(1922–23; 1928–36; 1938) and the Class D Western League of 1939–41 (1939). Lincoln was first represented in organized baseball in 1886 as the ''Tree Planters'' in the reorganized original Western League. Lincoln's 19th-century teams played in various leagues between 1886 and 1895. In 1906, Lincoln joined the Class A Western League as the ''Ducklings'' (1906), ''Treeplanters'' (1907), ''Railsplitters'' (1908–13) and ''Tigers'' (1914–16).BR Minors
/ref> During this time, team nicknames were often unofficially assigned by sportswriters, and ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', published by

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

in 2007, lists other nicknames for the Lincoln franchise of the time, including ''Greenbackers'' and ''Antelopes.'' Adopted in 1917, ''Links'' was the most widely used of the several nicknames associated with Lincoln teams during the 20th century. They played home games at Antelope Park (through 1917) and Landis Field (after 1922)Nebraska Baseball History web site
/ref> and won Nebraska State League championships in 1923 (under manager O.A. Beltzer), and 1934 (under Cy Lingle and

Pug Griffin Francis Arthur "Pug" Griffin (April 24, 1896 – October 12, 1951) was a Major League Baseball player. He debuted in for the Philadelphia Athletics, playing mostly as a pinch hitter but also appearing in three games as a first baseman. After spen ...

). Upon the introduction of the

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, the Links were linked with Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals (1933–34),

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(1936, as the ''Red Links''), and St. Louis Browns (1938–39).

After World War II: A new league, team, name and ballpark

The Class A Western League had folded during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

in 1937, but with the boom in baseball attendance following World War II, it was revived in 1947 by

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Edwin C. Johnson Edwin Carl Johnson (January 1, 1884 – May 30, 1970) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as both governor of and U.S. senator from the state of Colorado. Background Johnson was born in Scandia in Republic County in ...

of Colorado. Lincoln was one of six cities represented in the 1947 Western League as the ''A's'', reflecting its affiliation with the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

. The Lincoln A's moved into a new ballpark, Sherman Field, named for franchise owner Charles "Cy" Sherman,Cy Sherman Dies; Dean of American Sports Writers, The Lincoln Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) May 23, 1951, page 1 and 2, accessed October 17, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7061146// and https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7061235// and played for six seasons (1947–52), making the playoffs twice.

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 ...

second baseman Nellie Fox batted .311 for the 1948 Lincoln A's in his last season as a minor leaguer. However, in 1953 the Athletics abandoned Lincoln and were replaced by the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

, who fielded a club identified by its final nickname, the ''Lincoln Chiefs.'' The Chiefs struggled on the field for their first three seasons, but in 1956, in the team's second year as an affiliate of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, they won the Western League's first half and playoff championships. The 1956 Chiefs, managed by Larry Shepard, were paced by two standout performances. First baseman

Dick Stuart Richard Lee Stuart (November 7, 1932 – December 15, 2002), nicknamed "Dr. Strangeglove", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1958 to 1966 then, played in the Nippon Prof ...

clubbed 66

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

— still the fourth-most in minor league history — and also led the league with 158 runs batted in. Pitcher Bennie Daniels, meanwhile, compiled a 15–3 win–loss record. The 1957 Chiefs repeated as Western League champions, edging out the Amarillo Gold Sox by a single game. But the Western League was in its twilight years; plagued by declining attendance and the defection of teams such as the Omaha Cardinals and Denver Bears to higher-level circuits, it folded after the 1958 campaign, one in which the Chiefs placed third in the league and in home attendance.

A Nebraska team in the Three-I League

The Chiefs played for three more seasons in organized baseball as a member of the Class B Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League and an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. But the Three-I League was also suffering from the woes that plagued the Western circuit, and it disbanded after the 1961 season. Lincoln would be without professional baseball until the advent of the independent league Lincoln Saltdogs in 2001.

Notable alumni of the Lincoln A's and Chiefs (1947–61)

Hall of Fame alumni * Nellie Fox Inducted, 1997 Notable alumni * Don Buford * Joe Christopher * Bennie Daniels * Jim Duffalo * Joe Gibbon * Dick Hall *

Ken Hamlin Ken Hamlin (born January 20, 1981) is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft and also played for the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens an ...

Mike Hershberger Norman Michael Hershberger (October 9, 1939 – July 1, 2012) was an American professional baseball player and outfielder for the Chicago White Sox (1961–1964, 1971), Kansas City / Oakland Athletics (1965–1969) and Milwaukee Brewers (1970 ...

* Joe Hoerner * Joe Horlen * Al Jackson * Julián Javier *

Jack Lamabe John Alexander Lamabe (October 3, 1936 – December 21, 2007) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He was a member of the 1967 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. Following his playing career, Lamabe became a min ...

Bob Locker Robert Awtry Locker (March 15, 1938 – August 15, 2022) was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965 to 1975 for five different teams. The sinker-balling Locker never made a start in his big-league career. ...

Jerry McNertney Gerald Edward McNertney (born August 7, 1936) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher in 1964 and then from 1966 to 1973. Career Born in Boone, Iowa, McNertney signed with th ...

Dan Osinski Daniel Osinski (November 17, 1933 – September 13, 2013), nicknamed "The Silencer", was an American Major League Baseball relief pitcher. The , right-hander was signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before the 1952 season. H ...

* Arnie Portocarrero * Bobby Shantz *

* Al Weis *

Dave Wickersham David Clifford Wickersham (September 27, 1935 – June 18, 2022) was an American baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Kansas City Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Ka ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lincoln Links Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates Defunct minor league baseball teams Milwaukee Braves minor league affiliates Philadelphia Athletics minor league affiliates Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Nebraska St. Louis Browns minor league affiliates St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Baseball teams established in 1906 Baseball teams disestablished in 1961 1961 disestablishments in Nebraska Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League teams 1906 establishments in Nebraska Sports in Lincoln, Nebraska Defunct Western League teams Nebraska State League teams