The Memphis Chicks were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Southern Association from 1901 to 1960. They were located in Memphis, Tennessee, and played their home games at

Russwood Park Russwood Park was a stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. It was primarily used for baseball and was the home of the Memphis Chicks minor league baseball team until the spring of 1960. The ballpark was originally built in 1896, and was known as Elm Woo ...

. Known originally as the Memphis Egyptians and Memphis Turtles before becoming the Memphis Chickasaws, often shortened to Chicks, they were charter members of the Southern Association.

History

Memphis was the home of several professional baseball teams since as early as 1877. The city's first Minor League Baseball team was the Memphis Reds of the League Alliance. In 1885, another Reds team joined the original Southern League. They were followed in that league by the

Grays Grays or Greys may refer to: Places * Grays Bay, Nunavut, Canada * Grays, Essex, a town in Essex, England ** Grays railway station ** Grays School * Grays, Kent, a hamlet in Kent, England * Rotherfield Greys or Greys, a village in Oxfordshire, En ...

(1886), Browns (1887), Grays (1888), and an unnamed team in 1889. Later entries in the league were the Giants (1892), Fever Germs (1893), and Giants/Lambs (1894–95). The

Memphis Eclipses The Memphis Eclipses were a Negro league baseball team that played in the Southern League of Colored Base Ballists in 1886. They were located in Memphis, Tennessee, and, along with the Memphis Eurekas The Memphis Eurekas were a Negro league baseba ...

and

Memphis Eurekas The Memphis Eurekas were a Negro league baseball team that played in the Southern League of Colored Base Ballists in 1886. They were located in Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby Coun ...

played in the Negro league Southern League of Colored Base Ballists in 1886. The Memphis Egyptians were established as charter members of the Southern Association in 1901. The league was originally a Class B circuit, but was reclassified as Class A (1902–1935), Class A1 (1936–1945), and Double-A (1946–61) over Memphis' 61-year membership. The Egyptians won the Southern Association pennant in 1903 and 1904. In 1909, the Egyptians became known as the Turtles. 1921 Memphis Chicks

In 1912, the club adopted its best-known and longest-used moniker, the Chickasaws, which was often shortened to Chicks. The Chickasaws won six pennants (1921, 1924, 1930, 1933, 1953, and 1955) and one playoff championship (1952). During this time, they competed in four Dixie Series, a postseason championship series between the champions of the Southern Association and the Texas League. They lost three series to the Fort Worth Panthers (1921, 1924, and 1930), but won the 1952 series against the Shreveport Sports, 4–2. The Chickasaws' first Major League Baseball affiliation was in 1939 with the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

. They were later affiliated with the Chicago White Sox (1948–1956),

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

(1957), Boston Red Sox (1958), and St. Louis Cardinals (1960). Three Chicks won the

Southern Association Most Valuable Player Award The Southern Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) was an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Southern Association based on their regular season performance. Though the league was established in 1901, the award ...

Coaker Triplett Herman Coaker Triplett (December 18, 1911 – January 30, 1992) was an American professional baseball player. In Major League Baseball, he was a backup outfielder, playing mainly as a left fielder for three different teams between the and seas ...

(1937), Pete Gray (1944), and Ed White (1955). The 1921 and 1924 Chicks were recognized as being among the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time. The Chicks suffered a major blow in the spring of 1960 when their venerable ballpark,

, was destroyed by fire after an exhibition game between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians on Easter Sunday, April 17. The team played in temporary facilities, including a high school football stadium, for the rest of the season but drew only 48,000 fans. Mayor

Henry Loeb Henry Loeb III (December 9, 1920 – September 8, 1992) was an American politician of the Democratic Party, who was mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, for two separate terms in the 1960s, from 1960 through 1963, and 1968 through 1971. He gained n ...

tried to keep the team in Memphis, but the US$326,000 price tag for a new 7,500 seat ballpark was too much. On November 11, 1960, the franchise was forfeited to the league. In 1961, the Macon Peaches of

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

, took Memphis' place in the circuit. After the 1961 season, the entire Southern Association shut down. After the loss of the Chickasaws, Memphis became host to the Memphis Blues, a Double-A team of the Texas League, in 1968. The team played in a converted

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

stadium that was renamed Blues Stadium. After six seasons, the Blues moved up to the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

from 1974 to 1976, but folded after the 1976 season. In 1978, a new Memphis Chicks team was created as an expansion franchise of the Double-A Southern League. They played their home games at Blues Stadium, which was renamed Tim McCarver Stadium in honor of Tim McCarver, a Memphis native, former Chickasaw, and major league ballplayer. They remained in Memphis through 1997. With the arrival of the Memphis Redbirds, a Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

expansion team, the Southern League Chicks franchise moved to Jackson and became the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx in 1998.

References

External links

Statistics from Baseball-Reference
{{Authority control 1901 establishments in Tennessee 1960 disestablishments in Tennessee Baseball teams disestablished in 1960 Baseball teams established in 1901 Boston Red Sox minor league affiliates Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliates Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Tennessee Defunct Southern Association teams Professional baseball teams in Tennessee St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Chicks

History

See also

References

External links