The Rutherford County Owls were a minor league baseball team based in the

Rutherford County, North Carolina Rutherford County is a county in the southwestern area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,444. Its county seat is Rutherfordton. Rutherford County comprises the Forest City, NC Micropolitan St ...

cities of

Spindale, North Carolina Spindale is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,321 at the 2010 census. History Spindale originated as a mill town from its first textile mill, Spencer Mills, in 1916, until its last textile mill, Sto ...

and

Forest City, North Carolina Forest City, formerly known as "Burnt Chimney," is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,377 as of the 2020 census, making it the largest municipality in Rutherford County. History The Alexander Manufa ...

. Between 1936 and 1960, the Rutherford County based teams played as members of the 1936 Carolina League, the

Western Carolina League The original Western Carolina League was a Class-D circuit in Minor League Baseball which was ideated and created by John Henry Moss. The league ran from 1948 to 1952, then combined with the North Carolina State League to form the Tar Heel Leag ...

from 1948 to 1952,

Tar Heel League The Tar Heel League was a mid-20th century Class D level professional minor baseball league, based in North Carolina in the United States. It operated during the full seasons of , and , and from the opening of the season through June 21, . The ...

from 1953 to 1954 and Western Carolina League in 1960, winning the 1949 league championship and qualifying for the playoffs six other times. The franchise played as the Forest City Owls in the 1948 and 1953 seasons. The Rutherford County Owls were a minor league affiliate of the

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 ...

from 1949 to 1951.

History

1936 Carolina League / Umpire attack

Rutherford County, North Carolina first hosted league baseball play in 1936. Based in Forest City, North Carolina, the "Rutherford County Owls" began 1936 the season as charter members of the eight–team Independent level Carolina League. The Independent league was nicknamed as an "outlaw" league because of the Independent status. Most of the other league members, had previously hosted numerous semi–pro teams in the Carolina Textile League, made up of locals and mill workers. On July 3, 1936, the franchise was reportedly surrendered to the league after an attack of an umpire occurred at the ballpark in Forest City. The Owls had a record of 21–25 under managers Maurice Frew and Baxter Moose when the franchise was surrendered. The franchise became the

Lexington Indians Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the old ...

and immediately replaced Rutherford County in league play. After compiling a 16–36 record in Lexington, the team then finished the season in sixth place with a 37–61 overall record. According to reports of the July 3, 1936, incident, umpire C.T. Skidmore was attacked outside of Alexander Park in Forest City after a game against Shelby. After the attack, Skidmore was complimentary of the players and team officials, who assisted him after the attack, including Dr. C.H. Verner who was president of the club and treated Skidmore's injuries. Skidmore stated he believed the attack was by out-of-town fans or gamblers. After the incident, Verner surrendered the team to the league. After a league meeting on July 5, 1936, the franchise was awarded to Lexington.

1948 to 1952 Western Carolina League

The 1948 "Forest City Owls" became charter members of the eight–team Class D level

. The Hendersonville Skylarks, Lenoir Red Sox,

Lincolnton Cardinals The Lincolnton Cardinals of Lincolnton, North Carolina, United States were a minor league baseball team. They began play when the Western Carolina League was formed in 1948. They won the league's first title that season. In 1953, they joined th ...

Marion Marauders *Location: Marion, NC *League: Western Carolina League 1948–1952; Tar Heel League 1953-1954 *Affiliation: Baltimore Orioles, 1954 *Ballpark: Marion Municipal Stadium The Marion Marauders were a Class D Minor League baseball team based in Marion ...

Morganton Aggies The Morganton Aggies were a minor league baseball team based in Morganton, North Carolina from 1948 to 1952. Morganton teams played exclusively as members of the Western Carolina League, winning the 1951 league pennant. The Aggies played home mi ...

, Newton-Conover Twins and

Shelby Farmers Shelby may refer to: Places United States * Shelby, Alabama, a census-designated place and unincorporated community * Shelby, Idaho * Shelby, Indiana, an unincorporated town * Shelby, Iowa, a city * Shelby, Oceana County, Michigan, a village * ...

teams joined Forest City as charter members, beginning play on April 30, 1948. In their first season of Western Carolina League play, the 1948 the Forest City Owls placed fourth in the league regular season standings and qualified for the four-team playoffs. Ending the regular season with a record of 55–56, while playing the season under managers Jess Hill and Gene Hollifield, Forest City finishe 14.5 games behind the first place Lincolnton Cardinals in the Western Carolina League regular season standings. At the end of the regular season, the Shelby Farmers franchise reportedly refused to play a playoff game to break a fourth-place tie and the playoff spot was awarded to Forest City. In the first round of the 1948 playoffs, the Newton-Conover Twins defeated the Forest City Owls 4 games to 2. The franchise became known as the "Rutherford County Owls" in 1949 and the Owls won the Western Carolina League championship of the eight–team league. The Owls ended the regular season with a record of 65–45 and placed third, playing the season under managers Sam Gibson and Rube Wilson. The Owls played as a minor league affiliate of the

and finished 8.5 games behind the first place Newton-Conover Twins in the regular season standings. In the playoffs, the Owls defeated the Newton-Conover Twins 4 games to 2 to advance. In the Western Carolina League Finals, the Rutherford County Owls defeated the Morganton Aggies 4 games to 1 to win the Western Carolina League championship. In 1950, Rutherford County placed third in the Western Carolina League final regular season standings, continuing as a Chicago Cubs affiliate. Managed by Rube Wilson, the Owls ended the season with a record of 57–53 to finish 12.0 games behind the first place Newton-Conover Twins in the final regular standings. In the playoffs, the Newton-Conover Twins defeated Rutherford County 4 games to 2. The 1951 Rutherford County Owls placed fifth and did not qualify for the playoffs in the eight–team Western Carolina League. Rutherford County finished with a regular season record of 62–48 to place fifth in the regular season standings, playing under returning manager Rube Wilson. The Owls finished 9.0 games behind the first place

in the final regular season standings. Rutherford County played their final season as a Chicago Cubs minor league affiliate. George Long of Rutherford County led the league with an ERA of 2.12. The 1952 Western Carolina League began the season reduced to six teams and the Owls continued play. The Rutherford County Owls ended the season in fourth place with a regular season record of 42–58, playing the season under managers Cliff Bolton and William Greene and finishing 22.5 games behind the first place Lincolnton Cardinals. In the playoffs, the Owls were swept by the Shelby Farmers in four games. Rutherford County's Ken Paschal led the Western Carolina League with 19 home runs. The Western Carolina League completed the 1952 season with five teams, after the Morganton Aggies folded during the season. The Western Carolina League combined with the North Carolina State League to form the

in 1953 and 1954 before resuming play in 1960.

1953 to 1954 Tar Heel League

The Owls franchise continued play in the 1953 ten–team Class D level

, returning to the "Forest City Owls" nickname for the final time. The Owls finished the 1953 season in second place, ending the season with a record of 70–40, playing under managers Len Cross and Boger McGimsey. Forest City finished 3.0 games behind the first place

in the final regular season standings. In the first round of the league playoffs, the Lexington Indians defeated Forest City 4 games to 2. The 1954 Tar Heel League began the season reduced to four teams, Rutherford County Included. The league folded on June 21, 1954. The Rutherford County Owls were in second place with a 24–24 record when the league folded. Forest City was managed by

Woody Rich Woodrow Earl Rich (March 9, 1916 – April 18, 1983) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1939 through 1944 for the Boston Red Sox (1939–41) and Boston Braves (1944). Listed at , , Rich batted left-handed and threw right-hande ...

and Richard McKeithan, finishing 8.0 games behind the first place

Hickory Rebels The Hickory Rebels were a Class D minor league baseball team based in Hickory, North Carolina, that played from 1939–1940, 1940, 1945–1954, 1960. The Rebels were the predecessor of the current Hickory Crawdads in the South Atlantic League. His ...

in the final standings.

1960 Western Carolina League

The 1960 "Rutherford County Owls" played a final minor league season a member of the reformed eight–team Class D level Western Carolina League. The Owls finished their final season with a record of 43–56 to place sixth, playing under managers Jim Poole, Ray Walsh and Len Jackson. The franchise folded after the 1960 season, as the league reduced to six teams for the 1961 season. Rutherford County, North Carolina has not hosted another minor league team. Today, the amateur

Forest City Owls The Forest City Owls are a baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team played its inaugural 2008 season in Forest City, North Carolina after the same franchise (previously known as the Stingers), own ...

, who revived the moniker in 2013, play

summer collegiate baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are Amateur baseball in the United States, amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibi ...

as members of the Coastal Plain League.

The ballparks

It was reported that the 1936 Rutherford City Owls played minor league home games at Alexander Park in Forest City. The Rutherford County Owls were noted to have played home minor league games at the Spindale High School Stadium from 1949 to 1952. The ballpark was located at the former Spindale High School in Spindale, North Carolina. The 1948 and 1953 Forest City Owls and the 1954 and 1960 Rutherford County Owls teams reportedly played home games at Central High School Park, also called "Memorial Park." The ballpark was located at Central High School in Forest City, North Carolina.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

* Cliff Bolton (1952, MGR) * Sam Gibson (1949, MGR) *

Kirby Higbe Walter Kirby Higbe (April 8, 1915 – May 6, 1985) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1937 to 1950. Best known for his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was a two-time National League (NL) All-S ...

(1953) 2x MLB All-Star * Jess Hill (1948, MGR) * Bob Mabe (1950) * Jim Poole (1960, MGR) * John Pyecha (1951) *

(1953), (1954, MGR)

References

{{reflist

External links

Rutherford - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in North Carolina Baseball teams established in 1936 Baseball teams disestablished in 1960 Rutherford County, North Carolina Tar Heel League teams Western Carolina League teams