The Statesville Owls were a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

baseball team located in

Statesville, North Carolina Statesville is a city in and the county seat of Iredell County, North Carolina, United States, and it is part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. Statesville was established in 1789 by an act of the North Carolina Legislature. The population was r ...

. Statesville minor league teams played a member of the North Carolina Association (1900),

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 ...

(1939–1940),

North Carolina State League The North Carolina State League was a "Class D" league in Minor League Baseball. The original version of the league existed from 1913–1917 as the successor to the Carolina Association. The second version of the league was established in 1937 i ...

, (1942, 1945–1952),

(1953),

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 ...

(1960–1962) and

Western Carolinas League file:John Henry Moss.png, Portion of plaque displaying likeness of John Henry Moss at Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown, Maryland The Western Carolinas League was a Class D (1948–52; 1960–62) and a low Class A (1963–79) full-season league in Am ...

(1963–1964, 1966–1967, 1969), winning three league championships. Statesville teams played as minor league affiliates 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 ...

(1945–1946),

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

(1952),

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

(1961),

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Houston Colt .45s The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

(1964),

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1966–1967) and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1969). The Statesville "Owls" moniker was later revived by Statesville teams playing in

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are 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 eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

History

Statesville first began minor league baseball play in 1900, as charter members of the

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

level North Carolina Association. Other charter members were the Charlotte Presbyterians,

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

, Raleigh Senators, Tarboro Tarheels and Wilmington Giants. The Statesville team finished with a record of 8–12 in 1900 playing under manager J.T. Bennett. Statesboro folded after the 1900 season and did not return to the 1901 North Carolina Association. After a 39–year span, the 1939 Statesville Owls resumed minor league play when the team became charter members of the Class D level

. Joining the Owls as Tar Heel League charter members were the

Gastonia Cardinals The Gastonia Cardinals were a minor league baseball team based in Gastonia, North Carolina on two separate occasions, playing as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals in both instances. The first Gastonia Cardinals team played as mem ...

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 ...

, Lenoir Indians, Newton-Conover Twins and Shelby Nationals. The Statesville Owls finished with a record of 56–51 to place third in 1939. In the playoffs, Statesville defeated Lenoir 3 games to 0 to advance. In the finals, the Gastonia Cardinals defeated the Owls 4 games to 3. In 1940, the Statesville Owls finished with a record of 73–37 to place first in the regular season standings, winning the league pennant. In the playoffs, the Owls defeated the Lenoir Indians 3 games to 2 and the Hickory Rebels 4 games to 1 to win the 1940 Tar Heel League Championship. The Tar Heel League folded after the 1940 season. The Statesville Owls joined the eight-team

in 1942. They finished with a record of 48–51 to place sixth and missed the playoffs. The North Carolina State League ceased play after the 1942 season due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. When the North Carolina State League resumed play in 1945, Statesville rejoined the league, playing as an affiliate of the

. The Statesville Cubs finished with a record of 53–58 to place fifth in 1945 and a 41–69 record to place seventh in 1946, missing the playoffs in both seasons. Statesville continued in the North Carolina State League as the Statesville Owls in 1947. The Owls remained in the League through 1952. After finishing last in 1947, Statesville finished with a record of 63–47 to place second in 1948. In the 1948 playoffs, the Statesville Owls defeated 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 ...

4 games to 1 and the

4 games to 3 to win the 1948 North Carolina State League Championship. After fifth place finishes in 1949 and 1950, the Owls advanced to the 1951 finals, where they were swept by the

High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms Thomasville, North Carolina was home to several minor league baseball teams from 1937–1969. The Thomasville Chair Makers joined the North Carolina State League in 1937 and became the Thomasville Tommies in 1939. They were an affiliate of the C ...

. In 1952, the Statesville Owls became a minor league affiliate of the

. The Owls finished with a record of 41–68 to place fifth in the 1952 six–team North Carolina State League final standings. The North Carolina State League permanently folded at the conclusion of the 1952 season. In 1953, Statesville had two teams during the season, both playing in the

. First, the Statesville Blues joined as members of the reorganized ten-team Tar Heel League. The Tar Heel League returned after having folded in 1940. On June 11, 1953, the Statesville Blues, with a record of 13–28, disbanded. On July 12, 1953, Statesville regained a team. The Tar Heel League member Lincolnton Cardinals moved to Statesville, and the Lincolnton/Statesville team completed the 1953 season as the Statesville Sports, finishing with an overall record of 47–64. The Statesville franchise did not return to the Tar Heel League for the 1954 season and the league folded permanently on June 21, 1954, with four teams. Statesville was without a team until the Statesville Owls joined the reorganized

in 1960. The Owls finished the 1960 season with a record of 38–62 to place 7th. The Statesville Owls became an affiliate of

in 1961 and finished second in the Western Carolina League standings. In 1963, the Owls captured the final Western Carolina League Championship. Statesville finished with a record of 62–38 to first place 1st in the standings. The Western Carolina League evolved into the

in 1964, playing as a Class A level league. The Statesville Colts played 1964 as an combined affiliate of the

and

, finishing with a record of 52–70 to place seventh. The Colts drew 26,324 for the season, an average of 432 per game. The franchise folded after the 1964 season. In 1966, the Statesville Tigers rejoined the

, playing as a minor league affiliate of the

. The Tigers finished with a record of 42–81 to place seventh in 1966 and a 59–62 record to place fourth in 1967, missing the playoffs in both seasons. The Tigers drew 17,473 in 1967, an average of 289 per game. The Statesville franchise folded after the 1967 season. The 1969, the Statesville Indians returned to the

in their final season, playing as an affiliate of the

. On June 20, 1969, the Indians had a 33–32 record when the franchise moved to

Monroe, North Carolina Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 to 34,551 in 2020. It is within the rapidly growing Charlotte metropolitan area. Monroe has a council-manager f ...

to finish the season as the Monroe Indians. The Statesville/Monroe team finished with a combined record of 61–63 to place third in 1969. Neither Monroe or Statesville fielded a team in 1970. Statesville, North Carolina has not hosted another minor league team. The Statesville "Owls" name has been revived by

teams playing in Statesville.

The ballparks

The 1900 Statesville team was noted to have played minor league home games at Athletic Park. The Statesville Owls were referenced to have hosted home minor league games at Cooper Field from 1939 to 1942. The ballpark had a capacity of 4,000 in 1939 and dimensions (Left, Center, Right) of 410–410–325 in 1939. Cooper Park is still in existence as a public park, located at Wilson Lee Avenue &, Goldsboro Avenue, Statesville, North Carolina In the seasons between 1945 and 1969, Statesville minor league teams played home games at Senior High Stadium, located at

Statesville High School Statesville is a city in and the county seat of Iredell County, North Carolina, United States, and it is part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. Statesville was established in 1789 by an act of the North Carolina Legislature. The population was r ...

. The ballpark had a capacity of 3,600 in 1950 and 2,000 in 1967 with dimensions (Left, Center, Right) of 414–386–308 in 1950, 340–408–287 in 1961 and 321–426–287 in 1969. Sometimes called "High School Park" or "City Park Stadium", the ballpark is still in use at Statesville High School. The address is 474 North Center Street, Statesville, North Carolina.

Notable alumni

Rob Belloir Robert Edward Belloir (born July 13, 1948), is a former professional baseball player. Born in Heidelberg, West Germany, he was the 25th German-born player in Major League Baseball. Belloir attended Southwest High School in Atlanta where he played ...

(1969) (1953, MGR) *

George Bradshaw George Bradshaw (29 July 1800 – 6 September 1853) was an English cartographer, printer and publisher. He developed Bradshaw's Guide, a widely sold series of combined railway guides and timetables. Biography Bradshaw was born at Windsor Brid ...

(1950, MGR) * Fred Chapman (1953, MGR) *

Tony Daniels Tony Daniels is a Canadian voice actor. He is well known for providing the voices of Uncle Flippy in ''JoJo's Circus'', as well as Jedite and Wiseman in the original English dub of ''Sailor Moon''. He is also known for providing the voice of ...

(1949–1950) *

Jake Early Jacob Willard Early (May 19, 1915 – May 31, 1985) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Browns. Early was a left-hand-hitting batter and was ...

(1960, MGR) MLB All-Star *

Ed Farmer Edward Joseph Farmer (October 18, 1949 – April 1, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight different teams, predominantly in the American League, between 1971 and 1983. The team h ...

(1969) MLB All-Star; MLB Announcer *

Jack Hiatt Jack E. Hiatt (born July 27, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player and minor league manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1964 to 1972, most prominently as a member of the San Francisco Giants. After his ...

(1961) * Larry Johnson (1969) * Tom Kelley (1969) *

Gene Lamont Gene William Lamont (born December 25, 1946) is an American special assistant to the general manager of the Kansas City Royals. He was a catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who managed the Chicago White Sox (1992–1995) and Pittsburgh P ...

(1966) 1993 AL Manager of the Year * Bill Miller (1948) * John Paciorek (1964) * Jim Poole (1942, 1945, MGR) *

Dick Simpson Richard Charles Simpson (born July 28, 1943) is an Americans, American former Major League Baseball right fielder and center fielder. He played from 1962-1969 for the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles / California Angels, Cincinnati Reds, St. Loui ...

(1961) * George Spencer (1966, MGR) *

J. C. Snead Jesse Carlyle "J. C." Snead (born October 14, 1940) is an American professional golfer who won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. Snead is the nephew of hall of famer Sam Snead. Snead, who prefers that people called him by his ...

(1962)

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

golfer * George Wilson (1942, 1961) *

Rudy York Preston Rudolph York (August 17, 1913 – February 5, 1970) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher and a first baseman between and , most notably as a member of the ...

(1964, MGR) 7x MLB All-Star

References

{{Reflist

External links

Statesville - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Iredell County, North Carolina New York Giants minor league affiliates Los Angeles Angels minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in North Carolina Baseball teams disestablished in 1963 Baseball teams established in 1939 Defunct Western Carolinas League teams Tar Heel League teams 1939 establishments in North Carolina 1963 disestablishments in North Carolina

History

The ballparks

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links