The Topeka Owls was the primary name of the

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 franchise based in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

, USA.

History

Topeka first began professional play in 1886 as the Topeka Capitals and had numerous names throughout their existence as a minor league team. Topeka was called the Topeka Reds (1960–1961), Topeka Hawks (1956–1959), Topeka Owls (1946–1954, 1939–1942), Topeka Senators (1933–1934, 1930–1931, 1924–1926), Topeka Jayhawks (1932, 1927–1929, 1909–1915), Topeka Kaws (1922–1923), Topeka Savages (1916), Topeka White Sox (1905–1908), Topeka Saints (1904), Topeka Colts (1897), Topeka Populists (1893), Topeka Giants (1895, 1898) and the Topeka Capitals (1886, 1893). Topeka competed in various leagues with various

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

affiliations. Topeka competed as a member the

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The league began pla ...

(1959–1961), Western League (1956–1958, 1933–1934, 1929–1931, 1909–1916, 1886–1887),

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western ...

(1946–1954, 1939–1942, 1932, 1927–1928, 1924, 1905–1908, 1893),

Southwestern League The Southwestern League was the name of four former minor league baseball leagues that operated in the Southwestern United States. The second league, also known as the ''Oklahoma State League'', was in operation for the 1904 season. The third l ...

(1925–1926, 1922–1923), and the

Kansas State League The Kansas State League was a minor league baseball sports league, league in the United States that operated in the state of Kansas in the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. History The Kansas State League was first established ...

(1895, 1897–1898). The Owls and their other namesakes were affiliates of the

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 ...

(1959–1961, 1933–1934),

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 ...

(1956–1958),

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

(1953–1954),

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 ...

(1951–1952),

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

(1939–1940, 1930) and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

(1927–1928).

Ballparks

The Topeka teams played at the Topeka Baseball Park, located at 15th and Adams. They later played at Freefair Park. Beginning in 1940 they played at Owl Ballpark located at North Topeka Boulevard and Lyman Road, at the address of 225 NW. Lyman. The park was expanded from 2750 seats to 4700 seats during its existence with dimensions of (Left, Center, Right): 335-410-315 (1939) and 316-403-309 (1961). Owl Ballpark was demolished in 1963.

Notable alumni

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 ...

Alumni *

Jake Beckley Jacob Peter Beckley (August 4, 1867 – June 25, 1918), nicknamed "Eagle Eye", was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Pittsburgh Burghers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New Yo ...

(1910) Inducted, 1971 Notable alumni *

Jack Baldschun Jack Edward Baldschun (born October 16, 1936) is an American former professional baseball player. He was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for all or part of nine seasons (1961–67; 1969–70), for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinn ...

(1959) *

Ted Blankenship Theodore Blankenship (May 10, 1901 – January 14, 1945) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago White Sox from 1922 to 1930. His key pitch was the fastball.Neyer, Rob and James, Bill. The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers' ( ...

(1931) *

Dave Bristol James David Bristol (born June 23, 1933) is an American former manager in Major League Baseball in the 1960s and 1970s. He managed the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants during this period. Success in th ...

(1961) *

Duff Cooley Duff Gordon "Sir Richard" Cooley (March 29, 1873August 9, 1937) was a professional baseball player whose career spanned 17 seasons, 13 of which were spent in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cooley, an outfielder and first baseman, had a career batt ...

(1908–1909, 1911) *

Vic Davalillo Víctor José Davalillo Romero (born July 30, 1936) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played for 30 years in the U.S., Mexico, and his homeland, compiling more than 4,100 base hits total. Davalillo (pronounced da-va-LE ...

(1960–1961) MLB All-Star *

Debs Garms Debs C. Garms (June 26, 1907 – December 16, 1984) was a professional baseball player for 12 seasons as an outfielder and third baseman for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals. Garms broke up Johnny ...

(1930) 1940 NL Batting Title *

Charlie Gelbert Charles Magnus Gelbert (January 26, 1906 – January 13, 1967) was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of ten seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals (1929–32 and 1935–36), Cincinnati Reds (1937), Detroi ...

(1927) *

Tommy Harper Tommy Harper (born October 14, 1940) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played with the Cincinnati Reds (1962–67), Cleveland Indians (1968), Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers (1969–71), Boston Red S ...

(1960–1961) MLB All-Star *

Tommy Helms Tommy Vann Helms (born May 5, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Over a 14-year Major League Baseball career (–), Helms played for four teams, including eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, four with the Ho ...

(1961) 2× MLB All-Star; 1966 NL Rookie of the Year *

Joe Heving Joseph William Heving (September 2, 1900 – April 11, 1970) was a professional baseball player. Heving played as a pitcher for the New York Giants, Chicago White Sox (1933–34), Cleveland Indians (1937–38 and 1941–44), Boston Red Sox (1938� ...

(1926) *

Bug Holliday James Wear "Bug" Holliday (February 8, 1867 – February 15, 1910) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball for ten seasons, in the 1885 World Series and from through . He was the first player to make his major league debut in ...

(1887) * Tom Hughes (1905) *

Jim Maloney James William Maloney (born June 2, 1940) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Cincinnati Reds and California Angels (1971). One of the hardest-throwing pitchers of the 1960s, Maloney boasted a fastball c ...

(1959) MLB All-Star *

George McQuinn George Hartley McQuinn (May 29, 1910 – December 24, 1978) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball from to , most notably as a member of the only St. Louis Browns team to win an A ...

(1958) 7× MLB All-Star * Willie Mitchell (1924) *

Fritz Ostermueller Frederick Raymond "Fritz" Ostermueller (September 15, 1907 – December 17, 1957) was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1948, playing for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. ...

(1928) *

Bill Rigney William Joseph Rigney (January 29, 1918 – February 20, 2001) was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. A 26-year big-league veteran, Rigney played for the New York Giants from to , then spent 18 seasons as the skipper ...

(1940) MLB All-Star *

Ray Starr Raymond Francis Starr (April 23, 1906 – February 9, 1963) was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1932 to 1945. Starr was named to the All-Star team in 1942. He would play for the New York Giants, St. Lo ...

(1928) MLB All-Star *

Gus Suhr August Richard Suhr (January 3, 1906 – January 15, 2004) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Suhr was born in San Francisco, California. The fourth son of August H Suhr and Elise (Nobmann) Suhr, both of German descent. He batted lef ...

(1923) MLB All-Star *

Jesse Tannehill Jesse Niles Tannehill (July 14, 1874 – September 22, 1956) was a dead-ball era left-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Highlanders, Boston Red Sox, and the Washington Senators. Tannehill was among the best pit ...

(1924) 1901 NL ERA Title *

Johnny Vander Meer John Samuel Vander Meer (November 2, 1914 – October 6, 1997) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds where he became the only ...

(1959–1960) 4× MLB All-Star

References

{{reflist Baseball teams established in 1886 Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Kansas Baseball teams disestablished in 1961 Defunct baseball teams in Kansas St. Louis Browns minor league affiliates Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates Milwaukee Braves minor league affiliates St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates Sports in Topeka, Kansas 1886 establishments in Kansas 1961 disestablishments in Kansas