The Chicago Colleens were a women's professional baseball team who played in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

from 1948 to 1951, evolving into a development team. The team was based

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

and played their home games at Shewbridge Field.

History

The Colleens joined the strong Eastern Division in the 1948 season and were managed by former Major League player

Dave Bancroft David James Bancroft (April 20, 1891 – October 9, 1972) was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Robi ...

. The team was the worst in the league, getting roughed up as a last-place expansion club with a 47–76 record, ending twenty nine and a half games out of the first place spot in the division. The only team to do worse, the

Springfield Sallies The Springfield Sallies were a women's professional baseball team who were members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1948 season and became a development team. The Sallies were based in Springfield, Illinois and played ...

of the Western Division, ended 41–84 in last place, 35.5 games out of 1st place. Both teams lost their franchises by the end of that season. From 1949 through 1950, the Colleens and the Sallies became

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

development teams that played exclusively exhibition games. Their tours included contests at

Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium stood in Washington, D.C., from 1911 to 1965, between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street (left field), and between W Street and Florida Avenue NW. The site was once home to a wooden baseball park. Built in 1891, it was called Bounda ...

and

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

. The team dissolved entirely by 1951. AAGPBL executive

Mitch Skupien Mitch Skupien was a manager and executive in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Very little is known about this man who worked hard for the AAGPBL during the final five years of its existence. Previously, Skupien had managed the ...

, who later managed in the league, served as the

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

for both touring teams. The team's 1948 games were broadcast regularly on television station WBKB in Chicago.

The ballpark

The Colleens played at Shewbridge Field. The ballpark was located at the corner of South Morgan and West 74th Streets on the South Side of Chicago, now part of the campus of the Stagg School of Excellence.

All-time roster

;Manager *

, 1948 ;Manager–Chaperone *

Patricia Barringer Patricia Barringer (September 14, 1924 – March 31, 2007) was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ballplayer. Listed at 5' 7", 145 lb., she batted and threw right handed. Born in New Carlisle, Ohio, Patricia Barringer attend ...

, 1949, 1950 ;Chaperone * Margaret Johnson, 1948

Sources

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League historyAll-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website – Chicago Colleens seasonsAll-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website – Manager/Player profile search results
*''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher:

McFarland & Company McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its former ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. Format:

Hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...

, 294pp. Language:

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. *''The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher:

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. Format:

Softcover A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, lea ...

, 295 pp. Language:

.
Golden Age Era Sports

Margaret Johnson profile

References

{{All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-American Girls Professional Baseball League teams 1948 establishments in Illinois 1951 disestablishments in Illinois Baseball teams established in 1948 Baseball teams disestablished in 1951 Defunct baseball teams in Chicago Defunct baseball teams in Illinois Women's sports in Illinois Women in Chicago