Colonial League (baseball)
The Colonial League was the name of two mid-level American minor baseball leagues. The first Colonial League was a Class C league that existed from 1914 to 1915 as a minor league for the outlaw Federal League. The second Colonial League existed from 1947 through mid-July 1950. It was graded Class B, four levels below the major leagues, and featured teams in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1947 |
| Ceased | July 14, 1950 |
| President | Ken Strong (1947) John A. Scalzi Jr. (1948–1950) |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Country | United States |
| Most titles | 1 Stamford Bombers (1947) Port Chester Clippers (1948) Bristol Owls (1949) |
| Classification | Class B |
1914 to 1915
The first Colonial League debuted in the 1914 season.[1] Though a part of organized baseball, it was discovered during the season that the league was being bankrolled by the outlaw Federal League, leading some of its team owners to quit the league during the 1914 season.[2][3] The league failed during the 1915 season.[4]
- Brockton, MA: Brockton Shoemakers 1914; Brockton Pilgrims 1915
- Fall River, MA: Fall River Spindles 1914–1915
- Hartford, CT: Hartford Senators 1915
- New Bedford, MA: New Bedford Whalers 1914–1915
- New Haven, CT: New Haven MaxFeds 1915
- Pawtucket, RI: Pawtucket Tigers 1914; Pawtucket Rovers 1915
- Springfield, MA: Springfield Tips 1915
- Taunton, MA: Taunton Herrings 1914–1915
- Woonsocket, RI: Woonsocket Speeders 1914
1947 to 1950
The Colonial was one of many minor leagues that briefly existed during the post-World War II baseball boom. It competed in the Northeastern United States with five major league clubs in New York and New England, established minor leagues such as the International League, Eastern League, Canadian–American League and PONY League, and other fledgling circuits such as the postwar New England League and Border League.
As a whole, the Colonial was rarely adopted as a site for farm teams for major league clubs. Only two of its member teams (the 1948 Bridgeport Bees and Port Chester Clippers) ever affiliated with a big league parent club (the Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns, respectively).
As the minors began to contract in the late 1940s, the Colonial League's days were numbered. It shut its doors on July 14, 1950, with only 80,000 fans reported to have attended games in the entire six-team circuit.
1947–1950 member teams
- Bridgeport Bees
- Bristol Owls (League champions, 1949)
- Kingston Colonials
- New Brunswick/Kingston Hubs
- New London Raiders
- Port Chester Clippers (League champions, 1948)
- Poughkeepsie Chiefs
- Poughkeepsie Giants
- Stamford Bombers (League champions, 1947)
- Stamford Pioneers
- Torrington Braves
- Waterbury Timers
References
- "View source for Colonial League – BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina Baseball America, 2007.
