One victory closer to the ultimate prize. The next day, as part of their FanFest, the Owls will play a doubleheader and honor the alumni. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Click here to watch a video of excerpts from the reunion. Mosley was sold after the 1966 season to the Kansas City Athletics. Mosleys scrapbook picks up the story in 1964. National Professional Soccer League Baltimore Bays 1 Oakland Clippers 0 The Owls were hosted by a new college team that has adopted the original name. Cover: ? BOONE Boone Bigfoots baseball arrived Friday, May 28, when they took on the Statesville Owls at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium. With its assumed Major League patron dead, the WCL contracted from 8 to 6 teams in 1961 and the surviving teams hustled to secure Major League affiliations. Copyright 2023 Stats Crew, Stats Crew - The Home of Sports Statistics. Jerrys wife loaned me footage of a home movie her family shot in 1961 of a Statesville game. Two-time C-USA Commissioner [apos]s Honor Roll (2010-11, 2012-13) . Two children barely escaped being struck by a car at a bus stop Thursday morning and authorities are seeking information on the driver. So now it makes sense. Well, they will be soon anyway. The Owls remained in the League through 1952. Todays future Angels had an opportunity to meet the original Angels minor leaguers. Son of Brian and Sandra Holt . The city occupies more than 24 square miles of land. This first year is a trial run, said Honeycutt, noting the need to make sure they can handle the financial aspects. If we have a player make it to the major leagues, we have done well. February 24, 1973 According to the 2020 census, Statesville's population was 28,419. Many of his contemporaries went on to the big leagues. ), Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, 1993. Hiatt, Simpson, Conrad and Cookus were the first four Angels properties assigned to Statesville, arriving in mid-April. The 1961 Owls had indy players from North Carolina and across the South, but added Angels players to their roster as soon as they arrived. [citation needed][7][12], In 1953, Statesville had two teams during the season, both playing in the Tar Heel League. Statesville is about 50 minutes north of Charlotte, 40 minutes south of Elkin, 45 minutes southwest of Winston-Salem, and about 1 hour 10 minutes southwest of Greensboro. Basketball Stats - NBA - ABA - WNBA/Women's - G-League/D-League - Minor League Basketball - Search [25], The Statesville "Owls" name has been revived by collegiate summer baseball teams playing in Statesville. The spinners celebrated Friday night with the "Jeffers" Trophy in front of a packed house at Moor Park. Dick Wantz, Dick Simpson and Jack Hiatt all began their professional careers on this field, and eventually played in the majors for the Angels. That site, the former Palm Springs Polo Grounds, was too small to host 100+ minor leaguers, so the Angels had to find other sites for the future Angels. Manager George Wilson was hired independently by the Owls. Your email address will not be published. As a result of this open platform, there may be several versions of the same team. In the playoffs, Statesville defeated Lenoir 3 games to 0 to advance. A complete schedule isnt available yet, but Owls officials expect to play in the neighborhood of 25 games this summer. Their leading pitcher was Ben Gilks, 4-1 with two saves. Paul Mosley was a pitcher in the Angels minor leagues from 1961 through 1966. 14 talking about this. He said hed like to do it, and we were able to work something out, Honeycutt said. This category includes players for the Statesville Owls Minor league baseball team who played in the Tar Heel League from 1939-1940, the North Carolina State League during the 1942 and 1947-1952 seasons and the Western Carolina League and Western Carolinas League from 1960-1963. They were practicing just off-camera to the right of the image. Click on the above image to download the file. Click here to view photos of Statesville Stadium circa 1961. . On June 20, 1969, the Indians had a 3332 record when the franchise moved to Monroe, North Carolina to finish the season as the Monroe Indians. 288 Pages, Midwest League Logo Minor League Baseball, 2003 Northeast League baseball Media Guide, 1989-90 Senior Professional Baseball Association Yearbook, 1989-90 Senior Professional Baseball Association Yearbook Owls take home another W! A minor league club could still sign, trade and release its own players. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Gates open at 5pm! I also found this clip reporting on a 1965 game between the Sun Kings and the Tulsa Oilers: It appears that the 1965 El Paso caps had an EP on them, but when I look at the team photos for 1965 and 1966 its just an E as in the photo of Paul at the top of this column. Affiliation had a much looser connotation in 1961. > 1942 Statesville Owls. I have new friends in Statesville simply because we share a common love for baseball. Gail Thomas drove in 56 runs and topped hitters with significant playing time by hitting .335. Statesville, North Carolina was Class D, a rough equivalent to todays Low Class-A. The Owls will have three different uniforms with their traditional black and gold colors. As the almuni departed, they tasked me with a solemn responsibility to reunite them in Statesville for their 50th anniversary. That is about 15 fewer than normal. It was still common in the early 1960s for Triple-A affiliates to hold their camps separate from their parent clubs. Fans are welcome. The schedule shows that the parent club came down from Palm Springs to play the Triple-A Seattle squad in two games at Brawley and two games at El Centro. 2009-2011, 1978 Connecticut Falcons Pocket Schedule Statesville baseball historian Steve Hill had in his collection the above photo of 1961 Statesville Owls, which Id never seen before. GameChanger is beta testing solutions to establish authenticity of teams so fans can easily trust that the teams they follow will provide consistent game data. The third inning was big for the Foots tallying four runs. FRI, 5/27 V. GREENSBORO YARD GOATS TRUIST STADIUM 6:30 pm (L, 9-3), SAT, 5/28 V. THE KINGSMEN (SCBL) TRUIST STADIUM 6:30 pm (L, 10-0), Tue, 5/31 @ Forest City Owls (CPL), 7 pm (L, 8-7), Wed, 6/1 @ Martinsville Mustangs (CPL), 7 pm (L, 5-4), THU, 6/2 V. THE KINGSMEN (SCBL) LP FRANS STADIUM (HICKORY, NC), 6:30 pm (rainout), SAT, 6/4 V. STATESVILLE OWLS FORBUSH HS, YADKINVILLE, NC 6:30 pm (W, 10-7), SUN, 6/5 V. MORRISVILLE RAPTORS FORBUSH HS, YADKINVILLE, NC 1 pm (W, 11-1), Tue, 6/7 -- @Clayton Clovers, Clayton, NC (L, 10-6), Wed, 6/8 -- @Greensboro Monarchs (game postponed), THU, 6/9 V. BOONE BIGFOOTS LP FRANS STADIUM (HICKORY, NC), 6:30 pm(W, 3-2), SAT, 6/11 V. STATESVILLE OWLS FORBUSH HS, YADKINVILLE NC 6:30 pm (W, 5-4), Sun, 6/12 @ Boone Bigfoots, 4 pm (L, 11-8), Mon, 6/13 @ Greensboro Monarchs (T, 10-10), THU, 6/16 V. BOONE BIGFOOTS ALLEGHANY HS (SPARTA, NC), 6:30 pm (L, 9-5), FRI, 6/17 V. CLAYTON CLOVERS TRUIST STADIUM 6:30 pm (L, 10-8), SAT, 6/18 V. STATESVILLE OWLS TRUIST STADIUM 6:30 pm (W, 4-3), SUN, 6/19 V. MORAVIANS TRUIST STADIUM 1 pm (W, 13-1), Wed, 6/22 @ Greensboro Monarchs, field and time TBA (game cancelled), THU, 6/23 V. BOONE BIGFOOTS LP FRANS STADIUM (HICKORY, NC), 6:30 pm(L, 10-4), FRI, 6/24 V. GREENSBORO YARD GOATS AMERICAN LEGION FIELD (DANVILLE, VA), 6 pm(W, 5-1), Sat, 6/25 @ Boone Bigfoots, 6:30 pm (W, 13-8), Sun, 6/26 @ Race City Bootleggers, Mooresville NC, 6 pm (W, 6-1), Tue, 6/28 @ Boone Bigfoots, 6:30 pm (L, 8-5), Fri, 7/1 V. LOCOS FORBUSH HS, YADKINVILLE, NC 6:30 pm (L, 12-7), Sat, 7/2 @ Foothills Senior Legion, Mt. Statesville teams played as minor league affiliates of the Chicago Cubs (19451946), New York Giants (1952), Los Angeles Angels (1961), Boston Red Sox/Houston Colt .45s (1964), Detroit Tigers (19661967) and Cleveland Indians (1969). Ive gotten good feedback.. Language School. Majoring in sports studies . Category:Statesville Owls players. I walked on that field, met those players, and became one of them when they asked me to autograph their first-pitch baseballs. Tucson Community Center April 2, 1979, Womens Professional Basketball League 1978-1981, 1978-79 Womens Professional Basketball League Media Guide. 1960 Statesville Owls Roster. JOY English. Official GameChanger teams will be marked with an official tag in search results and on team home pages. My wife and I moved to Florida last summer, which put me in driving range of Statesville. February 24, 1973. (Windows Media Player required.). I can understand the spring training costs, because back then Dallas-Ft. Worth held its own independent spring training. Of those shown in the photo, four are still with us Jack Hiatt, Dick Simpson, Paul Mosley and George Bryson. It was once glued to a page, but I found it torn and loose. The next day, the players were treated to a barbecue at Jerry Foxs farm. [citation needed][7][16], The Western Carolina League evolved into the Western Carolinas League in 1964, playing as a Class A level league. NLL, 1995 Roller Hockey International Media Guide, 1988-89 American Indoor Soccer Association Media Guide, 1995 Continental Indoor Soccer League Media Guide, 1995 Continental Indoor Soccer League Media Guide Missing from the photo are three Florida players signed in mid-June infielders Dave Best and Bobby Lucas, and pitcher Alan Flitcraft. WHL, Portland Buckaroos vs. Denver Spurs. [6] The Statesville Owls finished with a record of 5651 to place 3rd in 1939. Statesville minor league teams played a member of the North Carolina Association (1900), Tar Heel League (19391940), North Carolina State League, (1942, 19451952), Tar Heel League (1953), Western Carolina League (19601962) and Western Carolinas League (19631964, 19661967, 1969), winning three league championships. I recorded a video interview with the three, which Ill post in a couple days when I return home. The Tar Heel League folded after the 1940 season. Statesville Owls - Roster - Team - SOUTHERN Vipers Crushers Athletics Copperheads Oilers Spinners Pride Home | Scoreboard | Leaders | Stats | Schedule | Roster | Transactions | Live Stream [1] The Statesville team finished with a record of 812 in 1900 playing under manager J.T. statesville owls roster. WPBL, 1978-79 Womens Professional Basketball League Media Guide, 1971 Atlantic Coast Football League Media Guide, 1971 Atlantic Coast Football League Media Guide. 272 Pages, 1997 Eastern Indoor Soccer League media guide, 1992-93 National Professional Soccer League Media Guide. Scott Meitzler throws 4 innings! Western Basketball Association Tucson Gunners 104 Reno Bighorns 90 The games on Saturday and Sunday were cancelled due to inclement weather. Some dates are unlisted and TBA. Taipei . But the partnership would last only for the 1961 season, and the Owls ended up without a Major League sponsor for the final two years of their existence in 1962 and 1963. In the print edition, the article was on Page 1 with a color photo of Flitcrafts bullpen. Boone Bigfoots didn't commit a single error in the field. Myles Adams (Seahawks) - Adams spent most of the 2021 season on the Seahawks' practice squad.He made the Seahawks' initial 53-man roster this season. We encourage any user to create a GameChanger team and utilize our scorekeeping and stat management tools. My wife and I moved from California to Florida in June 2009, so in March 2010 we drove 600 miles to Statesville. You can cancel at any time. GameChanger Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Fifty years later, the 1961 Statesville Owls are still a family. He played at nearly every level in the system, starting with Class D Statesville in the Angels inaugural 1961 season. Statesville, North Carolina baseball archivist Steve Hill sent me the below images from his collection that show the Statesville Stadium circa 1962. Thomas was signed after the season by the Angels and spent two seasons in Triple-A. The players posed for a Field of Dreams photo in the corn field. TUTTI I PRODOTTI; PROTEINE; TONO MUSCOLARE-FORZA-RECUPERO Ed and Jerry took me to the home of Steve Hill, a local baseball collector. Continental Basketball Association Grand Rapids Tackers 140 Lake County Lakers 134 Triple-A teams were free to sign, trade and release their own players. Of those already committed to play this season, 12 are from Iredell . We staged a reunion in September 2009, held at the Angels minor league complex in Tempe, Arizona. IT WAS A SPECIAL NIGHT FOR THE JUNIOR SHORTSTOP OUT OF MOREHEAD STATE UNIVERSITY. [26][27], The 1900 Statesville team was noted to have played minor league home games at Athletic Park. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document. When I visited Statesville last month, I brought home a copy of home movie footage filmed in 1961 by the family of Janet Fox, who is the wife of Owls player Jerry Fox. Opening night is May 26 at the Mooresville Spinners who, Honeycutt said, typically draw between 800 and 1,000 fans for their home opener. COLLEGE BASEBALL: Statesville Owls returning to the diamond under new leadership. Justin Reed had the first hit of the from the Foots, followed by hits from Logan West and David Julian . One player, Gaetan Boudreau, came from Quebec and spoke very little English. The Statesville Owls became an affiliate of Los Angeles Angels in 1961 and finished 2nd in the Western Carolina League standings. The championship was decided in two games with the Spinners putting together quite and offensive explosion in both games. Don't forget to download the FloSports app on iOS or Android! One was Clyde Wright. Thursday, June 2 Mooresville Spinners vs Statesville Owls -7pm. Another was John Olerud, the father of the future Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners first baseman by the same name. Mon - Sat 9.00 - 18.00 . Facebook Profile. If youre a regular reader of this blog, you know Ive been researching the early history of the Angels minor leagues. Other Sports Stats - World TeamTennis Stats - World TeamTennis Search We established the initial contacts to make possible that 50th anniversary reunion. That would never happen today. Statesville is not a member of a league this season. I wish the Angels would bring that back, even if just for an alternate jersey. Mosley spent his last two seasons with the Double-A El Paso Sun Kings in the Double-A Texas League. Circa 1979, Womens Professional Soccer Logo Status| The Angels had two minor league affiliates in 1961 a Triple-A team in Dallas-Ft. Worth, and a Class D team in Statesville. September 3, 1967 Later that evening, the 1961 Owls and invited guests gathered at a local restaurant for dinner and storytelling. After the ceremony, they sat behind the third base dugout in an area set aside for them. To put this event in perspective, it would be the equivalent of the 2011 Orem Owlz having a reunion in 2061. Its the home field for Statesville High School. 84 Pages, Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Logo, Canadian-American League Baseball 1936-1951, 1946 Canadian-American League Record Book, 1949 Middle Atlantic League Yearbook