The original Western Carolina League was a Class D circuit in Minor League Baseball which was ideated and created by John Henry Moss.
| Classification | Class D (1948–1952: 1960–1962) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1948 |
| Ceased | 1962 |
| Replaced by | Tar Heel League Western Carolinas League |
| President | John Henry Moss (1948) Cloyd A. Hager (1949–1950) P.W. Deaton (1951) T. Earl Franklin (1952) John Henry Moss (1960–1962)[1] |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 3 Shelby Farmers / Shelby Colonels |
The league ran from 1948 to 1952, then combined with the North Carolina State League to form the Tar Heel League in 1953.[1]
The second Western Carolina League was formed as a Class-D circuit in 1960. After three years, its name was changed to become the Western Carolinas League.[1]
League Champions edit
1948–1952 edit
- 1948 Lincolnton Cardinals
- 1949 Rutherford County Owls
- 1950 Lenoir Red Sox
- 1951 Shelby Farmers
- 1952 Shelby Farmers
1960–1962 edit
- 1960 Salisbury Braves
- 1961 Shelby Colonels
- 1962 Statesville Owls
Cities represented edit
1948–1952 edit
- Forest City, NC: Forest City Owls (1948)
- Gastonia, NC: Gastonia Browns (1950)
- Granite Falls, NC: Granite Falls Graniteers (1951)
- Hendersonville, NC: Hendersonville Skylarks (1948–1949)
- Hickory, NC: Hickory Rebels (1952); moved to the Tar Heel League (1953–1954)
- Lenoir, NC: Lenoir Red Sox (1948–1951); moved from the Blue Ridge League (1946–1947)
- Lincolnton, NC: Lincolnton Cardinals (1948–1952); moved to the Tar Heel League (1953)
- Marion, NC: Marion Marauders (1948–1952); moved to the Tar Heel League (1953–1954)
- Morganton, NC: Morganton Aggies (1948–1952)
- Newton, NC and Conover, NC: Newton-Conover Twins (1948–1951)
- Shelby, NC: Shelby Farmers (1948–1952)
- Spindale, NC: Rutherford County Owls (1949–1952)
1960–1962 edit
Sources edit
- Holaday, Chris (2006). Professional Baseball in North Carolina: An Illustrated City-by-city History, 1901–1996. Mcfarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-78-642553-2
- Baseball Reference – Western Carolina League (Class D) Encyclopedia and History
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.