The Lawton Braves was the final and primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Lawton, Oklahoma from 1947 to 1957. Lawton played as a member of the Texas-Oklahoma League in 1911 and the Sooner State League from 1947 to 1957, winning league championships in 1949, 1954 and 1955. Lawton hosted home games at Koehler Park in 1911 and all others at Memorial Park.
| Lawton Braves | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Class D (1911, 1947–1957) |
| League | Texas-Oklahoma League (1911) Sooner State League (1947–1957) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | New York Giants (1947–1951) Cincinnati Reds (1952–1953) Milwaukee Braves (1954–1957) |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (3) |
|
| Wild card berths (4) |
|
| Team data | |
| Name | Lawton Medicine Men (1911) Lawton Giants (1947–1951) Lawton Reds (1952–1953) Lawton Braves (1954–1957) |
| Ballpark | Koehler Park (1911) Memorial Park (1947–1957) |
Lawton was a minor league affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves (1954–1957), Cincinnati Reds (1952–1953) and New York Giants (1947–1951).
Baseball Hall of Fame member Travis Jackson managed the Lawton Braves from 1954 to 1957.
History
editLawton first had minor league baseball in 1911, when the city briefly hosted a team in the Texas-Oklahoma League. The Lawton Medicine Men had a 17–31 record when the Lawton franchise folded on June 14, 1911.[1]
Lawton next played in the Class D level Sooner State League from 1947 to 1957. Lawton teams played as affiliates of the Milwaukee Braves (1954–1957), Cincinnati Reds (1952–1953) and New York Giants (1947–1951). Lawton took the moniker of their affiliates in each case. Lawton won Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League championships in 1949, 1954 and 1955. The 1954 and 1955 Lawton Braves championship teams were managed by Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Travis Jackson. The Sooner State League folded after the 1957 season.[1]
The ballparks
editThe 1947 to 1957 Lawton teams played home games at Memorial Park. The ballpark was located at 17th and G Streets, S.W., in the area that is now called Ahlschlager Park. The ballpark had a capacity of 3,600 (1947) and 2,000 (1953). Over their final four seasons, Lawton's season attendance had dropped from 47,000 in 1954 to 15,000 by 1957.[2][3][4][5]
In 1911, Lawton played at home games at Koehler Park. Koehler Park was located between S.W. A and C Avenues on the north and south and S.W. 14th and 15th Streets on the east and west in Lawton, Oklahoma.[6][7]
Timeline
edit| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League | Affiliate | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 1 | Lawton Medicine Men | Class D | Texas-Oklahoma League | None | Kohler Park |
| 1947–1951 | 5 | Lawton Giants | Sooner State League | New York Giants | Memorial Park | |
| 1952–1953 | 2 | Lawton Reds | Cincinnati Reds | |||
| 1954–1957 | 4 | Lawton Braves | Milwaukee Braves |
Season-by-season
edit| Year | Record | Win–loss % | Manager | Finish | Playoffs/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 98–42 | .700 | Louis Brower | 1st | Lost 1st round |
| 1948 | 77–59 | .566 | Louis Brower | 2nd | Lost 1st round |
| 1949 | 87–52 | .625 | Louis Brower | 2nd | League Champions |
| 1950 | 37–101 | .268 | Louis Brower | 8th | Did not qualify |
| 1951 | 46–94 | .328 | Ray Baker | 7th | Did not qualify |
| 1952 | 63–77 | .450 | Tuck McWilliams | 6th | Did not qualify |
| 1953 | 47–59 | .443 | Tuck McWilliams | 7th | Did not qualify |
| 1954 | 81–58 | .582 | Travis Jackson | 2nd | League Champions |
| 1955 | 95–44 | .683 | Travis Jackson | 1st | League Champions |
| 1956 | 80–60 | .571 | Travis Jackson | 2nd | Lost 1st round |
| 1957 | 59–66 | .472 | Travis Jackson | 6th | Did not qualify |
Notable alumni
edit- Travis Jackson (1954–1957, MGR) Inducted Baseball Hall of Fame, 1982
- Ed Albrecht (1947)
- Marv Blaylock (1948)
- Louis Brower (1947–1950, Player/MGR)
- Bob Harrison (1948-1949)
- Bobby Knoop (1957) MLB All-Star; Angels Hall of Fame
- Ron Piche (1955)
- Charlie Rabe (1952)
- Ron Samford (1948)
References
edit- ^ a b c Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ ""Braves Battle Shawnee Here Again Tonight," Lawton Constitution, May 17, 1956, p. 12". www.newspapers.com.
- ^ "Memorial Park in Lawton, OK history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Parks and Recreation Map". Google My Maps.
- ^ "Lawton Braves Statistics and Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ ""Texas-Oklahoma Ball Season Opens Tuesday," Lawton Constitution, Apr. 27, 1911, p. 3". gateway.okhistory.org.
- ^ ""Turf Wasn't Artificial, or Dry, For Early Day Cameron Students," Lawton Constitution, Sep. 14, 1975, p. 12". www.newspapers.com.
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