The Temple Eagles were a minor league baseball team based in Temple, Texas. From 1949 to 1954, the Eagles played exclusively as members of the Class B level Big State League, winning the 1952 league pennant and qualifying for the playoffs in three seasons. Temple hosted home minor league games at the American Legion Park
| Temple Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Class B (1949–1954) |
| League | Big State League (1949–1954) |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (0) | None |
| Conference titles (1) | 1952 |
| Wild card berths (2) |
|
| Team data | |
| Name | Temple Eagles (1949–1954) |
| Ballpark | American Legion Park (1949–1954) |
History
editMinor league baseball began in Temple, Texas with the 1905 Temple Boll Weevils, who played as members of the Class C level Texas League.[1][2] Several other minor league teams later played in Temple, preceding the Temple Eagles, including the "Temple Tigers"[3] and "Temple Governors", who played as members of the Class D level Middle Texas League in 1914 and 1915,[4][5] the Temple Governors who continued play in the Central Texas League in 1916 and 1917[6] and the "Temple Surgeons" who played in the Texas Association between 1924 and 1926.[7][8][9][10]
In 1949, minor league baseball returned, as Temple "Eagles" franchise was formed and joined the Class B level Big State League. The Eagled joined with the Austin Pioneers, Gainesville Owls, Greenville Majors, Sherman–Denison Twins, Texarkana Bears, Waco Pirates and Wichita Falls Spudders as fellow league members.[11][12]
In their first season of play in the eight–team Big State League, the 1949 Temple Eagles finished the season in last place. Temple ended the regular season with a 58–89 record, placing eighth.[8][13][14] Amputee and former All–Star major league pitcher Monty Stratton pitched briefly for Temple in 1949.[15] Stratton pitched for Temple in the same year that the motion picture The Stratton Story was released nationwide in theaters, starring Jimmy Stewart as Stratton.[16] With a prosthetic leg, Stratton pitched 4 innings in one game for Temple in 1949, taking the loss in the game after giving up 4 unearned runs.[13][17]
Continuing play in the 1950 Big State League, the Temple Eagles finished the season with a 74–70 record to place fourth, drawing 105,081 fans in attendance.[8][18] In 1951, the Eagles had a record of 88–60 to place second, finishing 1.0 games behind the 1st place Gainesville Owls. Temple had home season attendance of 112,022 in 1951.[8][19][20]
The 1952 Temple Eagles finished with a 85–62 record and won the Big State League pennant, finishing 1.0 game ahead of the Tyler East Texans and drawing 101,906 fans for the season. In the playoffs, Temple was defeated 4 games to 1 by the Austin Pioneers.[21][8] Temple followed with a 72–73 record in 1953 to place 5th in 1953.[22][23][8] Temple's 1954 season resulted in a last place finish, as the Eagles ended the season in eighth place with a record of 44–102 and finished 60.5 games behind the 1st place Waco Pirates, playing the season under managers Fred Campbell, Bob Moyer and Fred Martin.[8][24][25][26]
The Temple Eagles franchise folded after the 1954 season in which they had season attendance of 31,673.[8][27] The Big State League continued play in 1955 with the Port Arthur Seahawks franchise replacing Temple in league play.[25] Temple has not hosted another minor league team.[28]
The ballparks
editEarly Temple teams hosted minor league home games at Woodson Field.[29] Today, the site is still in use as a football and soccer facility for Temple High School. Woodson Field is located at 670 West Elm, Temple, Texas.[30]
The Temple Eagles played their minor league home games at American Legion Park in Temple, Texas.[31]
Year–by–year records
edit| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 58-89 | 8th | Barney White (20–40) / Homer Peel (38–49) | Did not qualify |
| 1950 | 74–70 | 4th | Lou Finney | Lost in 1st round |
| 1951 | 88–60 | 2nd | Bill Herring (47–37) / Jack Bradsher (41–23) | Lost in 1st round |
| 1952 | 85–62 | 1st | Salty Parker | Won league pennant Lost in 1st round |
| 1953 | 72–73 | 5th | Salty Parker (36–40) / Lon Goldstein (36–33) | Did not qualify |
| 1954 | 44–102 | 8th | Fred Martin (14–38) / Fred Campbell(15–26) Robert Moyer (15–38) |
Did not qualify |
Notable alumni
editThis list of "famous" or "notable" people has no clear inclusion or exclusion criteria. Please help improve this article by defining clear inclusion criteria to contain only subjects that fit those criteria. (January 2022) |
The following Temple alumni advanced to the major leagues in their careers:
- John Bottarini (1949)
- Lou Finney (1950, MGR)
- Lon Goldstein (1951–1952; 1953, MGR)
- Fred Martin (1954, MGR)
- Salty Parker (1952–1953, MGR)
- Homer Peel (1949, MGR)
- Earl Reid (1950)
- Hal Schacker (1950)
- Tom Simpson (1949)
- Monty Stratton (1949) Subject of The Stratton Story
- Bill Tremel (1951)
- Tommy Warren (1953)
- Barney White (1949, MGR), (1950-1951)
References
edit- ^ "Temple Boll Weevils Statistics and Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1905 Temple Boll Weevils Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Temple Tigers Statistics and Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1915 Temple Governors Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1914 Temple Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1917 Temple Governors/Corsicana Athletics Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1924 Temple Surgeons Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ TDT, Clay Coppedge. "Boll Weevils: A glance at pro baseball in Temple". Temple Daily Telegram.
- ^ "Temple Surgeons Statistics and Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Big State League (B) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1949 Big State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b "1949 Temple Eagles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1951 Temple Eagles Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Monty Stratton Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "The Stratton Story". September 29, 1949 – via IMDb.
- ^ "Monty Stratton – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ "1950 Temple Eagles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1951 Temple Eagles minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1951 Temple Eagles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1952 Temple Eagles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1953 Temple Eagles Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1953 Temple Eagles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1954 Temple Eagles Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ a b "1954 Big State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1954 Temple Eagles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Benoit, Patricia (March 22, 2015). "Backroads: Baseball was a hit in early 1900s". Temple Daily Telegram. Temple, Texas. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ "Temple, Texas Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "15th Street Park in Temple, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ on, Temple Wildcats. "Woodson Field".
- ^ "American Legion Park in Temple, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.