Owensboro Oilers
Encyclopedia
The Owensboro Oilers were a minor league baseball team in Owensboro, Kentucky
. The team played in the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League
(KITTY League) in 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1955. In 1952 the team was managed by former major league all-star Wally Berger
. The Oilers were the KITTY League champions in 1946, 1947 and 1949, and were the league runner up in 1951.
Major leaguer Tony Kubek
began his professional baseball career with the Oilers in 1954. Kubek went on to play for nine seasons with the New York Yankees
. Kubek was the 1957 American League Rookie of the Year and played in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game
in 1958, 1959 and 1961. Kubek was enshrined in the Kitty League Hall of Fame in 2005 for his time with the Oilers.
Major leaguer Chuck Tanner
also began his professional baseball career with the Owensboro Oilers, as did Ray Crone
, Don McMahon
and Lee Thomas
.
Other major leaguers who played for the Owensboro Oilers include Ken Silvestri
, Jack McMahan
, Bill Adair
, and Earl Browne
. Browne was a player and manager for the Oilers, winning two consecutive Kitty League pennants with Owensboro (1946 and 1947) and leading the minor leagues with a .424 batting average in 1946. Browne was enshrined in the Kitty League Hall of Fame in 2005 for his time with the Oilers.
The Oilers were affiliated with the Cleveland Indians
in 1937 and 1938, the Boston Braves
in 1939-1940 and 1946-1950, the Boston Red Sox
in 1941-1942 and the New York Yankees
from 1953 to 1955. The Oilers played their home games at Miller Field
in Owensboro.
Half a century later the Owensboro Oilers name was used by a summer collegiate baseball
team in the Ohio Valley Collegiate Baseball League, playing its home games in Panther Park, located at Kentucky Wesleyan College
.
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
. The team played in the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League
Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League
The Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League was a Class D minor league baseball circuit that went through six different lives. The first KITTY League played from 1903 through 1906. The next one ran from 1910 through 1914. The third try played a single season . The circuit was revived in 1922 and lasted...
(KITTY League) in 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1955. In 1952 the team was managed by former major league all-star Wally Berger
Wally Berger
Walter Anton Berger was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for four National League teams, primarily the Boston Braves. One of the league's top sluggers of the early 1930s, in his initial season he hit 38 home runs, a record for rookies which stood until . He still...
. The Oilers were the KITTY League champions in 1946, 1947 and 1949, and were the league runner up in 1951.
Major leaguer Tony Kubek
Tony Kubek
Anthony Christopher "Tony" Kubek is a retired American professional baseball player and television broadcaster....
began his professional baseball career with the Oilers in 1954. Kubek went on to play for nine seasons with the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. Kubek was the 1957 American League Rookie of the Year and played in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
in 1958, 1959 and 1961. Kubek was enshrined in the Kitty League Hall of Fame in 2005 for his time with the Oilers.
Major leaguer Chuck Tanner
Chuck Tanner
Charles William "Chuck" Tanner was a left fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He was known for his unwavering confidence and infectious optimism. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship in 1979...
also began his professional baseball career with the Owensboro Oilers, as did Ray Crone
Ray Crone
Raymond Hayes Crone was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Braves from 1954 to 1957 and the New York/San Francisco Giants from 1957 to 1958.-Early life and career:...
, Don McMahon
Don McMahon
Donald John McMahon was a right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was signed by the Boston Braves before the 1950 season...
and Lee Thomas
Lee Thomas
Lee Thomas may refer to:*Lee Thomas , baseball*Lee Thomas , rugby player*Lee M. Thomas , head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1985-1989...
.
Other major leaguers who played for the Owensboro Oilers include Ken Silvestri
Ken Silvestri
Kenneth Joseph Silvestri was an American backup catcher in Major League Baseball. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. From through , he played for the Chicago White Sox , New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies...
, Jack McMahan
Jack McMahan
Jack Wally McMahan is a former right-handed batting, left-handed throwing Major League Baseball pitcher who played in 1956 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Athletics....
, Bill Adair
Bill Adair
Marion Danne "Bill" Adair was an American coach and interim manager in Major League Baseball. A second baseman, he was a career minor-league player who never rose about the Class AA level but who spent 21 years as a manager in the minors.-History:Born in Mobile, Alabama, Adair was a skipper in the...
, and Earl Browne
Earl Browne
Earl James Browne was an American professional baseball player and manager. An outfielder and first baseman, he threw and batted left-handed, stood tall and weighed...
. Browne was a player and manager for the Oilers, winning two consecutive Kitty League pennants with Owensboro (1946 and 1947) and leading the minor leagues with a .424 batting average in 1946. Browne was enshrined in the Kitty League Hall of Fame in 2005 for his time with the Oilers.
The Oilers were affiliated with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in 1937 and 1938, the Boston Braves
Boston Braves
Boston Braves may refer to any of the following American professional sports teams:*Boston Braves , the Major League Baseball team now known as the Atlanta Braves...
in 1939-1940 and 1946-1950, the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in 1941-1942 and the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
from 1953 to 1955. The Oilers played their home games at Miller Field
Miller Field (baseball)
Miller Field was a baseball stadium in Owensboro, Kentucky.Miller Field's final tenant was the Owensboro Oilers of the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League , playing there from 1937 to 1955. Miller Field was considered the finest ballpark in the KITty League.Miller Field was situated at Triplett...
in Owensboro.
Half a century later the Owensboro Oilers name was used by a summer collegiate baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team in the Ohio Valley Collegiate Baseball League, playing its home games in Panther Park, located at Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky, a city on the Ohio River. KWC is just 40 minutes east of Evansville, Indiana, 2 hours north of Nashville, Tennessee, 2 hours west of Louisville, Kentucky, and 4 hours east of St. Louis, Missouri...
.