The Virginia League was a minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 affiliation which operated in Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 and North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 from 1906 to 1928. It was classified as a "C" league from 1906 to 1919 and as a "B" league from 1920 to 1928.

The most famous alumni to come out of the league were WWII hero, General Frank A. Armstrong

Frank A. Armstrong

Frank Alton Armstrong, Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Army Air Forces and the inspiration for the main character in the novel and subsequent film, Twelve O'Clock High. After the war he became a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force.Armstrong was born in Hamilton,...

 (the highest ranking military officer to have played professional baseball), and Hall of Fame

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...

 members Rick Ferrell

Rick Ferrell

Richard Benjamin Ferrell was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and executive. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators. Ferrell was regarded as one of the best catchers in baseball during the...

, Chief Bender

Chief Bender

Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...

, Pie Traynor

Pie Traynor

Harold Joseph "Pie" Traynor was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and radio broadcaster. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a third baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He batted and threw right-handed...

, and Hack Wilson

Hack Wilson

Lewis Robert "Hack" Wilson was an American professional baseball player who played 12 seasons with the New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies...

. Chief Bender

Chief Bender

Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...

, Art Devlin, Gabby Street

Gabby Street

Charles Evard “Gabby” Street , also nicknamed "The Old Sarge", was an American catcher, manager, coach and radio broadcaster in Major League Baseball during the first half of the 20th century. As a catcher, he participated in one of the most publicized baseball stunts of the century's first decade....

 and Zinn Beck

Zinn Beck

Zinn Bertram Beck was a Major League Baseball Third baseman, Shortstop and First Baseman also minor league manager and baseball scout. Beck played for the St. Louis Cardinals from to , and the New York Yankees in . In 290 career games, he had a .226 batting average with 204 hits in 902 At-bats....

 served as managers in the league.

Virginia League Champions †

1906 - Lynchburg Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in... 1907 - Norfolk Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach.... 1908 - Richmond Richmond, Virginia Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... 1909 - Roanoke Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010... 1910 - Danville Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for... 1911 - Petersburg Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity... 1912 - Roanoke 1913 - Petersburg

1914 - Norfolk 1915 - Rocky Mount Rocky Mount, North Carolina Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of... 1916 - Newport News Newport News, Virginia Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News... 1917 - Newport News 1918 - Richmond 1919 - Petersburg 1920 - Portsmouth Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S... 1921 - Portsmouth

1922 - Wilson Wilson, North Carolina Wilson is a city and the county seat of Wilson County in the Coastal Plain region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The 18th largest city in the state, Wilson had a population of 49,167 according to the 2010 census.- Geography :... 1923 - Wilson 1924 - Richmond 1925 - Richmond 1926 - Richmond 1927 - Portsmouth 1928 - Norfolk

† Playoffs were not held at the end of most seasons. In those cases, the Champions listed were the teams who ended the regular season in first place.

Complete team list (1906-1928)

Danville Bugs (1911) Danville Red Sox (1906-10,1912) Hopewell Powder Puffs (1916) Kinston Eagles (1925-27) Lynchburg Shoemakers (1906-12, 1917) Newport News Shipbuilders (1912-22) Norfolk Mary Janes (1920) Norfolk Tars Norfolk Tars The Norfolk Tars were a minor league baseball team that existed on and off from 1906 to 1955. Based in Norfolk, Virginia, they played in the Virginia League from 1906 to 1918 and from 1921 to 1928, in the Eastern League from 1931 to 1932 and in the Piedmont League from 1934 to 1955, and from 1934...  (1906-19,1921-28) Petersburg Broncos↑ (1926-28) Petersburg Goobers (1910,1912-21,1924) Petersburg Hustlers (1911) Petersburg Trunkmakers (1923) Portsmouth Foxes (1916) Portsmouth Pirates Portsmouth Pirates The Portsmouth Pirates are an Australian Rules Football team based in Portsmouth, England.They play in the English Australian Rules Southern Football League under a 9-a-side footy rules format.- History :...  (1912-13)

Portsmouth Truckers Portsmouth Truckers The Portsmouth Truckers were a Virginia League baseball team based in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA that existed on-and-off from 1895 to 1928. They also played in the Piedmont League in 1935, when they were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs....  (1906-10,1914-15,1917,1919-28) Richmond Colts Richmond Colts The Richmond Colts were a minor league baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia that existed on-and-off from 1894 to 1953. They played in the Virginia League in 1894, and in another Virginia League in 1900, and another Virginia League from 1906–1914 and from 1918-1928...  (1906-14,1918-28) Roanoke Tigers (1906-14) Roanoke Rapids Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Roanoke Rapids is a city in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 16,957 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Roanoke Rapids Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:... ‡ (1916) Rocky Mount Broncos↑ (1924-25) Rocky Mount Carolinians (1915) Rocky Mount Tar Heels (1916-17,1920-23) Suffolk Nuts (1919-20) Suffolk Tigers (1915) Suffolk Wildcats (1921) Tarboro Tarbabies (1921) Wilson Bugs (1920-22,1924-27) Wilson Tobacconists (1923)

↑ Also spelled "Bronchos."

‡ This team had no known nickname.

External links

• BR Bullpen page