Central Association | |
Sport: | Minor League Baseball |
President: | M. E. Justice (1908–1916) John F. Ford (1917) Frank Hern (1947–1948) Lee A. Thomas (1949) |
Inaugural: | 1908 |
Teams: | 30 |
Country: | United States of America |
Continent: | or |
Continents: | --> |
Folded: | 1949 |
Most Champs: | 3 Ottumwa Speedboys (1911–1913) |
Classification: | Class C (1908–1917) Class D (1947–1949) |
The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. It began operations in 1908, as it was essentially renamed from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association ran continuously through 1917. It was reorganized thirty years later, operating as a Class-C league from 1947-1949, with major league affiliates for most teams. Baseball Hall of Fame members Grover Cleveland Alexander (Galesburg), Jake Beckley (Hannibal), Burleigh Grimes (Ottumwa) and Sam Rice (Galesburg and Muscatine) are league alumni.
In 1908, The Central Association formed with charter members: Burlington Pathfinders (Burlington, Iowa), Jacksonville Lunatics (Jacksonville, Illinois), Keokuk Indians (Keokuk, Iowa), Oskaloosa Quakers (Oskaloosa, Iowa), Ottumwa Packers (Ottumwa, Iowa), Quincy Gems (Quincy, Illinois) and the Waterloo Lulus (Waterloo, Iowa) all had been members of the 1907 Iowa State League. A new team in Kewanee, Illinois, the Kewanee Boilermakers, joined as well.
In 1909, the Oskaloosa Quakers franchise folded and the Hannibal Cannibals (Hannibal, Missouri) moved from the Illinois–Missouri League. In 1910, Jacksonville moved to the Northern Association and Waterloo moved to the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. The Galesburg Pavers (Galesburg, Illinois) and Monmouth Browns (Monmouth, Illinois) joined after having left the Illinois–Missouri League. For the 1911 season, Quincy moved to the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League and the Muscatine Camels (Muscatine, Iowa) formed and joined the league.
For 1913, Galesburg and Hannibal folded, with the Cedar Rapids Rabbits (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), and Waterloo Jays (Waterloo, Iowa) forming to join the league. In 1914, Kewanee and Monmouth folded while the Clinton Pilots (Clinton, Iowa) and Marshalltown Ansons (Marshalltown, Iowa) formed and joined the league. Ottumwa moved to Rock Island, Illinois, as the Rock Island Islanders and then again to Galesburg, as the Galesburg Pavers.
In 1915, Galesburg folded and the Mason City Claydiggers (Mason City, Iowa) formed and joined the league. The Clinton team folded during the season. The league also threw out several wins by Keokuk (1), Marshalltown (5), Waterloo (1), and Clinton (40) after the fact.
Keokuk folded in 1916, while the Clinton Pilots rejoined and the Fort Dodge Dodgers (Fort Dodge, Iowa) formed and joined the league. Burlington moved to become the Ottumwa Packers on July 20, and Muscatine also forfeited 34 wins in 1916.
In the final season, 1917, Muscatine and Ottumwa folded. The Dubuque Dubs in Dubuque, Iowa and the La Crosse Infants (La Crosse, Wisconsin) formed and joined the league. Dubuque moved to Charles City, Iowa on July 4 to become the Charles City Tractorites. Cedar Rapids moved to Clear Lake, Iowa on July 27, finishing the season as the Clear Lake Rabbits. Clinton and La Crosse both folded before the end of the season on July 17. After the season, the league, and all teams in it, folded.
In 1947, a new league of the same name was created with major league affiliations. The Clinton Cubs (Chicago Cubs) in Clinton, Iowa; Hannibal Pilots (St. Louis Browns), Hannibal, Missouri; Rockford Rox (Cincinnati Reds), Rockford, Illinois; Keokuk Pirates (Pittsburgh Pirates), Keokuk, Iowa; Burlington Indians (Cleveland Indians), Burlington, Iowa, and the Moline A's, (Philadelphia A's) Moline, Illinois were the charter members of the reformed league.
In 1948, the Moline A's moved to Kewanee, Illinois to become the Kewanee A's in mid-season. In 1949, the Hannibal Pilots folded and the Cedar Rapids Rockets of Cedar Rapids, Iowa formed to join the league. Kewanee captured the 1949 championship. After the 1949 season, Cedar Rapids joined the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, and the rest of the teams, and the league itself, folded.
Burlington Pathfinders 1908–1916; Burlington Indians 1947–1949
Cedar Rapids Rabbits 1913–1917; Cedar Rapids Rockets 1949
Clear Lake Rabbits 1917
Clinton Pilots 1914–1917; Clinton Cubs 1947–1948; Clinton Steers 1949
Dubuque Dubs 1917
Fort Dodge Dodgers 1916–1917
Galesburg Pavers 1910–1912; Galesburg Pavers 1914
Hannibal Cannibals 1909–1912; Hannibal Pilots 1947–1948
Jacksonville Lunatics 1908; Jacksonville Braves 1909
Keokuk Indians 1908–1915; Keokuk Pirates 1947–1949
Kewanee Boilermakers 1908–1913; Kewanee A's 1948–1949
La Crosse Infants 1917
Marshalltown Ansons 1914–1917
Mason City Claydiggers 1915–1917
Moline A's 1947–1948
Monmouth Browns 1910–1913
Muscatine Camels 1911; Muscatine Wallopers 1912–1913; Muscatine Buttonmakers 1914; Muscatine Muskies 1915–1916
Oskaloosa Quakers 1908
Ottumwa Packers 1908–1910; Ottumwa Speedboys 1911–1912; Ottumwa Packers 1913–1914; Ottumwa Packers 1916
Rockford Rox 1947–1949
Quincy Gems 1908; Quincy Vets 1909–1910
Waterloo Lulus 1908–1909; Waterloo Jays 1913–1915; Waterloo Shamrocks 1916; Waterloo Loons 1917
1908 Central Association
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Waterloo Lulus | 88 | 37 | .704 | – | Frank Boyle | |
83 | 41 | .669 | 4.5 | Ned Egan | ||
73 | 55 | .570 | 16.5 | Harry Hofer | ||
Keokuk Indians | 57 | 68 | .456 | 31.0 | Frank Belt | |
Jacksonville Lunatics | 56 | 69 | .448 | 32.0 | ||
51 | 75 | .398 | 37.5 | Snapper Kennedy / Taylor Kensel | ||
Kewanee Boilermakers | 48 | 79 | .378 | 41.0 | Harry Busse / Andy Steveson / William Connors | |
48 | 80 | .375 | 41.5 | Billy Earle / Chuck Fleming |
John House | Burlington | BA | .306 | Waterloo | W | 32 | |||
Charles Rose | Burlington | Hits | 146 | Harry Gaspar | Waterloo | SO | 2.17 | ||
Al Linderbeck | Quincy | Runs | 75 | Harry Gaspar | Waterloo | Pct | .889; 32–4 | ||
Al Linderbeck | Quincy | HR | 10 |
1909 Central Association
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burlington Pathfinders | 83 | 51 | .620 | – | 36,884 | Ned Egan | |
Hannibal Cannibals | 83 | 53 | .610 | 1.0 | 30,130 | Bert Hough / Ben Prout | |
80 | 57 | .584 | 4.5 | 42,029 | Frank Belt | ||
Kewanee Boilermakers | 73 | 61 | .544 | 10.0 | 31,228 | William Connors | |
Waterloo Lulus | 64 | 69 | .481 | 18.5 | 33,756 | Frank Boyle | |
62 | 73 | .459 | 21.5 | 45,527 | Louis Cook / Harry Hofer / Fred Bennett | ||
Jacksonville Braves | 46 | 84 | .354 | 35.0 | 26,908 | ||
48 | 91 | .345 | 37.5 | 35,576 | Hugh Shannon / Arthur Owens |
Fred Fenney | Ottum/Burl | BA | .300 | Collis Spencer | Burlington | W | 27 | ||
George Manush | Burlington | Hits | 149 | Joe Vyskocil | Hannibal | SO | 209 | ||
George Manush | Burlington | Runs | 91 | Burleigh Grimes | Ottum/Kew | Pct | .742; 23–8 | ||
Al Linderbeck | Quincy | HR | 10 | ||||||
H.W. Gray | Jacksonville | HR | 10 |
1910 Central Association
schedule
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quincy Vets | 88 | 50 | .638 | – | 37,213 | ||
Ottumwa Packers | 80 | 57 | .584 | 7.5 | 37,000 | Ned Egan | |
77 | 60 | .562 | 10.5 | 28,547 | Bill Prout / Bill Forney | ||
Galesburg Pavers | 69 | 67 | .507 | 18.0 | 35,031 | Bert Hough | |
Keokuk Indians | 67 | 70 | .493 | 20.5 | 28,160 | Frank Belt | |
62 | 72 | .459 | 24.0 | 25,000 | |||
Burlington Pathfinders | 56 | 81 | .409 | 31.5 | 25,043 | ||
49 | 91 | .350 | 40.0 | 26,307 | William Connors / Ted Price |
Dan Kerwin | Hannibal | BA | .331 | Charles Fanning | Galesburg | W | 30 | ||
Thomas Owens | Quincy | Hits | 148 | Charles Fanning | Galesburg | SO | 320 | ||
Don Senno | Ottumwa | Runs | 84 | Charles Fanning | Galesburg | Pct | .714; 30–12 | ||
Thomas Owens | Quincy | HR | 9 | Bill Donahue | Quincy | HR | 9 |
1911 Central Association
schedule
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ottumwa Speedboys | 87 | 41 | .680 | – | Ned Egan | |
Burlington Pathfinders | 81 | 44 | .648 | 4.5 | Richard Rohn | |
66 | 63 | .512 | 21.5 | Bert Hough | ||
Keokuk Indians | 64 | 64 | .500 | 23.0 | Frank Belt | |
Kewanee Boilermakers | 59 | 67 | .468 | 27.0 | Jay Andrews | |
59 | 69 | .461 | 28.0 | Claude Starke | ||
Muscatine Camels | 48 | 80 | .375 | 39.0 | Harry C. Blake / Lou Walters / Pearl Holycross | |
45 | 81 | .357 | 41.0 | Jake Beckley |
Pearl Holycross | Muscatine | BA | .361 | Ottumwa | W | 30 | |||
Taylor Kensel | Ottumwa | Hits | 163 | Ray Boyd | Ottumwa | Pct | .811; 30–7 | ||
George Watson | Burlington | Runs | 108 | A.J. Ahring | Muscatine | SB | 79 | ||
Don Senno | Ottumwa | HR | 14 |
1912 Central Association
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ottumwa Speedboys | 79 | 50 | .612 | – | 23,000 | Ned Egan | |
Kewanee Boilermakers | 74 | 51 | .592 | 3.0 | 19,000 | George Pennington / Art Queisser | |
73 | 53 | .579 | 4.5 | 25,000 | Richard Rohn | ||
Monmouth Browns | 71 | 55 | .563 | 6.5 | 18,000 | Bert Hough / Jack Corbett / R.L. Noven | |
Hannibal Cannibals | 67 | 61 | .523 | 11.5 | NA | Eddie Herr / Ed Painter | |
61 | 67 | .477 | 17.5 | 18,000 | Ducky Eberts | ||
Keokuk Indians | 49 | 76 | .392 | 28.0 | 17,000 | Art Queisser / Bill Proutt | |
33 | 94 | .260 | 45.0 | 22,000 | Ed Coleman / Bill Kreig / Joe Wall / Bill Clayton |
George Manush | Ottumwa | BA | .375 | Bert Dunn | Ottumwa | W | 26 | ||
Harry Shanley | Muscatine | Hits | 176 | Joe Sloan | Keokuk | SO | 197 | ||
Harry Ellis | Burlington | Runs | 100 | Tom Drohan | Kewanee | Pct | .800; 24–6 | ||
John Sullivan | Ottumwa | HR | 21 |
1913 Central Association
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ottumwa Packers | 72 | 54 | .571 | – | Ned Egan | |
Muscatine Wallopers | 68 | 54 | .557 | 2.0 | Frank Boyle | |
64 | 62 | .508 | 8.0 | Bert Hough | ||
Keokuk Indians | 62 | 63 | .496 | 9.5 | George Manush | |
Burlington Pathfinders | 63 | 66 | .488 | 10.5 | Richard Rohn | |
59 | 65 | .476 | 12.0 | |||
Kewanee Boilermakers | 59 | 65 | .476 | 12.0 | George Pennington / Frank Richardson | |
53 | 71 | .427 | 18.0 | Jay Andrews |
Dave Milligan | Cedar Rapids | BA | .320 | Muscatine | W | 22 | |||
Harry Ellis | Burlington | Hits | 156 | George Zackert | Muscatine | SO | 230 | ||
Harry Ellis | Burlington | Runs | 100 | George Zackert | Muscatine | Pct | .759; 22–7 | ||
Elmer Jacobs | Burlington | SO | 230 |
1914 Central Association
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Waterloo Jays | 78 | 51 | .605 | – | Jay Andrews | |
Burlington Pathfinders | 75 | 53 | .586 | 2.5 | Tom Hayden / George Manush | |
72 | 53 | .576 | 4.0 | Frank Boyle | ||
Clinton Pilots | 67 | 61 | .523 | 10.5 | Bert Hough | |
Cedar Rapids Bunnies | 64 | 60 | .516 | 11.5 | ||
52 | 76 | .406 | 25.5 | Spencer Abbott / Harry Sweet | ||
Marshalltown Ansons | 52 | 76 | .406 | 25.5 | Frank Richardson | |
Ottumwa Packers / Rock Island Islanders / Galesburg Pavers | 49 | 79 | .373 | 28.5 | Ned Egan |
Paddy Siglin | Waterloo | BA | .322 | Fred Miller | Burlington | W | 23 | |||
John Singleton | Burlington | Hits | 158 | George Zackert | Muscatine | SO | 305 | |||
Walt Meinert | Burlington | Runs | 94 | W. Halper | Cedar Rapids | Pct | .722; 13–5 |
1915 Central Association
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burlington Pathfinders | 81 | 38 | .681 | – | Richard Rohn | |
Muscatine Muskies | 63 | 57 | .525 | 18.5 | Ned Egan / Jess Runser | |
51 | 52 | .495 | 22.0 | Frank Boyle | ||
Mason City Claydiggers | 58 | 63 | .479 | 24.0 | ||
Cedar Rapids Rabbits | 54 | 62 | .466 | 25.5 | James Hamilton / Jack Herbert | |
46 | 67 | .407 | 32.0 | Frank Richardson / Bob Lynch | ||
Waterloo Jays | 52 | 74 | .413 | 32.5 | Jay Andrews / Eddie Brennan | |
13 | 69 | .159 | NA | George Manush |
Bill Collins | Cedar Rapids | BA | .337 | Burlington | W | 23 | |||
Walt Meinert | Burlington | Hits | 137 | Dick Blunk | Burlington | W | 23 | ||
Walt Meinert | Burlington | Runs | 97 | Grover Baichley | Burlington | Pct | .697; 23-–0 | ||
Harmon Hagmon | Burlington | Hits | 137 | Grover Baichley | Burlington | SO | 310 | ||
Cliff Lee | Muscatine | HR | 9 | ||||||
Lyle Sours | Muscatine | HR | 9 |
1916 Central Association
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marshalltown Ansons | 77 | 50 | .606 | – | Frank Boyle | |
Clinton Pilots | 73 | 51 | .589 | 2.5 | Jim Drohan / Larry Brown | |
62 | 64 | .492 | 14.5 | |||
Burlington Pathfinders / Ottumwa Packers | 62 | 64 | .492 | 14.5 | Richard Rohn / George Boelzle | |
Waterloo Shamrocks | 58 | 67 | .464 | 18.0 | ||
50 | 76 | .397 | 26.5 | |||
Fort Dodge Dodgers | 41 | 86 | .323 | 36.0 | ||
Muscatine Muskies | 45 | 44 | .506 | NA | Ned Egan |
Babe Ellison | Muscatine | BA | .361 | Dick Blunk | Ottumwa | W | 24 | ||
Babe Ellison | Muscatine | Hits | 178 | H. W. Flanagan | Muscatine | SO | 266 | ||
Charles Reinhart | Muscatine | Runs | 104 | Ken Penner | Marshalltown | ERA | 1.41 | ||
Albert Durham | Musca/Marsh | HR | 18 |
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marshalltown Ansons | 64 | 34 | .653 | – | Frank Boyle | |
Mason City Claydiggers | 54 | 38 | .587 | 7.0 | ||
50 | 42 | .543 | 11.0 | Ned Egan | ||
Cedar Rapids Rabbits / Clear Lake Rabbits | 39 | 52 | .429 | 21.5 | W. Collins / Jay Andrews / Harry Shanley | |
Dubuque Dubs / Charles City Tractorites | 40 | 54 | .426 | 22.0 | George Hughes | |
37 | 57 | .394 | 25.0 | |||
40 | 33 | .548 | NA | Larry Brown | ||
29 | 43 | .403 | NA | Mike Malloy / Jay Andrews |
Bing Miller | Clinton | BA | .337 | Marshalltown | W | 20 | ||
Bing Miller | Clinton | Hits | 106 | Frank Ulch | La Cros/Cedar | ERA | 1.25 | |
Joe Wilkes | Clin/Charl | Runs | 69 | |||||
John Mokan | Ft. Dodge | HR | 9 |
1947 Central Association
schedule
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clinton Cubs | 73 | 51 | .589 | – | 59,553 | Robert Peterson | |
Hannibal Pilots | 69 | 56 | .552 | 4.5 | 40,490 | Herb Nordquist | |
68 | 57 | .544 | 5.5 | 67,938 | Cyril Pfeifer | ||
Keokuk Pirates | 61 | 64 | .488 | 12.5 | 44,332 | ||
Burlington Indians | 52 | 72 | .419 | 21.0 | 37,138 | ||
51 | 74 | .408 | 22.5 | 27,479 | Elwood Wheaton |
Edward Wiltsee | Clinton | BA | .387 | Charles Funk | Hannibal | W | 19 | ||
Roy Sievers | Hannibal | Hits | 159 | Charles Funk | Hannibal | SO | 145 | ||
Roy Sievers | Hannibal | Runs | 121 | Stan Wnetrzak | Clinton | ERA | 1.72 | ||
Roy Sievers | Hannibal | RBI | 141 | Roy Sievers | Hannibal | HR | 34 |
Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clinton Cubs | 79 | 47 | .627 | – | 53,133 | ||
Burlington Indians | 68 | 62 | .523 | 13.0 | 70,359 | ||
67 | 62 | .519 | 13.5 | 41,124 | Walter DeFreitas | ||
Keokuk Pirates | 61 | 67 | .477 | 19.0 | 54,694 | ||
Rockford Rox | 56 | 72 | .438 | 24.0 | 43,133 | ||
53 | 74 | .417 | 26.5 | 38,088 |
Gus Bell | Keokuk | BA | .319 | Ronald McLeland | Hannibal | W | 18 | ||
Billy Klaus | Clintonl | Hits | 167 | Calvin Howe | Clinton | W | 18 | ||
Elzer Marx | Clinton | Runs | 108 | Wesley Carr | Clinton | SO | 163 | ||
Dwight Maxhimer | Clinton | RBI | 105 | Merrill Merkle | Hannibal | SO | 163 | ||
John Tanner | Keokuk | HR | 23 | Ronald McLeland | Hannibal | ERA | 2.39 |
Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burlington Indians | 81 | 48 | .628 | – | 57,915 | ||
Keokuk Pirates | 74 | 54 | .578 | 6.5 | 38,931 | ||
68 | 60 | .531 | 12.5 | 29,482 | Harold Hoffman | ||
Cedar Rapids Rockets | 63 | 67 | .485 | 18.5 | 84,185 | ||
Clinton Steers | 61 | 65 | .484 | 18.5 | 35,764 | Adolph Matulis / Joe Blake | |
38 | 91 | .295 | 43.0 | 19,304 | Robert Dill / Fred Lietz |
Harry Minor | Keokuk | BA | .350 | Walter Rush | Burlington | W | 16 | ||
John Miller | Kewanee | Hits | 158 | John Graney | Clinton | SO | 164 | ||
George Sopko | Keokuk | Runs | 120 | Harry Pritz | Keokuk | ERA | 1.32 | ||
John Tanner | Cedar Rapids | RBI | 121 | ||||||
John Tanner | Cedar Rapids | HR | 37 |