List of Southern Association champions

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The 1908 Southern Association pennant being hoisted at Sulphur Dell in Nashville, Tennessee 1908 Southern Association Pennant (Nashville Vols).jpg
The 1908 Southern Association pennant being hoisted at Sulphur Dell in Nashville, Tennessee

The Southern Association of Minor League Baseball was a baseball league that operated in the United States from 1901 to 1961. A league champion was determined at the end of each season. Champions were determined by postseason playoffs or winning the regular season pennant.

Contents

With 18 pennant wins, the Atlanta Crackers won the most regular season pennants in the history of the Southern Association. They are followed by the New Orleans Pelicans (9); Birmingham Barons, Memphis Egyptians/Chicks, and Nashville Baseball Club/Vols (8); Chattanooga Lookouts and Little Rock Travelers (4); and Mobile Bears (2). [1]

The Nashville Vols have the most playoff championships, with nine. They are followed by the Atlanta Crackers (6); Birmingham Barons (5); Mobile Bears (4); New Orleans Pelicans (3); Little Rock Travelers (2); and Memphis Chicks (1). [2]

Considering all championships, both pennants and playoffs, the Atlanta Crackers (24) have the most in league history. They are followed by the Nashville Baseball Club/Vols (17); Birmingham Barons (13); New Orleans Pelicans (12); Memphis Egyptians/Chicks (9); Little Rock Travelers and Mobile Bears (6); and Chattanooga Lookouts (4).

History

League champions were determined by different means throughout the Southern Associations's existence. Champions from 1901 to 1927 and from 1929 to 1931 were simply the regular season pennant winners. In 1928 and from 1932, either the top two or four teams in the league competed in playoffs to determine a league champion. These playoffs varied between being best-of-five and best-of-seven contests.

Pennant winners

The Nashville Baseball Club won the first Southern Association pennant in 1901. 1901NashvilleVols.jpg
The Nashville Baseball Club won the first Southern Association pennant in 1901.
The Memphis Egyptians, 1903 pennant winners 1903 Memphis Egyptians.jpg
The Memphis Egyptians, 1903 pennant winners
The Nashville Vols, 1908 pennant winners 1908NashvilleVols2.jpg
The Nashville Vols, 1908 pennant winners
The New Orleans Pelicans, 1910 pennant winners 1910NOLAPelicans.jpg
The New Orleans Pelicans, 1910 pennant winners
The New Orleans Pelicans, 1915 pennant winners NO Pelicans Times-Picayune 2 Oct 1915.JPG
The New Orleans Pelicans, 1915 pennant winners
The Nashville Vols, 1916 pennant winners 1916NashvilleVols.jpg
The Nashville Vols, 1916 pennant winners
The Memphis Chicks, 1921 pennant winners 1921 Memphis Chicks.jpg
The Memphis Chicks, 1921 pennant winners
YearPennant winner
1901 Nashville Baseball Club
1902 Nashville Baseball Club
1903 Memphis Egyptians
1904 Memphis Egyptians
1905 New Orleans Pelicans
1906 Birmingham Barons
1907 Atlanta Crackers
1908 Nashville Vols
1909 Atlanta Crackers
1910 New Orleans Pelicans
1911 New Orleans Pelicans
1912 Birmingham Barons
1913 Atlanta Crackers
1914 Birmingham Barons
1915 New Orleans Pelicans
1916 Nashville Vols
1917 Atlanta Crackers
1918 New Orleans Pelicans [lower-alpha 1]
1919 Atlanta Crackers
1920 Little Rock Travelers
1921 Memphis Chicks
1922 Mobile Bears
1923 New Orleans Pelicans
1924 Memphis Chicks
1925 Atlanta Crackers
1926 New Orleans Pelicans
1927 New Orleans Pelicans
1928 Birmingham Barons
1929 Birmingham Barons
1930 Memphis Chicks
1931 Birmingham Barons
1932 Chattanooga Lookouts
1933 Memphis Chicks
1934 New Orleans Pelicans
1935 Atlanta Crackers
1936 Atlanta Crackers
1937 Little Rock Travelers
1938 Atlanta Crackers
1939 Chattanooga Lookouts
1940 Nashville Vols
1941 Atlanta Crackers
1942 Little Rock Travelers
1943 Nashville Vols
1944 Atlanta Crackers
1945 Atlanta Crackers
1946 Atlanta Crackers
1947 Mobile Bears
1948 Nashville Vols
1949 Nashville Vols
1950 Atlanta Crackers
1951 Little Rock Travelers
1952 Chattanooga Lookouts
1953 Memphis Chicks
1954 Atlanta Crackers
1955 Memphis Chicks
1956 Atlanta Crackers
1957 Atlanta Crackers
1958 Birmingham Barons
1959 Birmingham Barons
1960 Atlanta Crackers
1961 Chattanooga Lookouts

Playoff champions

Scores and runner-up teams are absent when no playoffs were held or pennant winners were declared champions.
YearChampionScoreRunner-up
1928 Birmingham Barons 4–0 Memphis Chicks
1929None held
1930None held
1931None held
1932None held
1933 New Orleans Pelicans 3–2 Memphis Chicks
1934 New Orleans Pelicans 3–2 Nashville Vols
1935 Atlanta Crackers 3–0 New Orleans Pelicans
1936 Birmingham Barons 3–0–1 New Orleans Pelicans
1937 Little Rock Travelers 4–3 Atlanta Crackers
1938 Atlanta Crackers 4–1–1 Nashville Vols
1939 Nashville Vols 4–3 Atlanta Crackers
1940 Nashville Vols 4–2 Atlanta Crackers
1941 Nashville Vols 4–3 Atlanta Crackers
1942 Nashville Vols 4–0 Little Rock Travelers
1943 Nashville Vols 4–1 New Orleans Pelicans
1944 Nashville Vols 4–3 Memphis Chicks
1945 Mobile Bears 4–1 New Orleans Pelicans
1946 Atlanta Crackers 4–3 Memphis Chicks
1947 Mobile Bears 4–3 Nashville Vols
1948 Birmingham Barons 4–2 Nashville Vols
1949 Nashville Vols 4–2 Mobile Bears
1950 Nashville Vols 4–1 Atlanta Crackers
1951 Birmingham Barons 4–0 Little Rock Travelers
1952 Memphis Chicks 4–2–1 Mobile Bears
1953 Nashville Vols 4–1 Birmingham Barons
1954 Atlanta Crackers 4–1 New Orleans Pelicans
1955 Mobile Bears 4–2 Birmingham Barons
1956 Atlanta Crackers 4–3 Memphis Chicks
1957 Atlanta Crackers 4–0 Nashville Vols
1958 Birmingham Barons 4–1 Mobile Bears
1959 Mobile Bears 4–1 Birmingham Barons
1960 Little Rock Travelers 3–2 Birmingham Barons

Championship wins by club

Pennants

WinsTeamChampionship years
18 Atlanta Crackers 1907, 1909, 1913, 1917, 1919, 1925, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1941, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1950, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1960
9 New Orleans Pelicans 1905, 1910, 1911, 1915, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1934, 1918
8 Birmingham Barons 1906, 1912, 1914, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1958, 1959
8 Memphis Egyptians/Chicks 1903, 1904, 1921, 1924, 1930, 1933, 1953, 1955
8 Nashville Baseball Club/Vols 1901, 1902, 1908, 1916, 1940, 1943, 1948, 1949
4 Chattanooga Lookouts 1932, 1939, 1952, 1961
4 Little Rock Travelers 1920, 1937, 1942, 1951
2 Mobile Bears 1922, 1947

Playoffs

WinsTeamChampionship years
9 Nashville Vols 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1949, 1950, 1953
6 Atlanta Crackers 1935, 1938, 1946, 1954, 1956, 1957
5 Birmingham Barons 1928, 1936, 1948, 1951, 1958
4 Mobile Bears 1945, 1947, 1955, 1959
3 New Orleans Pelicans 1932, 1933, 1934
2 Little Rock Travelers 1937, 1960
1 Memphis Chicks 1952

See also

Notes

  1. The Southern Association suspended play on June 28 due to World War I. [1]

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References

Specific
  1. 1 2 "Timeline" (PDF). Southern Association Baseball. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  2. O'Neal, Bill (1994), The Southern League: Baseball in Dixie, 1885–1994, Eakin Press, pp. 306–7, ISBN   0890159521
General