The Texas League has primarily operated in the South Central United States since its founding in1902, with a hiatus from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. In 2021, the league was named the Double-A Central before reverting to its original name in 2022. Over that 123-season history, teams in the league have relocated, changed names, transferred to different leagues, or ceased operations altogether. This list documents teams which played in the league.
Team name (#) | A number following a team's name indicates multiple iterations of the team in chronological order. |
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The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the state of Texas; the five North Division teams are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as Double-A Central before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which operated the league from 2000 to 2013, at which point it was purchased by the individual franchise owners. As of the end of its final season in 2014, three of the 30 National Hockey League teams had affiliations with the CHL: the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Texas Collegiate League (TCL) is a collegiate summer baseball league made up of teams from the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The league's headquarters are in Coppell, Texas. Uri Geva, owner of the Brazos Valley Bombers, is the league's president.
The Houston Buffaloes, Houston Buffalos, or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team, and were the first minor league team to be affiliated with a Major League franchise, which was the St. Louis Cardinals. The club was founded in 1888, and played in the Texas League at various levels throughout the majority of its existence. Most recently, from 1959 through 1961, the team played in the Triple-A American Association as the top affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Buffaloes derived their nickname from Buffalo Bayou, the principal waterway through Houston to the Houston Ship Channel, outlet to the Gulf of Mexico. The team's last home was Buffalo Stadium, built in 1928. Before that, they played at West End Park from 1905–1928, and at Herald Park prior to that.
The Big State League was a mid-level, Class B level circuit in American minor league baseball that played for 11 seasons, from 1947 through 1957. Its member clubs were exclusively based in Texas. The Corpus Christi Clippers (1955-1956), Texarkana Bears and Wichita Falls Spudders each won two league championships.
The Sophomore League was a Class D level minor league baseball league that operated from 1958 through 1961. League franchises were located in New Mexico and Texas. The league evolved from the Southwestern League, which played in 1956 and 1957. The name change was part of a systemic change. The circuit went from being one with almost no ties to major league baseball to a league where every team was a minor league affiliate of a major league team.
The Southwestern League was the name of four former minor league baseball leagues that operated in the Southwestern United States. The second league, also known as the Oklahoma State League, was in operation for the 1904 season. The third league operated from 1921 to 1926. The fourth league, formerly the Longhorn League, operated from 1956 to 1957 before changing its name to the Sophomore League.
Jewish Texans have been a part of the history of Texas since the first European explorers arrived in the region in the 16th century. In 1990, there were around 108,000 adherents to Judaism in Texas. More recent estimates place the number at around 120,000.
The Beaumont Golden Gators were a minor league baseball team in the double A Texas League from 1983 to 1986. Owned by insurance man Ted Moor, the team was an affiliate of the San Diego Padres for their entire tenure. Future Major League Baseball players John Kruk, Roberto Alomar, Joey Cora, Ozzie Guillén, Sandy Alomar Jr., Shane Mack, and Benito Santiago all played at one time for the Golden Gators. The team played its home games at Vincent-Beck Stadium on the campus of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas and won the 1983 Texas League championship. Their uniforms were a gaudy gold, white, and green and the hats were of the historic pillbox variety with a white B surrounded by a golden triangle. The cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange are known in local parlance as the "Golden Triangle." The oil bust in 1986 caused the local economy to falter and Moor sold the team to a group that moved them to Wichita, Kansas before the 1987 season, becoming the Wichita Pilots. The team spent 21 seasons in Wichita, being renamed the Wichita Wranglers in 1989, before moving to Springdale, Arkansas and becoming the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Prior to their time in Beaumont the team had been the Amarillo Gold Sox.
The Independent Indoor Football Alliance (IIFA) was a professional indoor football league based in the state of Texas. The league played an abbreviated 2009 season punctuated by a number of forfeits. The league grew and had tighter restrictions for 2010 in hopes of better football action. For the 2011 season, the IIFA joined forces with several independent teams.
Texas is home of several national sports league franchises among other professional sports, being the second most populated U.S. state. Since the state is located in the South Central United States, most teams are part of the Central / South or West league divisions, with the notable exception of the NFL Dallas Cowboys, which is an NFC East franchise.
The South Texas League was a Class C level minor league baseball league that played from 1903 to 1906. League teams were based in Louisiana and Texas. Comprising four teams for its first three years, it expanded to six teams in its final season.
George Christopher Jackson, known also as "Hickory" Jackson, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned 27 seasons, three of which were spent in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Boston Rustlers/Braves (1911–13). Over his major league career, he compiled a .285 batting average with 85 runs scored, 158 hits, 24 doubles, seven triples, four home runs, 73 runs batted in, and 34 stolen bases in 152 games played. Jackson's professional career started in the minor leagues with the Jackson Senators.
Earl Elmer "Red" Snapp was an American minor league baseball player and manager who led seven teams to pennants in their respective leagues.
The Texas-Southern League was a sports league of minor league baseball teams that operated from 1895 to 1899, primarily in Texas. During the 1896 season, the league renamed itself as the Texas Association. History of the Texas-Southern League / Texas Association prior to 1900 follows.
The Texas Colored League was a minor league Negro baseball league organized in 1919 and lasted until 1926. The league did not play a schedule in 1922.
Like many other states in the United States, Texas has a long history with the game of baseball.
Media related to Texas League teams at Wikimedia Commons
