Rockford Peaches

Last updated
Rockford Peaches
AAGPBL Rockford.png RockfordPeaches caplogo.png
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Previous leagues
All-American Women's Professional Baseball League
Minor league titles
League titles 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950
Team data
ColorsRed, black
  
Previous parks
Beyer Stadium
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
AAGPBL

The Rockford Peaches were a women's professional baseball team who played from 1943 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented Rockford, Illinois.

Contents

The Peaches were one of two teams to play in every AAGPBL season, the other being the South Bend Blue Sox. They played their home games at Beyer Stadium on 15th Avenue in Rockford. The team's uniform consisted of a peach colored dress featuring the Rockford city seal centered on the chest, along with red socks and cap. In later years, the Peaches wore a white home uniform with black socks and cap.

History

One of the more successful teams in the AAGPBL, the Dollys won the league championship in 1945, 1948, 1949, and 1950 and had its share of star players. Dyes were hard to come by towards the end of the war and the team chose to dye their white uniforms a light shade of peach, which inspired the team nickname.[ citation needed ]

Peaches players who were named to the All-Star teams from 1946 to 1954 included Dorothy Kamenshek, Lois Florreich, Dorothy Harrell, Carolyn Morris, Alice Pollitt, Ruth Richard, Rose Gacioch, Eleanor Callow, and Joan Berger. Pitcher Olive Little hurled the first no-hitter both in team and league history. [1] In addition, Florreich was the pitching champion in 1949 during the league's overhand era, and Gladys Davis won the league batting crown in the 1943 inaugural season, while Kamenshek earned the honors in the 1946 and 1947 seasons.

When former player Eileen Burmeister was asked why The Peaches supposedly favored theatricality over technical skill, she replied, "If God meant for us to play baseball, He would've made us any good at it."[ citation needed ].

The last living player of the first Peaches roster in AAGPBL, pitcher Mary Pratt, died on May 6, 2020, at the age of 101.

All-time roster

1952 Rockford Peaches
Back, L-R: Jacquelyn Kelley, Rose Gacioch, Eleanor Callow, Bill Allington (Manager), Marie Mansfield, Amy Irene Applegren, Carol Habben, Jean Buckley. Front, L-R: Dorothy Harrell Doyle, Dorothy Ferguson, Dolores Lee, Joan Berger, Dottie Green (Chaperone), Alice Pollitt, Ruth Richard, Helen Nordquist, Migdalia Perez. 1952 Rockford Peaches.jpg
1952 Rockford Peaches
Back, L-R: Jacquelyn Kelley, Rose Gacioch, Eleanor Callow, Bill Allington (Manager), Marie Mansfield, Amy Irene Applegren, Carol Habben, Jean Buckley. Front, L-R: Dorothy Harrell Doyle, Dorothy Ferguson, Dolores Lee, Joan Berger, Dottie Green (Chaperone), Alice Pollitt, Ruth Richard, Helen Nordquist, Migdalia Perez.
Bold denotes members of the inaugural roster


[3]

Managers

* Eddie Stumpf 1943
* Jack Kloza 1944
* Bill Allington 1945
1946
* William Edwards 1947
* Bill Allington 1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
* Johnny Rawlings 1953
1954

A League of Their Own

The Rockford Peaches feature in the 1992 film A League of Their Own by Penny Marshall. However, all of the characters in the film are fictitious. The team did not play in the 1943 league championship, as depicted in the film. In real life, the Racine Belles faced the Kenosha Comets in 1943; the Peaches won their first title in 1945. The formation of the AAGPBL and the Rockford Peaches are also centered in the 2022 TV series A League of Their Own.

See also

Related Research Articles

Dorothy "Kammie" Kamenshek was an American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player. She batted and threw left-handed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Bend Blue Sox</span> Minor league baseball team

The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from 1943 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix Field (1943–1945) and Playland Park (1946–1954).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racine Belles</span> Minor league baseball team

The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from 1943 through 1950 out of Racine, Wisconsin. The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenosha Comets</span> Womens professional baseball team

Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team that played from 1943 through 1951 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team played their home games at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium, but later moved to Simmons Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Wayne Daisies</span> Minor league baseball team

The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that played from 1945 through 1954 as members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Rapids Chicks</span> Minor league baseball team

The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peoria Redwings</span> Minor league baseball team

The Peoria Redwings was a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season and remained in the league through 1951. The team represented Peoria, Illinois, playing home games at Peoria Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalamazoo Lassies</span> Minor league baseball team

The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from 1950 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team represented Kalamazoo, Michigan. Home games were initially played at Lindstrom Field, but later games were played at the Catholic Athletic Association Field, now the Soisson-Rapacz field. Kalamazoo uniforms were white (home) and gold (away) with dark green numbers, belt, socks, and cap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Colleens</span> Minor league baseball team

The Chicago Colleens were a women's professional baseball team who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1948 to 1951, evolving into a development team. The team was based Chicago, Illinois and played their home games at Shewbridge Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Pollitt</span> Baseball player

Alice Pollitt Deschaine [born Margaret Pollitt] was an infielder who played from 1947 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m), 150 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Harrell</span> Baseball player

Dorothy Harrell was a shortstop who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 4", 127 lb., Harrell batted and threw right-handed. After being married she played under the name of Dorothy Doyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Cione</span> Baseball player

Jean S. Cione [″Cy″] was a pitcher who played from 1945 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 143 lb., She batted and threw left-handed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Ferguson</span> Baseball player

Dorothy B. "Dottie" Ferguson Key was a Canadian infielder and outfielder who played from 1945 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 125 lb., she batted and threw right handed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Applegren</span> Baseball player

Amy Irene "Lefty" Applegren was an American baseball pitcher and infielder who played from 1944 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5'4, 125 lb., she batted and threw left-handed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earlene Risinger</span> Baseball player

Helen Earlene Risinger was a pitcher who played from 1948 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 6' 2", 137 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.

Marie Mansfield [Kelley] is a former pitcher who played from 1950 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 140 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlene Barnett</span> Baseball player

Charlene Barnett ("Barney") was an infielder who played from 1947 through 1950 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed.

References

  1. Immodest and Sensational: 150 Years of Canadian Women in Sport, M. Ann Hall, p.57, James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Toronto, 2008, ISBN   978-1-55277-021-4
  2. "AAGPBL Profile Search".
  3. The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2005. Format: Paperback, 295 pp. Language: English. ISBN   0-7864-3747-2

Further reading