"Rube" Wilson pitched for the Hickory Rebels in 1937. He played semi-professional baseball for teams in the North Carolina State League, Coastal Plain League Bi-State League, the Western Carolina League, and the Appalachian League between 1939-1957 as well as scouted for the Chicago Cubs.
Art Hord was one of Concord’s all-time favorite baseball players. A graduate of Wake Forest, he played ball in Birmingham, Alabama, in the Southern Association during the early 1930s. Hord went on to play in the New York-Penn League, where he was voted best second baseman in 1933. He jumped his contract with the Scranton Miners in Pennsylvania to play second base for as well as manage the Concord Weavers in 1935.
After playing in Albany, N.Y., in the International League, Hitchner left the team because the pay was lousy and they wanted to send him to a Class "D" ball club. Technically, Hitchner was not released from the Albany ball club when he signed up with the Hickory Rebels who were by then part of the Carolina "Outlaw" Leauge.
Born in Norwood, North Carolina, "Buck” Ross pitched for the Kannapolis Towelers before signing with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1935. Ross just missed playing in the Outlaw League by one year. He played in the Majors for ten years, ending his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1945.
Originally from Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Ernest Rufus “Red” Evans began his pitching career with the Omaha Packers, a Nebraska Minor League Ball Club. While with the Packers in 1933, Evans pitched a doubleheader and won both games. Evans became the ace pitcher for the Valdese Textiles in 1937 and was known for not putting up with any of the antics of other ball players.
Asheville native George Howard “Buck” Redfern attended North Carolina State University before signing with the Chicago White Sox during the 1928 and 1929 seasons. Redfern's talents enabled him to play shortstop as well as second and third base. He eventually served as the third baseman for the Concord Weavers in 1937 before moving on to the Kannapolis Towelers as their third baseman and manager in 1938.
Born in High Point, North Carolina, "Dick" Culler graduated from High Point College in 1935, where he excelled in basketball, soccer, and baseball. Known as one of the most intelligent fielders, Culler played shortstop during most of his career.
Born in South Carolina and a graduate of Furman University, "Blackie" Carter enjoyed a brief career in the majors when he played for the New York Giants between 1925 and 1926. During the 1936 innaugural season of the Carolina "Outlaw" League, Carter was managing the Charlotte Hornets. In all, he played for over eight different minor league ball clubs in North Carolina. Eventually, he settled down in his native South Carolina and became a scout for the then Brooklyn Dodgers.
Born in Alabama, Grey Clarke enjoyed a long baseball career as a third baseman. He left Quincy, Illinois, to play ball in Asheville then later joined the Kannapolis Towelers during the 1936-1937 season.
Shown here batting for a team in Dallas, Clarke hit an amazing .361 to lead the Texas League in 1941. Clarke went onto the majors and became a league leader at the plate, with a batting average of .346 for the Milwaukee Braves in 1943 and for the Chicago White Sox in 1944.