Before There Were Outlaws

The roots of the Independent Carolina Baseball League (ICBL), nicknamed the Outlaw League began in the Carolina Textile League. Various textile owners supported local baseball teams. The local clubs served as training grounds for unemployed, professional baseball players, and college baseball stars who all hoped to be noticed by scouts for the major ball clubs. Assured of a mill job in the off-season, the Textile League attracted players from all over the country. Each team enjoyed a loyal, local following that would raise money to cover fines for players whose rough and tumble playing incurred the wrath of umpires.  In the summer of 1935, the games were attracting such large crowds that the owners decided to form their own league independent of the professional league.