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Outlaw Carolina Baseball League 1936 - 1938

Tracey Davis Hitchner, Sr. (1909 – 1990)

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. 

Lee "Buck" Ravon Ross (1915 - 1975)

 
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.

Ernest Rufus “Red” Evans (1903 – 1973)

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.

George "Buck" Howard Redfern (1902 - 1964)

 
 
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.

Richard "Dick" Broadus Culler (1915 - 1963)

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. 

Bibliography

Ballew, Bill. Baseball in Asheville. Charleston, SC : Arcadia, 2004.

Carolina 1994 Baseball [microform]. (Chapel Hill, N.C. : University of North Carolina Press), 1994.       

Browning, Wilt. The Rocks: the True Story of the Worst Team in Baseball History. (Asheboro, N.C. : Down Home Press), 1992.       

Gaunt, Robert H. We Would Have Played Forever: The History of the Coastal Baseball League. (Durham: Baseball America), 1997.       

Mock Funeral

A mock funeral for the Towelers, the Kannapolis franchise, held in 1938 by Concord Weavers pitchers Ken Chitwood, Bud Voight and Witt Guise. Chitwood and Guise jumped organized baseball contracts to play in the "Outlaw League."  The tombstone reads “Here lies Kannapolis - Died of growing pains.”

The 1938 Kannapolis Towelers

In 1992, Marvin Watts explained that the reason behind the small number of players appearing in this photograph was that the Outlaw League was beginning to collapse, and the professionals did not want their picture taken for fear of being banned from the major leagues. 

Front row, left to right:  Mickey O’Neil, Wilbur McGill, Davis (bat boy), “Buck” Redfern (3B, MGR), "Chick" Suggs (OF), “Ginger” Watts (C). 

Back row:  Jake Daniel, Chief  Daney, Jim White (P), Marvin Watts and Terry Terhune.