Links
- Baseball History: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/
- Outlaw Baseball Site: http://www.baseballoutlaws.com/index.php
- Guide to the R. G. (Hank) Utley Papers in the Carolina Room: http://www.cmstory.org/sites/default/files/papersUtley.pdf
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Outlaw Carolina Baseball League 1936 - 1938
The Visionary: Aubrey Hoover (1882 - 1936)
Aubrey Hoover was the owner of Hoover Hosiery Mills, and President of the Concord Weavers in 1935. In the summer of 1935, Hoover realized the monetary potential behind leaving the Textile League and creating and independent league. Famous for his role in the "kidnapping" of young pitcher Carl Doyle in 1935, while he was on his way to report with the Philadelphia Athletics. Sadly, Hoover died before seeing his dream of come to fruition.
The Men Behind the Scenes: Owners and Managers
Some were textile owners,some lawyers, and others who had made their money in furniture, but all were men of influence in their community. They were united in their love for baseball as long as it was profitable.
Combining their business skills with their desire for a winning team, the owners managed to attract some of the most interesting and talented men in baseball to come south and become an “outlaw.” The owners wisely hired managers with long experience in baseball. Some of the managers played alongside the men they hired.
Outlaw Carolina Baseball League 1936 - 1938
At one time, baseball ruled as America’s pastime. In 1936, a number of textile owners combined their passion for the sport with their desire to make money and formed the North Carolina Independent League. In the pursuit of winning, the owners began hiring professional baseball players, thus incurring the wrath of the major baseball teams, and the President of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, Judge William G. Braham, who identified each of the teams in the newly formed ICBL as an outlaw league.