Concord Weavers

The Concord Weavers was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball franchise based in Concord, North Carolina from 1936–1952. Concord played as a member of the Independent Carolina League (1936–1938) and the Class D North Carolina State League (1939–1942 and 1945–1951). The franchise also played as the Concord Nationals (1949-1950) and Concord Sports (1951).

Concord Weavers
1936–1951
(1936–1942, 1945–1951)
Concord, North Carolina
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesClass D (1939–1942, 1945–1951)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 1937
Conference titles 1936, 1946
Team data
Previous names
  • Concord Weavers (1936–1942, 1945–1948)
  • Concord Nationals (1949–1950)
  • Concord Sports (1951)
Previous parks
Webb Field

Concord was an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies (1945) and Washington Senators (1949-1950).

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Tommy Lasorda made his professional debut for the Concord Weavers in 1945.

The Concord Weavers moniker had been revived by Concord's current summer collegiate baseball team.

History

Minor league baseball first came to Concord, North Carolina in 1936 when the Concord Weavers were charter members of the Independent Carolina League, along with the Charlotte Hornets Hickory Rebels, Kannapolis Towelers, Rutherford County Owls, Salisbury Colonials and Shelby Cee-Cees and Valdese Textiles. The Independent league was nicknamed as an "outlaw" league because of the Independent status. Concord, and most of the other league members, had previously hosted numerous semi-pro teams in the Carolina Textile League, made up of locals and mill workers.[1][2]

In 1936, the Concord Weavers finished 66–33 (1st) during their initial regular season. In the playoffs, the Weavers defeated the Kannapolis Towelers (3 games to 2) before losing to the Valdese Textiles (4 games to 2) in the league finals. The Weavers drew 55,426 an average of 1,120.[3]

The 1937 Concord Weavers finished 53–44 (2nd). In the playoffs, Concord defeated the Valdese Textiles (3 games to 0) and Kannapolis Towelers (4 games to 1) to win the 1937 Carolina League Championship. The team drew 70,000.[4][5]

Concord finished 47–47 (4th) in 1938, as the Carolina League became a six-team league. The Carolina League folded after the 1938 season, before returning in 1945.[6][7][8]

The 1938 Concord Weavers were controlled by a Board of Directors. The board consisted of local business leaders, school administrators, team personnel and media members.[9]

The Concord Weavers joined the North Carolina State League in 1939, along with the Kannapolis Towelers. Those two teams joined the eight-team North Carolina League to replace the Gastonia Cardinals and Newton-Conover Twins, who both had moved to the new Tar Heel League.[10][11][12]

The Concord Weavers began play in the 1939 North Carolina League, along with members Cooleemee Cools, Kannapolis Towelers, Landis Sens, Lexington Indians, Mooresville Moors, Salisbury Giants and Thomasville Tommies.[13][10]

The Weavers finished 60–50 (3rd) in 1939. They were defeated by the Mooresville Moors (3 games to 1) in the playoffs. The Concord Weavers drew 41,458, an average of 754.[14][11]

Concord finished 5th in both 1940 (58–54) and 1941 (54–51), missing the playoffs both seasons.[11]

In 1942, the Concord Weavers finished 64–34 to win the pennant. In the playoffs, the Thomasville Tommies (3 games to 1) defeated Concord. Because of World War II, the North Carolina State League stopped play after the 1942 season before resuming in 1945.[15][10]

When the North Carolina State League resumed in 1945, the Concord Weavers played the season as an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The weavers finished last in the eight-team league at 34–79.[11][16][17]

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Tommy Lasorda made his professional debut for the Concord Weavers in 1945. At age 17, Lasorda pitched and played the field. He finished the 1945 season 3-12, with a 4.09 ERA in 27 games, walking 100 in 121 innings. As a hitter, Lasorda played in 67 games and hit .274 with one home run in 208 at bats.[18]

In 1946, the Weavers went from last to first, finishing 77–34 to win the league pennant. In the playoffs, Concord swept the Thomasville Dodgers in four games. In the Finals, the Mooresville Moors defeated the Weavers 4 games to 2.[10][19]

The Concord Weavers finished 7th in both 1947 (48–63) and 1948 (44–62), missing the playoffs in both seasons. They drew 26,148 in 1948, an average of 493.[11][20]

In 1949, Concord became an affiliate of the Washington Senators. Concord played the 1949–1950 seasons as the Senators' affiliate, changing their name to the Concord Nationals. The Concord Nationals finished 6th (50–72) in 1949 and 7th (44–68) in 1950. In 1950, the Nationals drew 22,558, an average of 403.[21][22][23]

Concord played as the Concord Sports in 1951. The Sports finished 6th (56–70), missing the playoffs. Concord drew 22,236, an average of 353. Concord folded after the 1951 season and the Hickory Rebels moved to the Western Carolina League. The North Carolina League played the 1952 season with six teams and permanently folded after the season. After 1951, Concord has not hosted another minor league team.[24][25][26][10]

Today, Concord hosts a summer collegiate baseball team, who play in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League. The team revived the Concord Weavers moniker for a time.[27][28]

The ballpark

Concord played home games at Webb Park. The ballpark is owned by the city of Concord, who purchased it from the local school district. Webb Park is still in use today. The address is 165 Academy Avenue, NW, Concord, North Carolina.[29][30][31][32]

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Notable alumni

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gollark: You actually have relevant ARM computers which do things?
gollark: Arguably this defeats some of the point of containers, but whatever.
gollark: You can just give it privileged access of some kind.
gollark: How Dockerious.

References
  1. "1936 Carolina League (CL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  2. "Revisiting Charlotte's Brawlin' Mill Baseball Leagues". April 2, 2017.
  3. "1936 Concord Weavers Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  4. "1937 Concord Weavers Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  5. "1937 Carolina League (CL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  6. "Carolina League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  7. "1938 Concord Weavers Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  8. "1938 Carolina League (CL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  9. "The 1938 Concord Weavers Board of Directors | Charlotte Mecklenburg Story". www.cmstory.org.
  10. "North Carolina State League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  11. "Concord Weavers - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  12. "Tar Heel League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  13. "1939 North Carolina State League (NCSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  14. "1939 Concord Weavers Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  15. "1942 Concord Weavers Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  16. "1945 North Carolina State League (NCSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  17. "1945 Concord Weavers Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  18. "Tom Lasorda Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  19. "1946 Concord Weavers Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  20. "1948 Concord Weavers Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  21. "Concord Nationals - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  22. "Concord Nationals Statistics and Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  23. "1950 Concord Nationals Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  24. "Concord Sports - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  25. "1951 Concord Sports Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  26. "Hickory Rebels - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  27. "MascotDB.com | Concord Weavers". www.mascotdb.com.
  28. "MascotDB.com | Southern Collegiate Baseball League". www.mascotdb.com.
  29. https://www.concordnc.gov/Departments/Parks-Recreation/Facilities
  30. kcimino@independenttribune.com, Karen Cimino Wilson. "Commissioners debate Concord's interest in buying Webb Field". The Independent Tribune.
  31. "Webb Field in Concord, NC history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  32. "1952 North Carolina State League (NCSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
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