Iola Cubs

The Iola Cubs was the first and primary name of the Class Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League minor league baseball team based in Iola, Kansas, USA, that played in 1946 and 1947. The Iola Cubs were preceded by other early 1900s Iola minor league teams and succeeded by the Iola Indians. Iola won league championships in 1904 and 1946.

Iola Cubs
(1902-1904, 1906-1908, 1946-1952, 1954)
Iola, Kansas
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Class D (1946-1952)
  • Class C (1954)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 3 (1904, 1946)
Division titles 1952
Team data
NicknameIola Cubs (1946-1947)
Previous names
  • Iola Indians (1948-1952, 1954)
  • Iola Champs (1908)
  • Iola Grays (1906)
  • Iola Gasbags (1902, 1904)
  • Iola Gaslighters (1903)
Previous parks
Riverside Municipal Ballpark
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Earl Sifers[1]

History

The 1946 Iola Cubs were the first professional baseball team based in Iola since the 1908 Iola Champs. The Iola Cubs were an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, playing in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League.[2] Managed by Al Reitz both years, the team finished second and third in the standings in 1946 and 1947, respectively, and reached the league finals both seasons.

Remaining in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League, Iola became an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in 1948 and played as the Iola Indians in 1948-1952. After disbanding in 1953, the Iola Indians played a final season in the Western Association in 1954.[3][4]

Decades earlier, the Iola Gasbags (1902, 1904) and Iola Gaslighters (1903) played in the Missouri Valley League. The 1906 Iola Grays, of the Kansas State League, moved to Cherryvale, Kansas on June 15, 1906, becoming the Cherryvale Boosters. The 1908 Iola Champs, of the Oklahoma-Kansas League, had disbanded on July 8, 1908.[5][6]

The ballpark

For the duration of the professional franchises, Iola home games were played at Riverside Municipal Ballpark, which is within Riverside Park. The ballpark was a Works Project Administration project. Located at 418 Park Avenue and South State Street in Iola, Kansas, the ballpark and adjacent park grounds are still in use today. The ballpark with a track and stands are utilized by Iola's USD 257 school district sports teams.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and Yankee legend Mickey Mantle played for the Independence Yankees in 1949 and played at Riverside Municipal Ballpark.[13]

Notable alumni

Season-by-season

(from Iola Cubs - BR Bullpen,Iola Indians - BR Bullpen)

Year Record Win-Loss % Manager Regular Season Finish Playoffs/Notes
194663-57.000Al Reitz3rdFinals Tied 3-3
194769-57.000Al Reitz2ndLost in league finals
194851-22.000Al Reitz7thnone
194970-55.000Winlow Johnson3rdLost in league finals
195038-84.000Winlow Johnson7thnone
195138-84.000Forrest L. Crawford / Al Reitz / Mason Pool / Floyd Temple6thnone
195270-47.000Floyd Temple / Woody Fair1stLost in league finals
195439-101.000Willie Ramsdell (2-17) / Ralph Kennedy (37-84)8thnone
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References
  1. "Rural Kansas Tourism | Iola Exploration: A Chocolate Lover's Paradise". www.getruralkansas.com.
  2. "Iola, Kansas Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 1993
  4. "Iola, KS - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  5. "Iola Grays - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  6. "Iola Champs - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  7. "1946 Iola Cubs Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  8. "Riverside Park | Iola, KS 66749". www.travelks.com.
  9. "Flooded baseball field, Riverside Park, Iola. July 15, 1909. | Iola | Riverside park, Kansas, Baseball field". Pinterest.
  10. "Digitalballparks.com - Cleveland Indians Affiliation Listing". digitalballparks.com.
  11. "Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball Stadium History and Cubs Minor League BaseBall Park history and the history of Chicago Cubs Spring Training Ballpark". digitalballparks.com.
  12. "Rural Kansas Tourism | Iola Exploration: Riverside Park". www.getruralkansas.com.
  13. "Minor League History: Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League". November 4, 2017.
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