The Corsicana Oilers was the primary nickname of the minor league baseball teams based in

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 56 miles northeast of Waco, Texas. The population was 23,770 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Navarro County, and an important Agri-busin ...

. In the seasons between 1902 and 1928, Corsicana teams played as members of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

(1902–1905), North Texas League (1907),

Central Texas League The Central Texas League was a minor league baseball league that played from 1914 to 1917. The Central Texas League played as a six–team Class D level league and consisted of teams based exclusively in Texas. The Central Texas League never com ...

(1914–1915, 1917), Texas-Oklahoma League (1922),

Texas Association The Texas Association was a sports league of minor league baseball teams in Texas that operated from 1923 through 1926. An earlier league, initially known as the Texas-Southern League, used the same name from mid-1896 through 1899. History of th ...

(1923–1926) and

Lone Star League The Lone Star League was the name of three American minor professional baseball leagues located in the state of Texas during the 20th century. The leagues operated from 1927–1929 (as a Class D circuit), 1947–1948 (Class C) and 1977 (Class A) ...

(1927–1928), winning five league championships. Corsicana hosted minor league home games at Oil City Park and Athletic Park. The 1922 Corsicana "Gumbo Busters" played as a minor league affiliate of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

. The 1902 Corsicana Oil Citys team is ranked in

The National Baseball Association's top 100 minor league teams In 2001, during the centennial celebration of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, Minor League Baseball tasked baseball historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright to develop a list of the top 100 best minor ...

list as one of the top all–time minor league teams.

History

Minor league baseball began in Corsicana with the 1902 Corsicana Oil Citys of the Class D level

. The Oil Citys won the league championship in dominant fashion, as the team ended the 1902 season with a record of 87–23, placing first in the Texas League under manager Mike O'Connor. On Sunday, June 15, 1902, Corsicana defeated the Texarkana Casketmakers by a score of 51–3 as J.J. Clarke reportedly hit 8 home runs in the contest. In winning both halves of the season standings, the Oil Citys' season included a 27–game winning streak. The 1902 team is listed at #51 on

of all time. 1902 Corsicana Oil Citys

In their second season, the 1903 Corsicana Oil Citys placed fourth in the Texas League final standings. Corsicana had an overall record of 54–54 under manager Mike O'Connor. The Corsicana Oil City Oil Citys won the Texas League championship. The Oil Citys ended the 1904 season with a record of 48–53, placing third in the Texas League regular seasons. Curley Maloney and Walter Salm served as managers as the Oil Citys went on to win the 1904 championship. In the extended playoffs, Corsicana defeated the Fort Worth Panthers 11 games to 8. The Corsicana Oilers began the season playing in the Texas League. However, on June 1, 1905, the Oilers had a record of 10–30 when Corsicana surrendered its franchise and was dropped from the league on June 6, 1905. The managers were Walter Salm, Con Lucid and Lou Mahaffey The Corsicana Desperados returned minor league baseball when the team became members of the 1907 Class D level North Texas League. The Desperados had a 38–21 record and were in first place when the, four–team league folded on June 30, 1907. Dee Poindexter served as manager, as Corsicana finished 2.0 games ahead of the second place

Paris Athletics Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In 1914, the Corsicana Athletics became charter members of the

, which was formed as a six–team Class D level league. The Athletics ended the 1914 Central Texas League regular season with a record of 26–32, placing fifth in the standings under manager Neal Kennedy. Continuing play in 1915, Corsicana placed second in the Central Texas League standings. The Athletics or A's for short, ended the 1915 season with a 32–29 record, finishing 3.0 games behind the first place

Ennis Tigers The Ennis Tigers were a minor league baseball franchise based in Ennis, Texas. From 1914 to 1917, the Tigers played exclusively as members of the Class D level Central Texas League. Ennis played for the duration of the Central Texas League, winni ...

. On May 27, 1915, Erwin of Corsicana threw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher w ...

against the

Kaufman Kings The Kaufman Kings were a minor league baseball team based in Kaufman, Texas. In 1915, the Kings played as members of the Class D level Central Texas League in the only season of minor league baseball hosted in Kaufman. History Minor league bas ...

as the Athletics won 2–0. On June 19, 1915, Corsicana pitcher Joe Page threw the second no-hitter of the season against the Ennis Tigers in a 2–1 victory. Roy Morton was the 1915 manager. The Corsicana franchise folded after the 1915 season. The Corsicana Athletics briefly returned to play in the 1917 the Central Texas League. With a 4–4 record, the

Temple Governors A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

franchise moved to Corsicana June 1, 1917. Shortly after, the team had an overall record of 6–8 under manager Paul Trammel when the Central Texas League permanently folded on June 6, 1917. The 1922 Corsicana Gumbo Busters returned the city to minor league play and were an affiliate of the

. Playing as members of the Class D level Texas-Oklahoma League, the Gumbo Busters finished the 1922 regular season with a 56–46 record, placing third in the league standings, 13.0 games behind the

Paris Snappers The Paris Snappers were a minor league baseball team that played in the Texas–Oklahoma League (1914, 1921–1922) and Lone Star League (1927). In 1921, 1922 and 1927, the squad was managed by Red Snapp Earl Elmer "Red" Snapp (December 8, 1888 ...

in the final league standings. Chuck Miller and Harvey Grubb served as managers. The Corsicana "Oilers" moniker returned as the franchise joined the Class D level 1923

. The Oilers finished 1923 with a record of 68–70, placing fourth in the six–team Texas Association, 11.0 games behind the first place Mexia Gushers under manager Harvey Grubb. The 1924 Corsicana Oilers won the Texas Association Championship. The Oilers ended the 1924 season with a record of 83–42, placing first in the Texas Association standings under manager John Vann. The Oilers were 11.5 games ahead of the second place Marlin Bathers in the six–team standings. The Corsicana Oilers won a second consecutive Texas Association Championship in 1925. Again under manager John Vann, the Oilers finished the 1925 season with a record of 85–48, finishing first in the Texas Association standings, 9.0 games ahead of the second place Mexia Gushers. The 1926 Corsicana Oilers finished last in the Texas Association. With a record of 53–72, Corsicana placed sixth in the Texas Association under manager John Vann. The Oilers were 21.5 games behind the first place

Austin Senators The "Austin Senators" is the name of various minor league baseball teams based in Austin, Texas, United States which played on-and-off between 1898 and 1964. Different incarnations of the Senators have played in the Texas League (1888–1890, 1905, ...

. The Texas Association folded after the 1926 season. In 1927, the Corsicana Oilers became charter members of the

, which formed as an eight–team Class D level league. The Oilers ended the 1927 season with a record of 48–72, placing sixth in the final standings under managers Les Nunamaker and Ben Brownlow. Corsicana finished 21.0 games behind the first place Palestine Pals. In their final season of play, the 1928 Corsicana Oilers placed fifth in the Lone Star League. Corsicana ended their final season with a record of 55–68 under manager Ray Falk. The Corsicana franchise permanently folded after the 1928 season. Corsicana has not hosted another minor league baseball team.

The ballparks

Corsicana teams were noted to have played home games at

Oil City Park Oil City Park was a ballpark located in Ennis, Texas, and was the venue where the Corsicana Oil Citys beat the Texarkana Casketmakers 51-3 on Sunday June 15, 1902. The Oil Citys had to move the game there due to the blue laws in place in Corsican ...

in the seasons from 1902 to 1907. Beginning in 1914, Corsicana teams played at Athletic Park. The ballpark was located between South Seaton & South 9th Streets and between East 10th Avenue & East 11th Avenue.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

No-hitters

Notable alumni

* Walter Blair (1903) *

Neal Baker Neal Vernon Baker (April 30, 1904 – January 5, 1982) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 ...

(1928) *

Bruno Block James John Block (born James John Blochowicz on March 13, 1885 – August 6, 1937) was a catcher over parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major pr ...

(1905) *

Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (born February 17, 1936) is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be o ...

(1924) *

Nig Clarke Jay Justin "Nig" Clarke (December 15, 1882 – June 15, 1949) was a Canadian professional baseball player. A catcher, Clarke played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Naps, St. Louis Browns, Phila ...

(1902) *

Tex Covington William Wilkes Covington (March 19, 1887 – December 10, 1931) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Detroit Tigers.Wally Dashiell John Wallace Dashiell (May 9, 1902 – May 20, 1972) was an American professional baseball shortstop. He played one game in Major League Baseball, for the 1924 Chicago White Sox. Dashiell's professional career spanned 1923 to 1938, plus a single ...

(1926) * George Edmondson (1922) *

Tim Griesenbeck Carlos Phillipe "Tim" Griesenbeck (December 10, 1897 – March 25, 1953) was a Major League Baseball catcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in . Griesenbeck attended the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas—now known as Texa ...

(1926) * Harvey Grubb (1922–1925; 1923, MGR) * Hunter Hill (1902–1903) *

Jimmie Humphries Elija James Humphries (November 17, 1890 – September 10, 1971) was an American professional baseball player, Manager (baseball), manager and executive. He was a longtime figure in Minor League Baseball, minor league baseball in Oklahoma City, O ...

(1907) *

Cobe Jones Coburn Dyas "Cobe" Jones (August 21, 1907 – June 3, 1969) was a Major League Baseball player. Jones played for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League for two seasons. In , Jones only played in 1 game and went 1–2. In Jones played in 28 ...

(1926) *

Jack Knott John Henry Knott (March 2, 1907 – October 13, 1981) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the St. Louis Browns (1933-1938), Chicago White Sox (1938-1940) and Philadelphia Athletics (1941-1942, 1946). Knott batted and threw right ...

(1926–1927) * Tom Lovelace (1924–1927) * Con Lucid (1903, 1905, MGR) * Tex McDonald (1927) * Slim McGrew (1926) * Otto McIvor (1905) * Chuck Miller (1922, MGR) * Walter Morris (1902) *

Les Nunamaker Leslie Grant Nunamaker (January 25, 1889 – November 14, 1938), was a catcher for the Boston Red Sox (1911–14), New York Yankees (1914–17), St. Louis Browns (1918) and Cleveland Indians (1919–22). He helped the Red Sox win the 1912 Wo ...

(1927, MGR) *

Tony Piet Anthony Francis Piet, born Anthony Francis Pietruszka (December 7, 1906 – December 1, 1981) was an infielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1938. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, and Detroit Tigers ...

(1928) *

Bill Shores William David Shores (May 26, 1904 – February 19, 1984) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1928 to 1936 for the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and New York Giants T ...

(1926) *

Oscar Siemer Oscar Sylvester "Cotton" Siemer (August 14, 1901 – December 5, 1959) was a Major League Baseball player. He played two seasons with the Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, ...

(1923) *

John Vann John Paul Vann (born John Paul Tripp; July 2, 1924 – June 9, 1972) was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, later retired, who became well known for his role in the Vietnam War. Although separated from the military before the Vietn ...

(1924–1926, MGR) *

Hippo Vaughn James Leslie "Hippo" Vaughn (April 9, 1888 – May 29, 1966) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. In a career that spanned thirteen seasons, he played for the New York Highlanders (1908, 1910–1912), the Washington Senat ...

(1907) ERA Title * Lucky Wright (1902)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Corsicana - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Texas Defunct baseball teams in Texas Baseball teams established in 1902 Baseball teams disestablished in 1928 Corsicana, Texas Navarro County, Texas Defunct Texas League teams 1902 establishments in Texas 1928 disestablishments in Texas