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The Nashua Dodgers was a
farm club In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...
of the
Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...
, operating in the class-B
New England League The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...
between 1946 and 1949. It is the first professional baseball team based in the United States in the twentieth century to play with a racially integrated roster. The team was based at Holman Stadium in
Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. It is on ...
.


1946

Beginning with the 1895 Nashua Rainmakers of the New England Association, Nashua had a baseball history that included previous New England League teams beginning in 1901 and a team in the 1907
New Hampshire State League The New Hampshire State League was a Class D (baseball), Class D level minor league baseball league that played in the 1907 season. The eight–team New Hampshire State League consisted of teams based in New Hampshire, New York (state), New York ...
. After Nashua first played in the New England League from 1901 to 1905, the
Nashua Millionaires The Nashua Millionaires were a minor league baseball team based in Nashua, New Hampshire. Between 1926 and 1933, the Millionaires played as members of the Class B level New England League. The Millionaires were preceded in New England League play ...
directly preceded the Dodgers as members of previous New England League formations, playing in the 1926–1927, 1929–1930 and 1933 seasons. In 1945, Dodgers president
Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also creat ...
contacted executive (Emil J.)
Buzzie Bavasi Emil Joseph "Buzzie" Bavasi (; December 12, 1914 – May 1, 2008) was an American executive in Major League Baseball who played a major role in the operation of three California baseball franchises from the late 1940s through the mid-1980s, most ...
, who was relaxing with family in Georgia after his return from Italy during World War II, and asked Bavasi to find a suitable location for a club in the newly reformed New England League. Rickey had just signed
Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...
to a contract, and while Robinson and Johnny Wright were expected to integrate the
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
as a member of the
Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club ( Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...
, Bavasi believed that Rickey would sign other African American players during the 1945-46 offseason. With the possibility that the New England League club would be integrated, Bavasi looked for a community with a significant
French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
population (believing that the ethnic group would be accepting of African Americans) and a racially progressive newspaper. He chose
Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. It is on ...
. Nashua's population of approximately 34,000 made it the smallest New England League city; the next largest,
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
, was more than double the size of Nashua. Furthermore, the city counted fewer than fifty African Americans in its population. But it boasted a sizable French Canadian population. Bavasi negotiated for the lease of Holman Stadium, a nine–year–old multipurpose stadium owned by the city, and spoke with ''
Nashua Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', for most of its existence known as the ''Nashua Telegraph'', is a daily newspaper in Nashua, New Hampshire. It was founded as the ''Nashua Daily Telegraph'' in 1869, although a weekly version dates back to 1832. Through the 2 ...
'' editor Fred Dobens about the city's racial climate. By the middle of March, Rickey had signed two African American players, catcher
Roy Campanella Roy Campanella (November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993), nicknamed "Campy", was an American professional baseball player, primarily as a catcher. The Philadelphia native played in the Negro leagues and Mexican League for nine years before entering ...
and pitcher
Don Newcombe Donald Newcombe (June 14, 1926 – February 19, 2019), nicknamed "Newk", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played ten non-consecutive seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He began his career in the Negro National League and en ...
, to play for the Dodgers organization. Initially he offered Campanella to the
Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The populations was 29,204 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Danville micropolitan area. History The area that is now Danville was on ...
-based
Danville Dodgers Danville or Dansville may refer to: Places Canada *Danville, Quebec United States *Danville, Alabama * Danville, Arkansas *Danville, California *Danville, Georgia *Danville, Illinois * Danville, Indiana * Danville, Iowa * Danville, Kansas *Danv ...
of the Three-I League, but the Danville general manager believed that his league was not ready for integration. Bavasi readily accepted the two players. Rickey did not announce the signings to the media for another month, however, to give Bavasi time to integrate the team into the community. To promote the Nashua Dodgers within the community, Bavasi arranged for local war veterans to try out for the club, and also made the signing of French Canadian ballplayers a top priority. On March 21, he named Fred Dobens President of the Nashua Dodgers. Dobens turned to his younger brother, Ray Dobens, a former pitcher for the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
, for the baseball knowledge to help operate the team. Meanwhile, Bavasi subsequently began to promote the ties of Brooklyn Dodgers scout Clyde Sukeforth to the city. Sukeforth, who had scouted Robinson, Newcombe, and Campanella for Brooklyn, had played minor-league baseball briefly in Nashua in 1926, and the ''Telegraph'' made that fact known to the public. Finally, on April 4, Fred Dobens announced that Campanella and Newcombe would join the Dodgers in Nashua. Although Bavasi attempted to sign Frenchy Bordagaray to manage the club, Bordagaray was assigned to the Dodgers' class–C club in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The Nashua business manager also looked at signing
Jake Pitler Jacob Albert Pitler (April 22, 1894 – February 3, 1968) was an American second baseman and longtime coach in Major League Baseball. Born in New York City, and Jewish, he moved with his family to Western Pennsylvania when he was a boy, and he g ...
to manage the team, but decided that Pitler would not be able to handle some of the problems that might arise on a racially integrated club as well as other managers might. Finally, Bavasi settled on
Walter Alston Walter Emmons Alston (December 1, 1911 – October 1, 1984), nicknamed "Smokey", was an American baseball manager in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally ...
to manage the club and play first base. That season at
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
Athletic Field (
Gill Stadium Gill Stadium is a sporting stadium located in Manchester, New Hampshire. It is one of the oldest concrete-and-steel ballparks in the United States. The venue, which mainly hosts amateur baseball and football contests, has a capacity of 3,012. ...
), Alston would collide with Manchester Giants catcher
Sal Yvars Salvador Anthony Yvars (February 20, 1924 – December 10, 2008) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, with the New York Giants from 1947 to 1953 and the St. Louis Cardina ...
, ending Alston's playing career. Except for a few racially charged incidents featuring the Lynn Red Sox, the 1946 season proceeded without fanfare. Campanella, who wore number 10, batted .291, hit thirteen home runs, and was named the team's Most Valuable Player. He also managed one game in
Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...
, after Alston was ejected, becoming the first African American to manage an integrated professional baseball team. Newcombe, who wore number 24 for Nashua, won 14 and lost 4 games, boasted a 2.21 earned run average, and hit .311—even pinch hitting in some games. The Dodgers placed second in 1946, but won the league championship by defeating Lynn.


1947

The team's success carried into the 1947 season. Although Campanella and Bavasi were promoted to Montreal of the
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
, Newcombe remained in Nashua. The club again placed second, but won the Governor's Cup for the second year in a row.


1948

Although Newcombe was promoted, the Nashua Dodgers remained integrated in 1948 with the addition of
Dan Bankhead Daniel Robert Bankhead (May 3, 1920 – May 2, 1976) was the first African American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played in the Negro leagues for the Birmingham Black Barons and the Memphis Red Sox from 1940 to 1947, then played for the ...
, who had been a pitcher with Brooklyn. Nashua was managed by Al Campanis, who was a teammate of Jackie Robinson in Montreal in 1946. The Dodgers again placed second, but won the Governors' Cup.


1949

In 1949, as major-leaguers Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella led the Brooklyn Dodgers to a pennant, the Nashua Dodgers again seemed ready to compete for the Governors' Cup. However, in July, partly as a result of a collapse in the region's industrial economy, teams from
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
,
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, Fall River, and Lynn disbanded, leaving only Nashua, Springfield,
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
, and Pawtucket to finish the season. Sensing doom, Branch Rickey reassigned his best players to other teams, among them
Gino Cimoli Gino Nicholas Cimoli (December 18, 1929 – February 12, 2011) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee ...
, so-called "bonus baby"
Billy Loes William Loes (December 13, 1929 – July 15, 2010) was an American right-handed pitcher who spent eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1950, 1952–56), Baltimore Orioles (1956–59) and San Franci ...
, and
Wayne Belardi Carroll Wayne Belardi (September 5, 1930 – October 21, 1993) was an American professional baseball player. The first baseman and native of St. Helena, California, appeared in 263 games in Major League Baseball over all or parts of six seasons ...
. Despite its good overall performance in 1949, Nashua finished the second half of the season in last place, and was the only team to miss the playoffs. With that, the New England League folded, and with it the Nashua Dodgers.


Season-by-season record


Notable alumni

*
Walter Alston Walter Emmons Alston (December 1, 1911 – October 1, 1984), nicknamed "Smokey", was an American baseball manager in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally ...
(1946, player/manager) Inducted
Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
, 1983 *
Roy Campanella Roy Campanella (November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993), nicknamed "Campy", was an American professional baseball player, primarily as a catcher. The Philadelphia native played in the Negro leagues and Mexican League for nine years before entering ...
(1946) Inducted Baseball Hall of Fame, 1969 *
Dan Bankhead Daniel Robert Bankhead (May 3, 1920 – May 2, 1976) was the first African American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played in the Negro leagues for the Birmingham Black Barons and the Memphis Red Sox from 1940 to 1947, then played for the ...
(1948), first Black MLB pitcher *
Wayne Belardi Carroll Wayne Belardi (September 5, 1930 – October 21, 1993) was an American professional baseball player. The first baseman and native of St. Helena, California, appeared in 263 games in Major League Baseball over all or parts of six seasons ...
(1949) * Al Campanis (1948, player/manager) *
Gino Cimoli Gino Nicholas Cimoli (December 18, 1929 – February 12, 2011) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee ...
(1949), MLB All-Star *
Otis Davis Otis Crandall Davis (July 12, 1932 – September 14, 2024) was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals for record-breaking performances in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He set a new wor ...
(1947) * Billy DeMars (1946) *
Marion Fricano Marion John Fricano (July 15, 1923 – May 18, 1976) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics. Fricano, a native of North Collins, New York, pitched in 88 games for the team from 1952–1955 ...
(1949) * Lee Griffeth (1948) *
Don Hoak Donald Albert Hoak (February 5, 1928 – October 9, 1969), nicknamed "Tiger", was an American professional baseball third baseman and coach. He played eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (–) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, C ...
(1948), MLB All-Star * Billy Hunter (1949), MLB All-Star;
Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame The Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame is a team Hall of Fame dedicated to representing the most significant contributors to the history of the Baltimore Orioles professional baseball team since the first season of Baltimore baseball in 1954, which has ...
*
Billy Loes William Loes (December 13, 1929 – July 15, 2010) was an American right-handed pitcher who spent eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1950, 1952–56), Baltimore Orioles (1956–59) and San Franci ...
(1949), MLB All-Star * Bob Milliken (1947) *
Larry Shepard Lawrence William Shepard (April 3, 1919April 5, 2011) was an American professional baseball player, manager, and pitching coach. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball to a 164–155 win–loss record in and . Biography ...
(1946) *
Don Newcombe Donald Newcombe (June 14, 1926 – February 19, 2019), nicknamed "Newk", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played ten non-consecutive seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He began his career in the Negro National League and en ...
(1946–1947), four-time MLB All-Star; 1949 NL Rookie of the Year; 1956 NL Most Valuable Player; 1956 Cy Young Award * Jim Romano (1947) *
Nashua Dodgers players Nashua may refer to: * Nashaway people, Native American tribe living in 17th-century New England Places Australia * Nashua, New South Wales, a town United States * Nashua, Iowa, a city * Nashua, Minnesota, a city * Nashua, Kansas City, a ...


References

{{reflist, refs= Tygiel, Jules. 1997. ''Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy.'' New York: Oxford University Press. Bevis, Charlie. 2007. ''The New England League: A Baseball History 1855–1949.'' Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. Roper, Scott C., and Stephanie Abbot Roper. 1998. "'We're Going to Give All We Have for this Grand Little Town': Baseball Integration and the 1946 Nashua Dodgers." ''Historical New Hampshire'' 53:1/2 (Spring/Summer) 3-19. Campanella, Roy. 1959. ''It's Good to Be Alive.'' New York: Little Brown and Co. Daly, Steve. 2002. ''Dem Little Bums: The Nashua Dodgers.'' Concord, New Hampshire: Plaidswede Publishing.


Sources


Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Sports in Nashua, New Hampshire Professional baseball teams in New Hampshire Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliates 1946 establishments in New Hampshire 1949 disestablishments in New Hampshire Baseball teams established in 1946 Baseball teams disestablished in 1949 Defunct baseball teams in New Hampshire New England League teams