The Troy Trojans were a minor league baseball team based in Troy, Alabama. Between 1936 and 1949, Troy teams played as members of the Alabama State League and its predecessor the Alabama–Florida League, winning two league championships and two league pennants.
The Troy Trojans teams hosted their minor league home games at Trojan Field in Troy, Alabama, which is still use today as Riddle–Pace Field on the campus of Troy University.
Troy teams played as a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians (1939), Cincinnati Reds (1940), Brooklyn Dodgers (1941) and Detroit Tigers (1947–1949)
Contents
History
1936: Charter members Alabama-Florida League
The Troy "Trojans" amateur team played in the 1935 season as members of the Dixie Amateur League. The Trojans captured the league title, managed by Tilden "Happy" Campbell. When the professional franchise was formed, Campbell was in line remain as manager of the Troy team in 1936. But he resigned before the season began to focus entirely on his position as the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team at the University of Alabama. Tilden was also serving an assistant coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team at the time. Tilden coached the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team from 1935 to 1962, with a hiatus for his time in military service during World War II. While still coaching baseball at Alabama, Tilden died on February 23, 1963, of a heart attack.
A future major league player, catcher Fred Walters played for Troy and manager Happy Campbell on the 1935 team. Walters played for the Trojans amateur team while a student at Mississippi State University.
In 1936, the professional Alabama–Florida League was formed as a minor league to begin play that season. George M. Grant had previously been the president of the Dixie Amateur League. Grant then became the Alabama–Florida League president. The new professional league was so named as it featured seven teams based in Alabama cities, and a Panama City, Florida based team. Grant had been a key organizer of the new league and had hosted meetings in Troy that lead to the formation of the league. It was noted that many Troy baseball supporters were initially opposed to professional baseball, after their team's successes without a professional league. Grant was an attorney in Troy, Alabama and later became a politician.
Minor league baseball in Troy, Alabama began in the 1936 season when the new league was officially formed. The Troy Trojans became charter members of the eight–team Class D level Alabama–Florida League. The Abbeville Red Sox, Andalusia Reds, Dothan Boll Weevils, Enterprise Browns, Ozark Cardinals, Panama City Papermakers and Union Springs Springers teams joined the Troy Trojans as the first members of the new league. The Alabama-Florida League schedule had opening day play on May 12, 1936.
The Troy franchise use of the "Trojans" nickname ties to modern local tradition and history. In world history, the Trojan War was waged around the 1,200 or 1,300 century BC. and pitted the Ancient Greeks against the ancient city of Troy after Paris of Troy took Helen of Troy from her husband Menelaus, the King of Sparta. Troy, Alabama is the home of Troy University, established in 1887. Today, the mascot of the university and its sports teams is the Trojan, first used by the minor league team and later adopted by the university in 1973.
1937 to 1939: Alabama-Florida League / 1938 championship
In his first managerial role, Charlie Moss became the Troy player/manager in 1937. At age 26, Moss joined Troy after playing in the majors for the entirety of the prior three seasons. His 1937 season with Troy was his first minor league season in any role. After attending the University of Mississippi and playing collegiate baseball, Moss went directly to the major leagues from college. He played as a catcher with the Philadelphia Athletics from 1934 to 1936. Moss batted .246 with 0 home runs in 47 total career games and 65 total at-bats for the Athletics. He did not play in the minor leagues prior to joining Philadelphia in 1934.
Continuing play in the 1937 Alabama–Florida League, the Troy Trojans advanced to the finals of the league playoffs. The Alabama–Florida League reduced to a six-team league for the 1937 season, as the Abbeville Red Sox and Enterprise Browns teams did not return for the second season of the league. The 1937 Troy team was also informally called the "Cotton Bolls." The Trojans ended the Alabama State League regular season with a 70–56 record, playing under player/manager Charlie Moss and placed second in the standings. Troy finished 8½ games behind the first place Union Springs Springers in the overall Alabama–Florida League regular season standings. Finishing in third place in the overall standings, the Andalusia Bulldogs won the first half title in the split season schedule and the Union Springs Springers won the second half title. The playoff structure was scheduled to include Troy. The league gave Troy a bye to meet the winner of the Andalusia vs. Union Springs series. In their separate playoff, Andalusia defeated Union Springs 4 games to 2 to advance and meet Troy. In the finals, the Andalusia Bulldogs won the championship, defeating Troy 4 games to 2.
Playing at age 21, Trojan outfielder Andy Skurski batted .327 with 11 home runs and 107 RBIs on the season. He went on to play in the minor leagues through the 1954 season. Troy player/manager Charlie Moss batted .306 with 5 home runs and 65 RBIs for the Trojans in his dual rold.
Righthander Joe Dobson pitched for Troy in 1937, compiling a 19–12 record, a 2.27 ERA in 39 games and 270 innings. Dodson had 26 complete games to lead the Alabama–Florida League. The season prior, in 1936, Dodson had been seen pitching well for the semipro Tucson Merchants team at the July 1936 Arizona state tournament. At the tournament in Phoenix, Arizona he was discovered by Cleveland Indians scout, Grover Land who eventually signed Dodson to a professional contract. The Indians assigned him to play for Troy, beginning his professional career in 1937. The youngest of 14 children, Dobson had lost his left thumb and forefinger in an accident with dynamite at 9 years of age. After his successful season with Troy to begin his career, Dodson went on to become a major league All-star, winning 137 (137–103) career games pitching for the Cleveland Indians (1939–1940), Boston Red Sox (1941–1943; 1946–1950; 1954) and Chicago White Sox (1951–1953). Following his pitching career, Dobson became the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox in 1954. In 1972, he became the general manager for the Winter Haven Red Sox of the Florida State League. Dodson was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2012.
1940: Alabama State League / Cincinnati Reds affiliate
With logistical changes, the Alabama–Florida League was renamed and became the Alabama State League for the 1940 season. The name change occurred after the Panama City, Florida based Panama City Pelicans team left the league and were replaced by Brewton, Alabama based Brewton Millers. With all the league teams based in Alabama, the newly named league began its season schedule on April 16, 1940. The Troy Trojans joined the Andalusia Rams, Brewton Millers, Dothan Browns, Greenville Lions (Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate) and the Tallassee Indians teams in the renamed league.
After the 1939 season, Cat Milner left Troy. He began a three-season tenure as the player/manager of the Alabama State League rival Dothan Browns in 1940. Milner would lead his Dothan team to consecutive championships in 1940 and 1941. He later returned to Dothan to lead the franchise to two additional league titles in 1948 and 1951.
Prior to the 1940 season, the Troy home ballpark was damaged by a tornado. Ellis Johnson had been hired by Troy to replace Cat Milner as the manager for the 1940 season. However, Johnson was fired from his position just before the 1940 season started. With the managerial position unfilled, Troy played their first three games of the season without an official team manager. Troy player Harold Fehrenbacher then became the Troy player/manager for the 1940 season at age 21. A catcher and outfielder, Fehrenbacher had played with Troy for the previous two seasons.
The Troy Trojans became a Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliate in the 1940 Alabama State League season. Troy ended the Alabama State League regular season with a record of 66–63 and qualified for the four-team playoffs with a fourth place finish. Led by player/manager Harold Fehrenbacher, The Trojans finished 18.0 games behind Tallahassee Indians. In the playoffs, Troy lost in first round, defeated 3 games to 2 by the Greenville Lions. The Dothan Browns defeated Greenville in the final to win the Alabama State League title. Johnny Ostrowski of Troy led the Alabama State League with 120 RBIs on the season.
Playing the outfield for Troy, the 22-year-old Johnny Ostrowski had a big season in 1940, batting .341 with 30 home runs and 10 triples in 112 games for the Trojans. He was promoted to the Macon Peaches of the Class B level South Atlantic League, where he played in 11 games at the end the 1940 season. Ostrowski was signed by Brooklyn Dodgers out of Tilden High School in Chicago and played in 1939 for the Superior Blues in the Northern League before being assigned to Troy. He played in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs (1943–1946), Boston Red Sox (1948), Chicago White Sox (1949–1950) and Washington Senators (1950), batting .241 with 14 career home runs in 216 games. Ostrowski became the first player born in Chicago, Illinois to play for both the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox in his career.
1941: Alabama State League / Relocation
The Troy franchise became a minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941, with franchise adopting the parent club's nickname and becoming known as the Troy "Dodgers." The 1941 Alabama State League continued play as a six-team Class D level league.
Catcher Pudge Powers became the Troy player/manager for the 1941 season. Powers joined Troy having played the prior season for the Clarksdale Red Sox of the Cotton States League. At age 32, the Troy role was his first managerial position.
On July 31, 1941, the Troy Dodgers had complied a record of 37–50 to that date when the franchise moved to Tuskegee, Alabama. The team finished the Alabama State League season playing as the Tuskegee Airmen. Troy team owner D. G. O'Neill was faced with debt and the entire league was struggling with attendance due to a major drought in the region. O’Neill obtained approval from Alabama State League president Eric Ballard to move the Troy franchise to Tuskegee. O'Neill stressed publicly that the move to Tuskegee was just temporary and planned for the team to return to Troy the next season.
After compiling a record of 11–21 while based in Tuskegee, the team ended the 1941 season with an overall record of 48–71. Pudge Powers managed the team in both locations. While based in Tuskegee, the team played its home games at Vetegee Stadium. The Airmen team ended the season 31.0 games behind the Dothan Browns (79–40) in the final regular season standings. With their fifth-place finish, the Tuskegee team did not qualify for the four-team Alabama State League playoffs won again by Dothan. Player/manager Pudge Powers batted .302 with 2 home runs while appearing in 102 games for the team.
The Alabama State League did not return to play in 1942. As with many minor leagues, the Alabama State League became dormant and did not play from 1942 through 1945 due to World War II. More than 2,000 minor league baseball players (and over 500 major league players) went into military service in the armed forces during the War.
1946: Alabama State League reforms
Following the conclusion of World War II, the Alabama State League reformed for the 1946 season. The league resumed play as a six-team, Class D level league with Troy as a member, returning to the "Trojans" nickname. Tuskegee, Alabama did not field a team. With the league beginning scheduled play on April 23, 1946, Troy joined with the Brewton Millers (Chicago White Sox affiliate), Dothan Browns, Geneva Red Birds (Boston Red Sox), Greenville Lions and Ozark Eagles teams in the six-team league.
An outfielder, veteran Norman DeWeese joined Troy as the Trojans' player/manager at age 32. DeWeese had played the previous season for the 1945 Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, batting .319 for Oakland before a severe knee injury ended his season.
In returning to play, the Troy Trojans ended the 1946 Alabama State League regular season with a record of 60–68, finishing in fifth place under manager Norman DeWeese. The Trojans finished 11.0 games behind the first place Dothan Browns in the final regular season standings. With their fifth-place finish, Troy did not qualify for the four-team playoffs, which were won by the Geneva Red Birds.
After a three-season hiatus from baseball due to military service, Troy outfielder Emil Bozich won the Alabama State League batting title, hitting .355 on the season. He also had a league leading 178 total hits for the season. At 25 years old and in his second professional season, Bozich added 6 home runs and 97 RBIs, an .891 OPS for Troy with 16 stolen bases in 119 games. The 1946 season was Bozich's first since he played the 1942 season as a rookie with the Burlington Bees before his hiatus while fulfilling his service in the U.S. Army during World War II. After his strong season in 1946, Bozich returned to play for Troy in 1947 in what became his final season in professional baseball. Bozich worked in Ankeny, Iowa for John Deere as an inspector following his baseball career. Bozich and his wife Georgia managed the Iowa Theater in their hometown of Madrid, Iowa.
Trojan outfielder and pitcher Bob Benish had a standout season in 1946. Benish batted .354 for Troy with 14 home runs and 103 RBIs on the season. Playing a dual role, he also pitched to a 6-2 record while appearing in 9 games on the mound for the Trojans.
1947 to 1949: Alabama State League
Leaving Troy, Norman DeWeese became the player/manager of the Riverside Dons of the Sunset League in 1947. It was his final season in professional baseball. DeWeese had severely injured his knee while playing for Oakland in 1945 and was never able to play regularly again. Replacing DeWeese, Bob Benish continued his tenure with Troy, becoming the Trojans' player/manager for the 1947 season. It was his first managerial position at age 26.
The Troy Trojans continued Alabama State League play and the franchise became a minor league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers beginning in 1947. The Class D level Alabama State League expanded to become an eight-team league for the 1947 season.
The Andalusia Arrows and Enterprise Boll Weevils teams joined the league as the new expansion teams. The Troy Trojans had a poor season in 1947, compiling a record of 58–80 to finish in seventh place in the eight-team league. Playing the season under player/manager Bob Benish, the Trojans ended the regular season 32.0 games behind the first place Greenville Lions. Troy did not qualify for the four-team playoffs, which were won by Greenville. Playing first base in the field, Bob Benish batted .287 for Troy with 8 home runs and 100 RBIs in 126 games. He also pitched to an 11-7 record with a 4.37 ERA appearing in 23 games with 14 complete games.
Outfielder Emil Bozich returned to Troy in 1947 after winning the league batting title in the prior season. Playing his final season in professional baseball, Bozich batted .328 with 6 home runs, 83 RBIs and a .372 OBP in 115 games.
Continuing as a Detroit Tigers affiliate in 1948, the team became known as the Troy "Tigers" en route to winning the league Alabama State League regular season pennant. The Tigers ended the 1948 Alabama State League season with a record of 83–41, ending the regular season in first place. Player/manager Bob Benish returned for his third and season with Troy. Troy won regular season pennant, finishing 4.0 games ahead of the second place Greenville Pirates. In the four-team playoffs, Troy lost in the first round, 4 games to 2 to the eventual league champion Dothan Browns, who were managed by Cat Milner. Troy pitcher Richard Gilkerson led the Alabama State League with a 1.69 ERA on the season. Player/manager Bob Benish batted .260 for Troy with 5 home runs and 73 RBIs in just 75 games. He did not pitch in 1948. It was his final season with the Troy team.
The ballpark
The Troy teams hosted home minor league home games at what was called "Trojan Field" for the minor league team. Riddle–Pace Field was built in 1931 on the campus of Troy University to house its football and baseball teams. The site was originally named Pace Field in honor of former mathematics professor
Matthew Downer Pace.
At the time that the Troy minor league team played, the college sports teams were nicknamed as the "Red Wave." The ballpark was the home of all the Troy minor league teams, with the college sharing the ballpark with the professional team. Riddle-Pace Field received 12-million dollars for facility improvements and upgrades in 2022.
Today, there is an Alabama Historical Marker on display at the ballpark, near the main entrance. The inscription reads:
"Originally constructed as the home field for the university’s football and baseball teams. Pace Field, home of the Troy Trojans and the Troy baseball team in the late 1930s and 1940s, stood at the location of the current Riddle - Pace Field. It is one of the original locations where the Alabama-Florida Class D Deep South Baseball League teams played. They provided players to the Cleveland Indians (1939), the Cincinnati Reds (1940) and the Detroit Tigers (1947-49)."