The
Southern Association was a higher-level
minor leagueMinor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in North America that compete at levels below that of Major League Baseball. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses, and many are members of Minor League Baseball, an umbrella organization for leagues...
in
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organized
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
from 1901 through 1961. From 1936 — as an A1 and then a Class AA league — the Southern Association was two steps below the major leagues. Although the SA was known as the Southern League through 1919, the current AA
Southern LeagueThe Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , but it had to shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
is not descended from the Southern Association; the modern SL came into existence in 1964 as the successor to the original South Atlantic ("Sally") League.
A stable, eight-team loop, the Southern Association's member teams typically included the
Atlanta CrackersThe Atlanta Crackers were minor league baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia between 1901 and 1965...
,
Birmingham BaronsThe Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
,
Chattanooga LookoutsThe Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
,
Little Rock TravelersThe Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas and members of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or AA circuit was typically two rungs below Major League Baseball...
,
Memphis ChicksThe Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1902 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a major blow in...
,
Nashville VolsThe Nashville Vols were a minor league baseball team based in from 1901 to 1963; the team was inactive in 1962. Known as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers in 1908 for the state's nickname, The Volunteer State...
, and
New Orleans PelicansThe New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team History:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
.
The
Southern Association was a higher-level
minor leagueMinor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in North America that compete at levels below that of Major League Baseball. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses, and many are members of Minor League Baseball, an umbrella organization for leagues...
in
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organized
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
from 1901 through 1961. From 1936 — as an A1 and then a Class AA league — the Southern Association was two steps below the major leagues. Although the SA was known as the Southern League through 1919, the current AA
Southern LeagueThe Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , but it had to shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
is not descended from the Southern Association; the modern SL came into existence in 1964 as the successor to the original South Atlantic ("Sally") League.
A stable, eight-team loop, the Southern Association's member teams typically included the
Atlanta CrackersThe Atlanta Crackers were minor league baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia between 1901 and 1965...
,
Birmingham BaronsThe Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
,
Chattanooga LookoutsThe Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
,
Little Rock TravelersThe Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas and members of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or AA circuit was typically two rungs below Major League Baseball...
,
Memphis ChicksThe Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1902 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a major blow in...
,
Nashville VolsThe Nashville Vols were a minor league baseball team based in from 1901 to 1963; the team was inactive in 1962. Known as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers in 1908 for the state's nickname, The Volunteer State...
, and
New Orleans PelicansThe New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team History:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
. Either the Knoxville Smokies,
Mobile BearsThe Mobile Bears were an American minor league baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama. The franchise was a member of the old Southern Association, a high-level circuit that folded after the 1961 season. Mobile joined the SA in 1908 as the Sea Gulls, but changed its name to the Bears in 1918, and...
, or
Shreveport SportsThe Shreveport-Bossier Captains are a professional baseball team based in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the United States. The Captains are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
typically comprised the eighth club.
After
Jackie RobinsonJack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first African-American Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
broke the
color barrierThe baseball color line, sometimes called the "Gentleman's Agreement", was the policy, unwritten for nearly its entire duration, which excluded African American players and Latin players of African descent from organized baseball in the United States before 1947...
in
19461946 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* All-America Football Conference begins play. Cleveland Browns win the championship by beating New York Yankees 14-9....
with the
Montreal RoyalsThe Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897-1917 and from 1928-60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
of the
International LeagueThe International League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball...
, the Southern Association adhered to the
Jim CrowThe Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
segregation laws of the time and never permitted an African-American to play in the circuit. As a result, its major-league parent clubs were forced to field all-white teams during the 1950s, a period when African-Americans and Latin-American players of African descent were beginning to dominate baseball. By the end of the 1950s, the SA also was boycotted by
civil rights leadersThe African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring Suffrage in Southern states. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1954 and 1968, particularly in the South...
. The Association finally ceased operation after the 1961 season, still a bastion of segregation.
Member cities slowly began to join remaining leagues. The Atlanta club moved up to the AAA
International LeagueThe International League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball...
in 1962, with Little Rock following suit (as the renamed
Arkansas TravelersThe Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Major League club. On Aug...
) in 1963. Macon, a longtime member of the Sally League, returned to that circuit in 1962. After a one-year hiatus, Nashville and Chattanooga joined the Sally League in 1963; Birmingham and Mobile would field teams in the Southern League, and Memphis and Shreveport would enter the
Texas LeagueThe Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a AA league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1890...
(and Arkansas/Little Rock would settle there), later during the 1960s.
Member teams
- Atlanta Crackers
The Atlanta Crackers were minor league baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia between 1901 and 1965...
1902-61
- Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
1901-61 -- at times known as the Iron Barons
- Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
1901-43; 1944-61
- Knoxville Smokies 1932-44
- Little Rock Travelers
The Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas and members of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or AA circuit was typically two rungs below Major League Baseball...
1901-09; 1915-58; 1960-61
- Macon Peaches 1961
- Memphis Chicks
The Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1902 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a major blow in...
1901-60 -- at times known as the Egyptians
- Mobile Bears
The Mobile Bears were an American minor league baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama. The franchise was a member of the old Southern Association, a high-level circuit that folded after the 1961 season. Mobile joined the SA in 1908 as the Sea Gulls, but changed its name to the Bears in 1918, and...
1908-31; 1944-61
- Montgomery Rebels 1903-14; 1943; 1956 -- at times known as the Black Sox, Senators, Climbers and Billikens
- Nashville Vols
The Nashville Vols were a minor league baseball team based in from 1901 to 1963; the team was inactive in 1962. Known as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers in 1908 for the state's nickname, The Volunteer State...
1901-61
- New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team History:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
1901-59
- Selma Christians 1901
- Shreveport Sports
The Shreveport-Bossier Captains are a professional baseball team based in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the United States. The Captains are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
1901-07; 1959-61 -- at times known as the Giants and Pirates
Champions
The
Nashville VolsThe Nashville Vols were a minor league baseball team based in from 1901 to 1963; the team was inactive in 1962. Known as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers in 1908 for the state's nickname, The Volunteer State...
captured the most league championships, with 15 titles over the Association's 61 years of existence — dominating the league with six straight championships from 1939-44. The
Atlanta CrackersThe Atlanta Crackers were minor league baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia between 1901 and 1965...
, termed by some the "
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division...
of the minors," won the SA crown 13 times, and almost annually finished near the top of the standings. The
Birmingham BaronsThe Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
and
New Orleans PelicansThe New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team History:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
each won ten championships, counting the Pelicans' first-place standing during the war-shortened 1918 season. On the other hand, the
Chattanooga LookoutsThe Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
, charter members of the SA, won only one title — with that coming during the Southern Association's final, 1961 campaign.
- 1901—Nashville
- 1902—Nashville
- 1903—Little Rock
- 1904—Memphis
- 1905—New Orleans
- 1906—Birmingham
- 1907—Atlanta
- 1908—Nashville
- 1909—Atlanta
- 1910—New Orleans
- 1911—New Orleans
- 1912—Birmingham
- 1913—Atlanta
- 1914—Birmingham
- 1915—New Orleans
- 1916—Nashville
- 1917—Atlanta
- 1918—New Orleans (Season suspended June 18 due to World War I
World War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
)
- 1919—Atlanta
- 1920—Little Rock
- 1921—Memphis
- 1922—Mobile
- 1923—New Orleans
- 1924—Memphis
- 1925—Atlanta
- 1926—New Orleans
- 1927—New Orleans
- 1928—Birmingham
- 1929—Birmingham
- 1930—Memphis
- 1931—Birmingham
- 1932—Memphis
- 1933—New Orleans
- 1934—New Orleans
- 1935—Atlanta
- 1936—Birmingham
- 1937—Little Rock
- 1938—Atlanta
- 1939—Nashville
- 1940—Nashville
- 1941—Nashville
- 1942—Nashville
- 1943—Nashville
- 1944—Nashville
- 1945—Mobile
- 1946—Atlanta
- 1947—Mobile
- 1948—Birmingham
- 1949—Nashville
- 1950—Nashville
- 1951—Birmingham
- 1952—Memphis
- 1953—Nashville
- 1954—Atlanta
- 1955—Mobile
- 1956—Atlanta
- 1957—Atlanta
- 1958—Birmingham
- 1959—Mobile
- 1960—Atlanta
- 1961—Chattanooga