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Wilson Tobs (minor league baseball)

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Wilson Tobs
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Class-A (1963–1973)
  • Class-B (1920–1927, 1956–1962)
  • Class-D (1908–1910, 1939–1952)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 4 (1905, 1907, 1921, 1930)
Team data
Previous names
  • Wilson Pennants (1973)
  • Wilson Tobs (1939–1942, 1946–1952, 1956–1968)
  • Wilson Bugs (1920–1922, 1924–1927)
  • Wilson Tobacconists (1908–1910, 1923)

The Wilson Tobs were a minor league baseball club based in Wilson, North Carolina and played periodically between 1908 and 1973. The Tobs nickname was a shortened form of the word "tobacconists". From 1908 to 1910, the team was officially known as the Wilson Tobacconists and played in the Eastern Carolina League. The club won the league's championship in 1909 and they were in the championship series in 1908, when play was suspended due to a tropical storm. They then next spent eight seasons in the Virginia League. During the 1920–1922 and 1924–1927 seasons the team was known as the Wilson Bugs. They won the Virginia League championship in 1922 and 1923. From 1939 to 1952, the renamed Wilson Tobs were also a member of the Class D Coastal Plain League, winning that league's championship in 1941. The 1941 Tobs were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time.[1] In 1942, the team played in the Bi-State League.

The team also played in the Carolina League from 1956 to 1968, winning the league championship in 1959, 1961, and 1963. The 1966 team had future Hall of Fame member Rod Carew in their line-up. Wilson returned to the Carolina League for one season in 1973 as the Wilson Pennants.

Currently, a summer collegiate baseball team plays at Fleming Stadium as the Wilson Tobs.

Notable Wilson Alumni

[edit]

Hall of Fame Alumni

Notable Alumni

Seasons

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Year Record Finish Manager Notes
1908 36-18 1st Earl Holt Abandoned due to weather down 2-1
1909 50-39 1st Earl Holt League Champs
1910 44-39 2nd Charles McGeehan
1923 70-52 1st (t) Rube Oldring
1939 64-61 6th Frank Rodgers
1940 77-49 1st Frank Rodgers Lost in 1st round
1941 87-30 1st Bill Herring League Champs
1942 69-53 1st Bill Herring Lost in 1st round
1946 67-57 3rd Irv Dickens Lost in 1st round
1947 79-61 1st Max Wilson Lost League Finals
1948 61-79 6th Max Wilson / Irv Dickens / Bob Latshaw
1949 57-79 8th Ross Morrow
1950 68-70 5th Bill Herring
1951 69-57 4th Joe Antolick / Alfred Rehm Lost League Finals
1952 71-51 2nd Jake McComas / Alfred Rehm Lost in 1st round
1956 72-79 6th Charlie Gassaway
1957 51-89 overall 6th Pete Suder Kinston moved to Wilson on May 11
1958 60-78 7th Bob Hooper / Barney Lutz
1959 71-58 2nd Hardy Peterson / Don Osborn (7/14-8/13) /
Hardy Peterson
League Champs
1960 73-65 2nd Jack McKeon
1961 83-56 1st Jack McKeon League Champs
1962 65-75 5th Harry Warner
1963 77-67 5th Ralph Rowe League Champs
1964 57-82 7th Ralph Rowe
1965 68-75 6th Vern Morgan
1966 72-65 5th Vern Morgan
1967 61-72 11th Vern Morgan
1968 71-68 5th Vern Morgan
1973 52-88 6th Ray Hathaway (18-34) / Marshall Fox (0-1) /
Don Lock (34-53)

[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Top 100 Teams". MiLB.com. 2001. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. ^ Wilson Tobs at the SABR Baseball Biography Project , by Joseph Gerard, Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  3. ^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.