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Olean Oilers

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Olean Oilers
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesClass D
LeagueNew York–Penn League (1957–1962)
Previous leagues
Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (1939–1956)
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 4 (1939, 1940, 1950, 1961)
Team data
Previous names
  • Olean Red Sox (1961–1962)
  • Olean A's (1959)
  • Olean Oilers (1955–1958)
  • Olean Giants (1954)
  • Olean Yankees (1952–1953)
  • Olean Oilers (1939–1951)
Previous parks

The Olean Oilers were a minor league baseball team located in Olean, New York which played primarily in the New York–Pennsylvania League from 1939 to 1966, with a hiatus in 1960. Starting in 1952, the team often shared nicknames with its major league affiliates.

A 2012 collegiate team with the same name played in the New York Collegiate Baseball League for several years. Both teams played their home games at Bradner Stadium.

History

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Professional team

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The Oilers were preceded in minor league play by the Olean Refiners. Between 1908 and 1916, The Refiners played as members of the Class D level Interstate League.[1][2]

The Oilers resumed minor league play, playing in the New York–Pennsylvania League from 1939 to 1951 and from 1955 to 1958. The league was known as the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League from 1939 to 1956. Their inaugural home game on 11 May 1939 was played in front of 3,300 spectators.[3]

The Oilers were a minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939 to 1948, the St. Louis Browns in 1949, and the Philadelphia Phillies from 1956 to 1958. The Oilers played their home games at Bradner Stadium.

The Oilers' president, Josephine Ross, was the only female president of an affiliated minor league team in 1959.[4]

Collegiate summer team

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Starting in 2012, the Olean Oilers name was revived as a member of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. The team began play in the summer of 2012, initially playing on the campus of Saint Bonaventure University before returning to a renovated Bradner Stadium in 2014; a crowd of nearly 2,000 fans watched the Oilers during their first game back at Bradner.[5] In their fourth year of play as an amateur squad, the Oilers won the 2015 NYCBL championship; the next year, the team went on a 24-game winning streak near the beginning of the season, doubling the previous league record, en route to a league record 39 wins and a second consecutive championship, won before a league record 2,876 fans at Bradner. Despite concerns over competitive balance as well as admitted discussions with the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, the Oilers have shown a general preference to stay in the NYCBL for 2017.[6]

Year-by-year professional record

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Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs
1939 65-38 1st Jake Pitler League Champs
1940 65-39 1st Jake Pitler League Champs
1941 48-61 5th Jake Pitler
1942 82-42 2nd Jake Pitler Lost League Finals
1943 43-66 6th Jake Pitler
1944 57-66 5th John Fitzpatrick
1945 40-86 8th John Fitzpatrick
1946 69-56 3rd Greg Mulleavy Lost in 1st round
1947 66-58 3rd Greg Mulleavy Lost League Finals
1948 60-66 7th George Scherger
1949 39-86 8th Shan Deniston / Lawrence Mancini
1950 71-54 2nd Len Schulte League Champs
1951 79-48 1st Orval Cott Lost League Finals
1952 70-55 3rd Bunny Mick Lost in 1st round
1953 63-61 5th Bill Davis / Walter Lance
1954 46-80 7th Austin Knickerbocker / Frank Genovese
1955 46-80 8th Paul Owens
1956 65-58 3rd Paul Owens Lost League Finals
1957 52-65 5th Paul Owens
1958 67-57 3rd Benny Zientara Lost in 1st round
1959 57-69 6th William Robertson
1961 64-61 4th Harold Holland League Champs
1962 62-57 3rd (t) Harold Holland Lost League Finals

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  2. ^ "Olean, New York Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. ^ "Hamilton takes home inaugural". 12 May 1939.
  4. ^ Rosenbloom, Dave (November 29, 1958). "Women keeping baseball alive, says female prexy of Olean club". Democrat and Chronicle.
  5. ^ By J.P. Butler Olean Times Herald (2014-06-07). "Crowd 'grew' as the Oilers' game wore on | Sports". oleantimesherald.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  6. ^ CHUCK POLLOCK Olean Times Herald (2016-08-01). "O'Connell looks ahead after a 2nd Oilers title | Columnists". oleantimesherald.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
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This article is based on the "Olean Oilers" article at Baseball-Reference.com Bullpen. The Bullpen is a wiki, and its content is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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