Virginia League

Virginia League (1906–1928)
Formerly	Virginia League (1900)
Classification	Class C (1906–1919); Class D (1920–1928)
Sport	Minor League Baseball
First season	1906
Ceased	1928
Replaced by	Virginia League (1939–42)
President	Jake Wells(1906–1909); C.R. Williams (1910–1911); Jacob O. Boatwright (1912–1915); Burrus Corprew (1916); William B. Bradley (1917–1921); W. S. Moye (1922–1924); William G. Bramham (1925–1928)
No. of teams	15
Country	United States of America
Most titles	5 ; Richmond Colts (1908, 1918, 1924–1926)

The Virginia League was a minor league baseball affiliation which operated in Virginia and North Carolina from 1906 to 1928. It was classified as a "C" league from 1906 to 1919 and as a "B" league from 1920 to 1928, folding in June.^[1]

The most famous alumni to come out of the league were World War II hero, General Frank A. Armstrong (the highest-ranking military officer to have played professional baseball), and Hall of Fame members Rick Ferrell, Sam Rice, Chief Bender, Pie Traynor, and Hack Wilson. Chief Bender, Art Devlin, Gabby Street and Zinn Beck served as managers in the league.

Virginia League Champions †

1906 - Lynchburg
1907 - Norfolk
1908 - Richmond
1909 - Roanoke
1910 - Danville
1911 - Petersburg
1912 - Roanoke
1913 - Petersburg

1914 - Norfolk
1915 - Rocky Mount
1916 - Newport News
1917 - Newport News
1918 - Richmond
1919 - Petersburg
1920 - Portsmouth
1921 - Portsmouth

1922 - Wilson
1923 - Wilson
1924 - Richmond
1925 - Richmond
1926 - Richmond
1927 - Portsmouth
1928 - Norfolk

^[2]

† Playoffs were not held at the end of most seasons. In those cases, the Champions listed were the teams who ended the regular season in first place.

Complete team list (1906-1928)

Danville Bugs (1911)
Danville Red Sox (1906–1910, 1912)
Hopewell Powder Puffs (1916)
Kinston Eagles (1925–1927)
Lynchburg Shoemakers (1906–1912, 1917)
Newport News Shipbuilders (1912–1922)
Norfolk Mary Janes (1920)
Norfolk Tars (1906–1919, 1921–1928)
Petersburg Broncos↑ (1926–1928)
Petersburg Goobers (1910, 1912–1921, 1924)
Petersburg Hustlers (1911)
Petersburg Trunkmakers (1923)
Portsmouth Foxes (1916)
Portsmouth Pirates (1912–1913)

Portsmouth Truckers (1906–1910, 1914–1915, 1917, 1919–1928)
Richmond Colts (1906–1914, 1918–1928)
Roanoke Tigers (1906–1914)
Roanoke Rapids‡ (1916)
Rocky Mount Broncos↑ (1924–1925)
Rocky Mount Carolinians (1915)
Rocky Mount Tar Heels (1916–1917, 1920–1923)
Suffolk Nuts (1919–1920)
Suffolk Tigers (1915)
Suffolk Wildcats (1921)
Tarboro Tarbabies (1921)
Wilson Bugs (1920–1922,1924–1927)
Wilson Tobacconists (1923)

↑ Also spelled "Bronchos."

‡ This team had no known nickname.

References

^ "Piedmont Declines to Admit Virginia Cities". Winston-Salem Journal. June 6, 1928. p. 10.
^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.

[1] "Piedmont Declines to Admit Virginia Cities". Winston-Salem Journal. June 6, 1928. p. 10.

[encyc-2] Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.

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