Southern League (1885–99)
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1885 |
| Ceased | 1899 |
| Country | United States |
| Most titles | New Orleans Pelicans (3) |
The Southern League was a Class B and Class C minor league baseball league which operated intermittently in the Southern United States from 1885 to 1899. Financial problems plagued the league and its member teams throughout their existence. It was not unusual for teams to depart the league during the season or for the league to cease operations without completing the season. It was this lack of financial support which ultimately caused the league to permanently disband in 1889. In 1901, a new league, called the Southern Association, was created from its remnants.
The original Southern League was formed on February 11, 1885, in Atlanta. It was the first professional league to operate in the South.Henry W. Grady, managing editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was selected as the league's first president. The eight-team circuit included the Atlanta Atlantas, Augusta Browns, Chattanooga Lookouts, Columbus Stars, Memphis Reds, Nashville Americans, and unnamed teams from Birmingham, Alabama, and Macon, Georgia. Each team was scheduled to play 100 games during the season, but few would reach that mark as the Birmingham, Chattanooga, and Columbus clubs quit the league in the final two weeks of the season. Atlanta captured the Southern League's first pennant with their 66–32 (.673) season record. Nashville's Len Sowders was the league's first batting champion with a .309 batting average.
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