 HTML Reports | StatsPlus Page |
League Affiliation: Continental Association Founded: 1889 (Border Association) Ownership History: Victor Crary: 1889-1927 |
|
PENNANTS 1890 (Border Assoc), 93, 94, 97, 1928, 29, 30, 47, 48, 51 |
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 1897, 1928, 30, 51 |
|
ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO SAILORS The Border Association's Philadelphia entry, the Sailors earned their nickname thanks to the Civil War service of their founder, Victor Crary. Crary was graduated early from the U.S. Naval Academy in order to serve in the war and was assigned to the ironclad warship USS Patapsco. In memory of his fellow Navy veterans, Crary named his team the "Sailors" and when he convinced the city of Phialdelphia to help him build a concrete-and-steel ballpark for his team in the waning days of the First World War, he convinced them to name it the Philadelphia Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Stadium - but the fans ended up calling it Sailors Stadium. The team, created towards the end of the Border Association's run in 1889, won a pennant in its second season and was the fledgling Continental Association's top team in its early years, winning three pennants in five seasons. Alas, those days did not last and the team slowly sank to the bottom of the standings. Along the way, Victor Crary developed into a bit of an old crank to the delight of the city's newsmen who could always count on a quote from Crary even when the Sailors & Keystones were bad (which was often during the early 20th century). Some of his better musings were that Zebulon Banks was "an awful player," Keystones owner Jefferson Edgerton "fought for his namesake and friend Jeff Davis" (Edgerton had in fact served in the Union Army), and that the Keystones should leave the city as "everyone knows the Sailors embody the true spirit of Philadelphia." In the post-Crary period the Sailors found some success winning the pennant six times and capturing three WCS titles. The team, under the ownership of Matilda Johnson (the first female majority owner in FABL history), moved to San Francisco in 1954 in a tandem relocation with the New York Stars (who landed in Los Angeles). |
|
PHILADELPHIA SOLDIERS & SAILORS MEMORIAL STADIUM (1919-53)
BUILT: 1919 CAPACITY: 41374 ADDRESS: 2900 South 25th Street, Philadelphia, PA
GOLDEN GATE STADIUM (1954-)
BUILT: 1948 CAPACITY: 50000 |
|
