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The '''Pensacola Fliers were a minor league AA baseball team in ''' was the Southeastern League. The Fliers were a farmclub name of the National League two [[Wikipedia:Philadelphia PhilliesSoutheastern League|Philadelphia PhilliesSoutheastern League]]. The Southeastern League consisted of baseball teams such as the Meridian Millers, Montgomery Rebels, Jackson Senators, Vicksburg Billies, Selma Cloverleafs, Gadsden Pilots and Anniston Rams. The Fliers won which called Pensacola home during the pennant in 195020th century.

==First iteration (1927-1930)==Pensacola was granted a Southeastern League team for the 1927 season. Team organizers held a contest to name the team and announced in March 1927 the winning name, the "Fliers," submitted by Frank Goodmar.<ref name="Name">[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32194877/ "'Fliers' is Selected As Local Ball Club's Name"]. ''The Fliers played at their home games at Pensacola Journal''. March 4, 1927. p. 5. Retrieved June 2, 2019 – via [[Legion FieldWikipedia:Newspapers.com|Newspapers.com]], a Pensacola ballpark fronting on Gregory </ref> The team's home uniform was white with black borders and featured the letter "HP" Streets featuring a single-decked, wooden grandstandwhile away uniforms were grey and featured the word "Fliers. "<ref name="Name" /> ===1927 season===[[Wikipedia:Bill Holden (baseball)|Bill Holden]] served as the club's manager at the beginning of the 1927 season but was replaced as manager by [[Wikipedia:Doc Johnston|Wheeler "Doc" Johnston]] midway through the season. [[Lee Conner Hagler]] was the team''1937 Season'''==s president, [[Dan Oppenheimer]] was its vice president, and [[T. M. Lloyd]] was its secretary-treasurer.

In 1937The team opened the season on April 11, Pensacola joined 1927 in Columbus, Georgia against the Southeastern League[[Wikipedia:Columbus Foxes|Columbus Foxes]]. The team was named the Fliers in honor won by a score of the pilots at the 6 to 4.<ref>"Fliers Take Opening Game From Foxes. ''The Pensacola Naval Air StationJournal''. April 12, 1927. p. The team won the regular season campaign with an 83-52 record1. </ref>

====Roster===={| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;"|-! colspan="8" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;" | 1927 Pensacola Fliers|-| colspan="8" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;" | '''Opening Day Roster'''|-| valign="top" | '1938 Season''Pitchers'''*Bill Glass*Dewey Hand*"Red" Herring*"Chuck" Nossett*Bill Polanski*Paul Stone*"Lefty" Strong*Tony Thielen| width="25px" | | valign="top" | '''Catchers'''*Lib Bradley*[[Wikipedia:Johnny Pasek|Johnny Pasek]]*Ed Scholls'''Infielders'''*"Hoot" Gibson*"Red" Griffin*Bill Ploger*Ray Quassius*Hoddy Reis| width="25px" | | valign="top" | '''Outfielders'''*[[Wikipedia:Bill Holden (baseball)|Bill Holden]]*Stirling Lipp*Clarence Nachand*Dick Porter|}

In 1938, ===1928 season===Doc Johnston returned as a farm team of the [[Wikipedia:Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn Dodgers]], club's manager for the Fliers repeated with an even better record of 95-531928 season.

====Roster===={| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;"|-! colspan="8" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;" | 1928 Pensacola Fliers|-| colspan="8" style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: center;" | '''Opening Day Roster'''|-| valign="top" | '1939 Season''Pitchers'''*"Skeets" McBride*John Clowers*"Spec" Ellis*Carlos Moore*Buster Nobles*Roy Appleton| width="25px" | | valign="top" | '''Catchers'''*[[Wikipedia:Johnny Pasek|Johnny Pasek]]*"Pop" Kitchens*Jeff Fincher'''Infielders'''*[[Wikipedia:Doc Johnston|Doc Johnston]]*Sam Tangeman*[[Wikipedia:Wally Dashiell|Wally Dashiell]]*Joe Longnecker*Otto Lind*Aaron Brisk| width="25px" | | valign="top" | '''Outfielders'''*Tommie Pyle*Dick Tangeman*Don Thomas|}

===1929 season===The 1929 Fliers changed welcomed several major league affiliations teams to Pensacola during spring training, losing 12-2 to the National League [[Wikipedia:Philadelphia PhilliesNew York Yankees|Philadelphia PhilliesNew York Yankees]] organizationon [[March 31]] and 5-2 to the [[Wikipedia:History of the Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn Dodgers]] on April 4. The new parent team made no difference, as also played several spring training games against the squad took home the bunting for the third straight yearbarnstorming [[Wikipedia:House of David (commune)|House of David]] team.

=='''1940-42 Seasons'''=1930 season===After a narrow one game miss in 1940, the Fliers slipped into the second division before the league closed up shop for the duration of World War II after the completion of the 1942 season.

=='''Second iteration (1946 Season'''-1950)==The Fliers were a minor league AA baseball team in the [[Wikipedia:Southeastern League|Southeastern League]] from 1946-1950. The Fliers were a farmclub of the National League [[Wikipedia:Philadelphia Phillies|Philadelphia Phillies]]. The Southeastern League consisted of teams such as the Meridian Millers, Montgomery Rebels, Jackson Senators, Vicksburg Billies, Selma Cloverleafs, Gadsden Pilots and Anniston Rams. The Fliers won the pennant in 1949 and 1950.

With World War II overThe Fliers were preceeded by the [[Pensacola Pilots]] and played their home games at [[Legion Field]], the Southeastern started anew in 1946a Pensacola ballpark fronting on Gregory and "H" Streets featuring a single-decked, wooden grandstand. The Fliersfit into Pensacola's professional baseball heritage with the [[Pensacola Pilots]], [[Pensacola Dons]], [[Pensacola Angels]], now an affiliate of the [[Wikipedia:Washington Senators|Washington Pensacola Senators]], won yet another flag[[Pensacola Pelicans]], and currently the [[Pensacola Blue Wahoos]].

=='''1947=1946-48 Seasons'''seasons===

With World War II over, the Southeastern League started anew in 1946. Now named the Fliers and an affiliate of the [[Wikipedia:Washington Senators|Washington Senators]] . The team was named the Fliers in honor of the pilots at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. In 1947 '47 and 1948'48, as an independent operation, Pensacola finished in the middle of the pack. Despite still not having a major league benefactor the next year, the Fliers put together the league’s best team to date.

=='''=1949 Season'''season===

The Fliers posted an easy win in the Southeastern League, finishing 98-42, with a .700 win percentage, 16 games ahead of Meridian. In the playoffs, Pensacola whitewashed Jackson, four games to none, before besting Vicksburg, four games to one to win the Southeastern League championship. Later, in a matchup of Class B leagues called the Little Dixie Series, the Fliers defeated the Florida International’s Tampa franchise, four games to two.

The ’49 Fliers were managed by 36-year-old '''Bill Herring'''. A long-time minor leaguer, Herring spent much of his career in the Coastal Plain League, both as a pitcher and manager. In 1941, he managed the Wilson Tobs to a place on the top 100 list. After stops in Portland (PCL) and Goldsboro (Coastal Plain), '''Herring''' signed on to manage Pensacola in 1949. In addition to piloting the club, '''Herring''' contributed from the mound, winning 10-of-13 decisions. After the season, he returned to familiar stomping grounds in the Coastal Plain, managing Wilson the Tobs in 1950.

Pensacola featured two players who were legends in minor league baseball in the Southeastern United States, 43-year-old first baseman '''Bill McGhee''' and outfielder '''Nesbit (Neb) Wilson'''. '''McGhee''' was in his 21st year in pro ball and had been a wartime player with the [[Wikipedia:Philadelphia Athletics|Philadelphia Athletics]], batting .272 in 170 games in 1944-45. He played all but 79 of his 2,292 minor league games below the Mason-Dixon Line. He had a .321 career average with 2,791 hits, but was not a power hitter, recording just 45 home runs. As playing manager at Gadsen in 1947, he had led the Southeastern League in batting (.349).

'''Wilson''', then 26, had a career which also spanned 21 years (1940-60), all but parts of two seasons in the South. He had a .326 career average with 2,369 hits including 329 homers. '''Wilson''' played four years with Pensacola (1947-50), leading the Southeastern League in RBI (129) in 1947 and hits (165) and total bases (254) in 1949, then winning the triple crown in 1950 (.355-35-163). He won three more batting titles, with a high mark of .403 as player-manager of Crestview in the [[Wikipedia:Alabama-Florida League|Alabama-Florida League]] in 1955. He led his league in RBI five times and in homers and doubles four times each.

Aside from '''McGhee''', the only other Flier who reached the majors was outfielder '''Bob Thorpe''' (.275-15-96), who hit .251 in 110 games for the Boston/Milwaukee Braves in 1951-53. Second baseman '''Jack Hollis''' (.315) played three seasons for the Los Angeles Angels in the Pacific Coast League.

The fact that so few Pensacola players made the big leagues was not unique for the era. In 1949, minor league baseball was at its height with 59 leagues operating--close to 10,000 minor league players competing for a spot on one of 16 major league teams. In addition, the Fliers were an independent outfit, not affiliated with any big league team that could conceivably pull its players up the ladder.

The Fliers’ pitching staff was anchored by a pair of 20-game winners - right-handers '''Alvin Henencheck''' (22-6) and '''Ken Deal''' (21-5). Left-hander '''Joe Kirkland''' (13-3) also chipped in, earning the ERA crown (1.62) while twirling six shutouts in only 18 starts. '''Hollis''' and '''Kirkland''' made the Southeastern League All-Star first team. '''Wilson''', '''Thorpe''', third baseman '''Minor Scott''' and '''Henencheck''' were named to the All-Star second team.

=='''==1949 Roster'''roster====

'''Fielders:'''

'''Bill McGhee''' (1B) .287 batting avg., '''Jack Hollis''' (2B) .315, '''Jimmy Williams''' (SS) .230, '''Minor Scott''' (3B) .277, '''Neb Wilson''' (OF) .324, '''Charles Weathers''' (OF) .292, '''Bob Thorpe''' (OF) .275, '''Charles Ehlman''' (C) .265, '''John McAnulty''' (SS) .221, '''Pierce McWhorter''' (C) .301, '''Jim Blair''' (1B) .310, Norman Wilson (C) .308, '''Rusty Morgan''' (3B) .333, '''John Dempsey''' (OF) .293, '''George Fisher''' (1B) .209, '''Robert Lyons''' (2B), '''Curtis Salyer''' (IF)

After Pensacola won the pennant in ===1950, the Southeastern League folded, taking the Fliers with it for the third time in 40 years. Seven years later, a team from the town joined the Class D [[Wikipedia:Alabama-Florida League|Alabama-Florida League]]. In their six-year stay (1957-62), the team won a playoff championship in 1960 and a regular season crown in 1962 as the Pensacola Senators. Following the latter, Pensacola dropped out of baseball for good until the [[Pensacola Pelicans]] in 2002.Season===

==After Pensacola won the championship in '50, the Southeastern League folded, taking the Fliers with it for the third time in 40 years. Seven years later, a team from the town joined the Class D [[Wikipedia:Alabama-Florida League|Alabama-Florida League]]. In their six-year stay (1957-62), the team won a playoff championship in 1960 and a regular season crown in 1962 as the ''Special Notes'Pensacola Senators''=='. Following the latter, Pensacola dropped out of baseball for good until the [[Pensacola Pelicans]] in 2002.

The 1949 Pensacola FliersIn 1929, featuring a cast of unknownsthe [[Wikipedia:New York Yankees|New York Yankees]], augmented by a pair of with star players among the minor leagues’ best'''Babe Ruth''' and '''Lou Gehrig''', finished with the highest mark played an exhibition game at Legion Field in Southeastern League historyMarch. Their story lends ammunition to The Yankees were playing various teams as part of a spring training tour of the theory that a team doesn’t need a superstar to lead it to greatnessSouth. A wellThe Yanks prevailed 12-balanced team featuring good hitting and pitching could accomplish the job just fine2 in front of 3,000+ fans.

In 2001, during the celebration of the centennial of the National Baseball Association, the Association commissioned baseball historians The '''Bill Weiss1949 Pensacola Fliers''' and '''Marshall Wright''' to develop , featuring a cast of unknowns, augmented by a list pair of players among the 100 minor leagues’ best minor league baseball teams of all time, finished with the highest mark in Southeastern League history. Their story lends ammunition to the theory that a team doesn’t need a superstar to lead it to greatness. The 1949 Fliers ranked #67A well-balanced team featuring good hitting and pitching could accomplish the job just fine.

In 2001, during the celebration of the centennial of the National Baseball Association, the Association commissioned baseball historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright to develop a list of the 100 best minor league baseball teams of all time. The 1949 Fliers ranked #67.  In 1998, Pensacola would have another team several teams with the same name, the : The [[Pensacola Flyers]], of the Eastern Indoor Soccer Leaguein 1998, and the [[Pensacola Ice Flyers]] of the Southern Professional Hockey League whose first season is 2009-2010.

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeastern_League Southeastern League Info Siteinfo site]

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thorpbo01.shtml?redir Bob Thorpe Infoinfo]* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Wally_Dashiell Wally Dashiell info site] ==References=={{reflist}} [[Category:Baseball teams]] [[Category:Professional sports teams]]