1901 Western Association, beginnings The first professional team based in Fort Wayne were the major league level
Fort Wayne Kekiongas, which played the 1871 season as members of the
National Association.
Minor league baseball began in Fort Wayne in 1883, when the
Fort Wayne Hoosiers team played as members of the
Independent level
Northwestern League. After beginning play in the 1896
Interstate League, the 1900
Fort Wayne Indians ended a five-year tenure in the Interstate League by winning the league championship. The Indians immediately preceded the Railroaders in minor league play. The Interstate League folded following the 1900 season, and Fort Wayne continued play in 1901 in a new league, known by a new nickname. The Railroaders became members of the eight-team
Class A level
Western Association. Playing their first season in the new league, Fort Wayne placed fourth with a record of 73–67 and finished 12.0 games behind the first place Dayton Veterans. The Railroaders were managed by Fort Wayne's returning manager
Doggie Miller, as no playoffs were held. In 1973, the
Nickel Plate Railroad's steam locomotive no. 765 was acquired by the society from the city of Fort Wayne, where it had been a static monument within Lawton Park for 12 years as a tribute to Fort Wayne's railroad history. The locomotive was retired from use in 1958, by the
New York, Chicago, & St. Louis Railroad that served Fort Wayne. In 1974, wanting to repair the locomotive, the society built temporary tracks and moved the locomotive from Lawton Park through the city to the Nickel Plate Road's New Haven shops, now owned by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. In 1979, while undergoing restoration, the 765 ran under its own steam power for the first time since 1963. Today, the 765 has been fully restored and is in use on public excursions, having been added to the
Norfolk Southern Railway's
21st Century Steam program in 2012. The 765 was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The
Fort Wayne station, also known as the Pennsylvania Railroad Station and Baker Street Station was opened to the public for passenger service in 1914 and is still in use today. The station was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It is located at 221 Baker Street
Central League 1903 to 1905 two championships Without a minor league team in 1902, the Fort Wayne "Shamrocks" semiprofessional team played home games at League Park during the interim season, before minor league baseball returned to Fort Wayne in 1903. In 1903, the Fort Wayne Railroaders resumed play in a newly formed league. Fort Wayne became members of the eight-team
Class B level
Central League and had immediate success. The
Dayton Veterans,
Evansville River Rats,
Grand Rapids Orphans,
Marion Oilworkers,
South Bend Green Stockings,
Terre Haute Hottentots, and
Wheeling Stogies teams joined with Fort Wayne in 1903 league play. The 1903 Fort Wayne Railroaders won the league championship of the Class B level Central League. Fort Wayne again placed first in the league standings in 1904, as the Railroaders ended the season with a record of 87–51 in the eight-team Class B level Central League. Fort Wayne finished 10.5 games ahead on the second place Fort Wayne Hottentots in the final league standings. Bert Dennis of Fort Wayne led the Central league with 92 runs scored. On July 10, 1905, Fort Wayne had a record of 31–41 when the team moved to
Canton, Ohio, finishing the season as the
Canton Red Stockings. Managed by the returning Bade Myers and George Williams, the Red Stockings compiled a record of 25–35 while based in Canton. The Fort Wayne/Canton team placed seventh in the league with an overall record of 56–79 regular season record. Fort Wayne/Canton finished 24.5 games behind the first place Wheeling Stogies in the final standings.
Interstate League 1906 championship After the team relocated during the 1905 season, the Fort Wayne Railroaders reformed in 1906, but did not return to the Central League. The Railroaders became charter members of the short-lived Class C level
Interstate League, winning the league's championship in a shortened season. The 1906 Interstate Association formed as an eight–team league that began play in April 1906. The league was organized with the
Anderson, Indiana,
Bay City,
Flint Vehicles,
Lima Lees,
Marion Moguls,
Muncie Fruit Jars and
Saginaw teams joining Fort Wayne beginning the league schedule on April 26, 1906. During the 1906 season, the Muncie and Bay City teams both disbanded on May 18. Saginaw moved to
Marion, Ohio on June 21 before folding and Flint disbanded on July 2, 1906. The Interstate Association, with four remaining teams, permanently disbanded on July 8, 1906. On July 8, 1906, the Fort Wayne Railroaders were in first place when the Interstate Association folded, giving the team a championship. Fort Wayne finished the shorted season with a final record of 37–22, playing under managers
Louie Heilbroner and
Jack Hardy during the season. Fort Wayne was followed by the Marion (36–24), Anderson (30–31) and Lima (26–36) teams in the final Interstate Association league standings. The Fort Wayne "Billikens" were formed, beginning another tenure in the league. In their first season of rejoining the Central League, the Billikens finished in third place in the final Central League standings. With a record of 75–65 under manager
Jack Hendricks, Fort Wayne finished 9.0 games behind the first place
Evansville River Rats and 3.0 games ahead of the third place Dayton Veterans. In the era, the "Billikens" was the team nickname for several minor league teams, including the
Montgomery Billikens of the 1910
Southern Association, the
Bay City Billikens of the 1911 and 1912
Southern Michigan League and the
McLeansboro Billikens of the 1910
Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League. The Billikens ended the season with a final record of 77–66. Fort Wayne finished 14.0 games behind the league champion Wheeling Stooges. Billiken player Curley Blount led the Central League with 92 runs scored. Hendricks held a law degree from
Northwestern University Law School and was admitted to the bar in the state of Illinois. Hendricks is one of a select group of major league managers to hold a law degree or pass a state bar. The others include
James Henry O'Rourke,
Miller Huggins,
Branch Rickey,
John Montgomery Ward,
Hughie Jennings,
Muddy Ruel, and
Tony La Russa. In the 1910 season, the Fort Wayne Billikens continued play in the eight-team Central League and placed second in the final standings. The Billikens finished with a regular season record 79–58, playing the season under manager
Jimmy Burke. Fort Wayne ended the season 8.5 games behind the first place South Bend Bronchos in the final league standings, as the league held no playoffs. Pitcher William Robertson of Fort Wayne had a 20–5 record to lead the Central Association. The Fort Wayne "Brakie" nickname corresponds with the city and region's railroad industry and history. A "Brakie" is a slang railroad team referring to the
Brakemen position on the railroad crew operation. A "brakie" worker was a vital railroad position that installed, inspected, repaired and operated train brakes, among other duties. The brakeman's responsibilities included providing flag protection from following trains for a stopped train, ensuring that the
railway couplings between cars were properly set, aligning
railroad switches, and signaling to the train operators while performing switching operations. In the era, some local U.S. labor laws required that enough brakemen would be staffed on every train so that one brakeman would be responsible for no more than two cars. Brakemen duties were also to watch and inspect the train when it was underway, looking for signs of
hot boxes, a dangerous overheating of axle bearings or for any damage to
rolling stock, as well as for unauthorized people trying to ride on the train and displaced cargo. The Brakies ended the 1911 Central League season as the league runner up with a record of 88–54, placing second in the Central League, while playing the season under manager
Doc Casey. Fort Wayne ended the season 3.0 games behind the first place Dayton Veterans in the final standings.
Central League - 1912 to 1915 The Class B Central League expanded by four teams in 1912, as Fort Wayne continued league play, again becoming known by the "Railroaders" nickname. The
Akron Rubbermen,
Canton Statesmen,
Erie Sailors and
Youngstown Steelmen teams joined the league increasing it to twelve teams, an uncommonly large league. Fort Wayne ended the season with a record of 77–51, finishing 2.5 games ahead of the second place Youngstown Steelmen. Shag Shaughnessy managed the Railroaders to the title. The 12–team league held no playoffs. The Champs continued play in the 1913 Central League, as the Central League reduced from twelve teams to six teams and remained a Class B level league. After a 7–6 loss in a 1913 game at Fort Wayne, the
Terre Haute Terre-iers player/manager
Goat Anderson protested the game. During the game, Terre Haute was winning 6–0 in the bottom of the 7th inning, which was the last inning as it was the first game of a double header. A ball was hit by a Fort Wayne batter to left field, where Anderson was playing. As he was running to field the ball, a loose
Great Dane named "Don" ran at Anderson as he chased the base hit. With "Don" running and jumping at Anderson, this caused him to hesitate, and the batter ended up on third base with a triple on the play. Fort Wayne proceeded to score seven runs in the inning to win the game. Anderson filed a protest with the Central League, requesting that the entire game be played over. Central League president Louis Heilbroner denied Anderson's protest, reasoning that the play did not have a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Heilbroner ordered that Don no longer be allowed on the field during Fort Wayne home games. Placing second in the final standings of the six-team 1913 Central League, the Champs had an overall record of 77–63, playing the season under manager
Jimmy Burke. The 1914 Fort Wayne "Railroaders" placed fourth as the Class B Central League played the season as a six-team league. It was the only season that Fort Wayne finished below .500 in Central League play. Harry Martin managed Fort Wayne, as the Railroaders ended the season with a 64–70 record. After the Springfield Reapers team folded on August 8, the Central League continued play to the end of the season with five teams, concluding the league schedule on September 7, 1914. The Railroaders ended the season 21.0 games behind the first place Dayton Veterans, as no league playoffs were held. The Fort Wayne franchise became known as the "Cubs" as the 1915 Central League continued play, expanding to become an eight-team league from a six-team league. In 1917, the Fort Wayne "Chiefs" played the season in the eight-team league before the league folded. The
Fort Wayne Chiefs would later resume play as a member of the Central League in the 1928 to 1930, 1932 and 1934 seasons. Today, Fort Wayne hosts the
Fort Wayne TinCaps, who play as a member of the
Class A level
Midwest League. The franchise began Midwest League play in 1993. ==The ballpark==