1901: First minor league team Minor league baseball play began in
Selma, Alabama in 1901, when the Selma "Christians" became a charter member of the eight-team
Class B level
Southern Association. Selma became a member of the league after the proposed
Atlanta, Georgia franchise was unable to secure the funding for the 1901 season and were subsequently replaced by the Selma franchise. When the Atlanta franchise failed to form for the 1901 Southern Association season, Selma became the replacement city.
Abner Powell, who was one of the three founders of the Southern Association, invested in the Selma franchise along with Selma co-owner/manager Ed Peters. Powell also served as the manager of the New Orleans Franchise, of which he had a financial investment as well.
Ed Glenn played for Selma in 1901. Glenn reported to the team early and helped in the preparation of the ballfield at Riverside Park that became Selma's new ballpark. No playoffs were held and Selma finished 31.5 games behind the first place Nashville Volunteers. Selma did not return to play in the 1902 Southern League, replaced in the eight-team league by the
Atlanta Crackers. This occurred when Abner Powell bought out Ed Peters and moved the Selma franchise to Atlanta for the 1902 season. In 1903, a Selma
YMCA team played the season as members of the four-team independent Alabama-Georgia League. The Selma roster consisted of mostly local players.
1911 & 1912: Southeastern League After an eight-year absence, minor league baseball returned to Selma in 1911. The Selma Centralites joined the
Anniston Models,
Decatur Twins,
Gadsden Steel Makers,
Huntsville Westerns and
Rome Hillies teams in beginning the Southeastern League schedule on May 8, 1911. The Selma Centralites continued Southeastern League play in 1912 in their second season of play in the six-team Class D level league. The six-team league lost two teams during the season and ultimately disbanded before completing the season schedule. The
Bessemer Pipemakers folded on July 14, 1912, and the Anniston Models folded on July 19, 1912, leaving the league with four remaining teams. The league began a split-season schedule on July 22 before folding folded on August 2, 1912. In the second half, Selma had compiled a record of 5–6. When the Southeastern League folded, Selma ended their season with an overall record of 42–35. Their record put the team in second place in the overall standings, finishing 1.5 games behind the first place Gadsden Steel Makers. Selma played their shortened season under manager Link Stickney. Earl Hanna of Selma won the Southeastern League batting championship, hitting .345 on the season. Besides winning the batting title, Hanna also led the Southeastern League with 62 runs scored and 115 total hits. Selma replaced the
Greenwood Scouts franchise in the Cotton States League. The
Clarksdale Swamp Angels,
Columbus Joy Riders,
Jackson Lawmakers,
Meridian Metropolitans and
Pensacola Snappers teams joined with Selma as the league schedule began on April 10, 1913. On June 2, 1913, Selma pitcher
Slim Love threw a
No-hitter victory over the Jackson Lawmakers, the first for the Selma franchise. Love won the game 2–0 and recorded 2 walks and 6 strikeouts in the contest. Love's no hit game was part of a five-game streak in which he allowed 0 runs and 19 hits in the five games. In July 1913, Love left Selma during the season, acquired by the
Atlanta Crackers of the
Southern Association. In their only season of Cotton States League play, the Centralites ended the season in third place in another shortened season. The Class D level league expanded from a six-team league to an eight-team league, adding Selma and the
Rome Romans as expansion teams. With Salem and Rome joining the returning
Anniston Moulders,
Gadsden Steel Makers,
LaGrange Terrapins,
Newnan Cowetas and
Talladega Indians teams, the league schedule began on May 4, 1914. Farmer made his major league debut with the
Pittsburgh Pirates in 1916. There he formed a double play combination with
Baseball Hall of Fame charter member
Honus Wagner. The Selma River Rats won the 1914 Georgia–Alabama League championship, playing the season under the returning manager Arthur Riggs and Wilfred Guiterez. Selma would not host minor league baseball again until 1927. When Selma applied for membership in the Southeastern League in 1927, a new ballpark had to be constructed to host the team and Rowell Field was opened. Selma had to convince the other Southeastern League teams that, despite being a much smaller city than the other league members, it could support a team. Selma's home attendance was near the top of the league when it reformed. Playing in the eight-team 1927 Southeastern League, the Selmians ended season with a record of 65–88 and in eighth place. Playing the season under managers
Fred Graf (18–36) and
Dutch Hoffman (47–52), Selma finished 25.0 games behind the first place Jacksonville Tars in the final standings. No Southeastern League playoffs were held. The Cloverleafs continued play as members of the eight-team Class B level Southeastern League. On April 11, 1928, Selma played their home opener at Rowell Field against the
Montgomery Lions. Tickets were .75 cents and .50 cents.
Zinn Beck replaced McLarry as manager during the 1928 season. Zinn was a Selma native who joined his hometown Cloverleafs in 1928 after beginning the season as manager of another team. In 1927, Beck was player/manager of the
Portsmouth Truckers and led the team to the
Virginia League championship. Beck began the 1928 season as manager the
Norfolk Tars and became available when the Virginia League folded in June, 1928. He then joined Selma and replaced Polly McLarry for the last part of the 1928 season and returned for the 1929 and 1930 seasons. In 1978, Beck was the recipient of the
King of Baseball award from Minor League Baseball. Parker Perry, who began the season as a member of the Albany Nuts before joining Selma, led the Southeastern League with 118 RBIs. Selma hurler William Ferebee threw the second Selma franchise
No-hitter on June 10, 1929. In a 6–0 victory at Selma over the Jacksonville Tars, Ferebee recorded 3 walks and 3 strikeouts in the game. The Cloverleafs had a final record of 94–43 to finish in first place under manager Zinn Beck. No Southeastern League playoffs were held, as Selma won both halves of the league's split season schedule, negating an opponent for a playoff. Selma finished 21.5 games ahead of the second place Tampa Bay Smokers in the final overall standings of the six-team Class B level league. With the
Great Depression affecting minor leagues, the Southeastern League did not return to play in 1931, and the Selma Cloverleafs were unable to defend their championship. In 1932, the Southeastern League reformed and the Selma Cloverleafs returned as a member of the six-team Class B level league. The Salem Cloverleafs joined the
Columbus Foxes,
Jackson Senators,
Macon Peaches,
Mobile Red Warriors and
Montgomery Capitals teams as the league returned to play on April 19, 1932. However, the season would be short lived. The 1932 Southeastern League season was short as the league disbanded on May 21, 1932. In the league's return to play, Selma became a
minor league affiliate for the first time, becoming an affiliate of the
Boston Red Sox &
Washington Senators for the season. The league schedule began on April 15, 1937.
Pro Football Hall of Fame member
Don Hutson played for Selma in 1937 while also playing for the
Green Bay Packers and leading the
National Football League in receptions that season. Green Bay had just won the
1936 NFL championship and Hutson played baseball before joining the Packers for the 1937 season. At age 24, Hutson played his second and final season of professional baseball in 1937. Hutson had Hutson played for his hometown
Pine Bluff Judges in 1936. After the 1937 season, he returned exclusively to football. Hutson played ten seasons with the Green Bay Packers and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. In returning to the eight-team Southeastern League, The Cloverleafs finished in second place, as the league began a four-team playoff system in 1937. Selma completed the regular season with 78–57 record in the 1937 Southeastern League. Playing the season under manager
Babe Ganzel, the Cloverleafs ended the season 5.0 games behind the first place Pensacola Fliers in the final regular season standings. Selma qualified for the four-team playoffs with their second-place finish and subsequently lost in first round of the playoffs 3 games to 1 to the eventual champion Mobile Shippers. On August 14, 1938, in the second game of a doubleheader at home, Selma pitcher Ralph Braun threw the Selma franchise's third
No-hitter in a win over the Pensacola Pilots. Braun was the winning pitcher as Selma won the game 2–0, as Braun recorded 3 walks and 8 strikeouts in the contest. Selma ended the regular season with a record 68–66 and finished in fourth place. Playing the season under player-manager
Billy Bancroft the Cloverleafs ended the season 18.5 games behind first place Pensacola Fliers. With their fourth-place finish, Selma qualified for the four-team playoffs and lost in first round, being swept by eventual champion Pensacola in 4 games. A 1928 graduate of Howard, Bancroft coached Howard football in the fall of 1939 after his season with Selma ended. In 1940 he served at athletic director in his final year at Howard. He later became a high school teacher and coach. As a pinch hitter for Selma in his dual role with the 1939 team, Bancroft batted .235 in 11 games and 21 at-bats, playing at age 34. The Selma Cloverleafs continued play in the 1940 eight-team Class B level Southeastern League and again qualified for the playoffs. Selma became a minor league affiliate of the
Washington Senators in 1940 ended the season in fourth place. The Cloverleafs ended the season with a 72–77 record under manager
Wes Kingdon. Selma finished the regular season 19.0 games behind the first place Jackson Senators. With their fourth place regular season finish, Selma qualified for the four-team playoffs and lost in first round 4 games to 1 to eventual champion Jackson. Prior to his arrival in Selma, Alexander was the player-manager for the 1939
Sanford Lookouts of the
Florida State League and held the same role with the 1940
Thomasville Tourists. In 1929, as a rookie with the
Detroit Tigers, Alexander led the American League with 215 total hits, and had a total of 272
RBIs in his first two major league seasons. In 1932, while playing for the
Boston Red Sox, Alexander won the American League batting championship, hitting .367 and winning the title over Baseball Hall of Fame member
Jimmie Foxx (.364) of the
Philadelphia Athletics. After winning the batting title, Boston raised his salary by a total of $500, from $10,500 to $11,000. In May 1933, Alexander received third degree burns on his leg and developed
gangrene after receiving a
diathermy treatment on an injured knee. The injuries from the burns and infection permanently limited his mobility as a 6'3" 210 pound
first baseman and essentially ended his major league career. After the injury, Alexander continued his playing career in the minor leagues and would compile a .334 batting average with 2,145 hits and 1,171 RBIs in minor league play through his final 1942 season. In 1938, Alexander played for the
Chattanooga Lookouts in the
Southern Association, when was traded by Chattanooga to the
Dallas Steers but refused to report to Dallas and temporarily retired before resuming his career the player-manager position with Sanford. Alexander became manager of the
Greeneville Burley Cubs in 1942. Selma improved to end the 1941 season as the runner-up in the eight-team Southeastern League final standings. The Cloverleafs finished in second place under manager Dale Alexander, with a 80–57 record as the team continued as a
Washington Senators affiliate. Selma ended the regular season 9.0 games behind the first place Mobile Shippers. Selma qualified for the four-team playoffs and lost in first round 4 games to 1 to the Jackson Senators who had finished the regular season in third place. Mobile then swept Jackson in the final. Selma pitcher
Ray Scarborough led the Southeastern League with both 21 wins and 220 strikeouts. After the conclusion of the 1942 season, the league did not resume play until 1946. Selma became an affiliate of the
Pittsburgh Pirates in returning to minor league play. Salem and Anniston both played the league season as Pittsburgh affiliates. A left-handed pitcher, Fischer then ended the season pitching with the league rival
Pensacola Fliers, in what would be his final professional season at age 41. Fischer pitched for six teams in seven years of major league baseball between 1930 and 1937. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns, and was a member of the
1935 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers. He appeared in 191 major league games and compiling a record of 46–50, with a 4.63 ERA and 376 strikeouts in 823 innings pitched. In 1946, Beck was a player-manager for the
York White Roses, who were a Pittsburgh Pirate affiliate. Beck compiled a record of 55–60 as the Selma manager. He had a 3–2 record with a 4.15 ERA pitching in 15 games for Selma. Beck later became a
pitching coach for the
Washington Senators from 1957 to 1959. Playing the season under Fischer and Beck, Selma did not qualify for the Southeastern League post season in 1947. With the team becoming a minor league affiliate of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cloverleafs ended the season with a record of 64–76 to finish in seventh place. Carl Fischer had record of 9–16 in his tenure and the team was 55–60 while playing under Boom-Boom Beck. Salem finished 13.5 games behind the first place Jackson Senators in the final regular season standidngs. With their seventh-place finish, Salem did not qualify for the four-team Southeastern League playoffs won by the Montgomery Rebels. In 1947, Arnovich had managed the
Davenport Cubs, another Chicago Cubs affiliate. Defensively, he recorded a .981
fielding percentage while playing primarily at left field. Salem ended the season with a record of 52–88, to finish in eighth place in the eight-team league. Whit manager Morrie Arnovich completing the season with the team, Salem ended the season 34.5 behind the first place Montgomery Rebels. Salem did not qualify for the four-team playoffs won by Montgomery. After finishing in last place the season prior, Selma ended the 1949 Southeastern League season avoiding last place in their final season as a Chicago Cubs affiliate. Salem was managed in 1949 by managers Leo Twardy (24–25) and Joseph Szuch (35–51) and finished with a record of 59–76. The Cloverleafs ended the regular season in seventh place, finishing 36.5 games behind the first place Pensacola Fliers. Selma did not qualify for the four-team Southeastern League playoffs won by Pensacola. Continuing Southeastern League play in 1950 without a minor league affiliate, the Cloverleafs again missed the four-team playoffs after finishing in last place. During the Southeastern League season the league reduced from four teams to six teams as both the Gadsden Pilots and Anniston Rams teams folded between July 25 and August 1. With the league ending the season six teams, the Cloverleafs finished in sixth place. Selma ended the season with a record of 43–87, playing the season under manager
Bert Niehoff, finishing 37.0 games behind the first place Pensacola Fliers. Selam did not qualify for the four-team playoffs won by Pensacola. Salem joined with the
Fort Walton Beach Jets (
Washington Senators affiliate),
Graceville Oilers (
Cincinnati Redlegs),
Montgomery Rebels (
Detroit Tigers),
Panama City Fliers and
Pensacola Dons teams in beginning league play on April 25, 1957. At age 34,
Buddy Kerr was hired to manage Selma in 1957 one year after making his managerial debut with the
Cocoa Indians in 1956. Growing up in
New York City, New York less than a mile from
The Polo Grounds, Kerr became the starting
shortstop for the
New York Giants for seven seasons during his career and was a greatly supported by the Giants' owner
Horace Stoneham. After his major league playing career ended, Kerr managed in the minor leagues for New York and San Francisco Giants affiliated teams through 1963. He then became scout for the San Francisco Giants in 1964 and signed
John Montefusco among others. With their sixth-place finish, Selma did not qualify for the four-team Alabama–Florida League playoffs. The playoffs ended in a tie between Graceville and Panama City after weather ended the series tied at 3 games each. Led by manager
Tommy Giordano, the Cloverleafs ended the regular season with a record of 71–49 and in first place, finishing percentage points ahead of the second place Columbus Foxes (74–52) in the final standings. After winning the league pennant, Selma qualified for the four-team playoffs and subsequently defeated the Pensacola Dons 3 games to 2 in the first round. In the Alabama–Florida League championship series, Selma lost 4 games to 1 to the
Dothan Cardinals, who had finished in fourth place in the regular season standings. A two-time major league all-star,
Max Alvis played for Selma in 1959 in his first professional season. After becoming the Cleveland Indians' all-star
third basemen, Alvis' baseball playing career was greatly affected after being hospitalized with
spinal meningitis. After a strong start to his major league career, Alvis never had the same strength and quickness after being stricken with meningitis. Alvis batted .297 with 6 home runs and 70 RBIs while playing in 117 games for the 1959 Selma Cloverleafs at age 19. In August 1959, two Selma pitchers both threw
no hit games against the Pensacola Dons, the fifth and sixth no-hitters in franchise history. First, on August 5, 1946, Selma pitcher Robert Gordon defeated Pensacola at home in a 6–0 victory. Gordon walked 5 and had 11 strikeouts in the contest. Then, on August 20, 1959, in a game at Pensacola, Selma's
Jerry Fosnow pitched the second no-hitter of the month. Fosnow walked 1 and struck out 5 in the 5–0 Selma win over the Dons. The Cloverleafs ended the Alabama–Florida League regular season with a 73–46 record, finishing in second place under manager Johnny Lipon. Selma ended the season 4.0 games behind the first place Montgomery Rebels. In the four-team league playoffs, Selma swept Pensacola 3 games to 0 in the first round to advance. In the Final, Selma defeated the Dothan Cardinals 4 games to 1 to win their first Alabama–Florida League championship.
Ken Landenberger began the 1960 season as the new manager of the Selma Cloverleafs. Landenberger had served as the player-manager of the
Minot Mallards the previous two seasons. He did not play for Minot in 1959. A first basemen, Landenberger had played briefly for the 1952
Chicago White Sox. Landenberger left the Selma Cloverleafs team in mid-July after a medical examination revealed that he was suffering from
acute leukemia. Landenberger was immediately admitted to the
Cleveland Clinic where he died on July 28, 1960, the day before his 32nd birthday, after suffering from a
cerebral hemorrhage and the effects of leukemia. As defending champion in the Alabama–Florida League, Selma continued as Cleveland Indians affiliate in 1960 and made the finals in the six-team Class D level league after the death of their manager. The Cloverleafs ended the 1960 regular season with a record of 58–57 to finish in second place while playing the season under managers Ken Landenberger, Joe Morlan and
Paul O'Dea. Selma finished 14.5 games behind the first place Panama City Fliers in the six-team league final regular season standings. The Cloverleafs qualified for the four-team playoffs and Selma swept the Fort Walton Beach Jets in 3 games in the first round to advance. Selma the lost in the league finals as Pensacola defeated Selma 3 games to 1 to win the league championship. In the regular season, manager Walt Novick began the season as manager of the Selma Cloverleafs, but was moved by the Cleveland Indians to become manager of the
Burlington Indians of the
Carolina League during the season and replaced by Joe Morlan. The Cloverleafs, managed by Novick (47–28) and Morlan (29–15) ended the season in first place with a 76–43 record. Selma finished 5.0 games ahead of the second place
Pensacola Senators in the final overall standings of the six-team Class D level league. No playoffs were held in 1961, as the six-team league played a split-season schedule and Selma won both half season pennants becoming the Alabama–Florida League champions. May had served in the
United States Navy during World War II. Following his military service, May became a long-time minor league manager from 1946 until his retirement in 1972. Pinky May's son is
catcher Milt May, who had a lengthy major league playing and coaching career. As a youth, Milt May served as a bat boy for his father's minor league teams. At age 18,
Lou Piniella was signed and played his first professional season with the 1962 Selma Cloverleafs. Piniella won the 1969 AL Rookie of the year and managed the 1990 Cincinnati Reds to the
1990 World Series championship in a lengthy baseball career that spanned over 50 years. After having played one season of college basketball for the
University of Tampa, Piniella was signed by the Cleveland Indians on June 9, 1962, and received $25,000 bonus. He started his professional career with Selma Cloverleafs slowly and improved after Pinky May, suggested that he worry about the fastball first and pull the ball. Piniella played in 70 games for Selma, batting .270 with 8 home runs and 44 RBIs. Continuing play as a Cleveland Indians affiliate, Selma ended the season under .500 with a record of 55–63 and ended the regular season in fourth place in the six-team league. The Cloverleafs finished the regular season 24.0 games behind the first place Pensacola Senators playing under manager Pinky May. Selma qualified for the four-team playoffs and went on a championship run. Selma defeated the Ft. Walton Beach Jets 2 games to 0 in the first round to advance. In the Alabama–Florida League finals, Selma defeated Pensacola 3 games to 1 and won their second consecutive Alabama–Florida League championship in what became the final season for the league. Selma played the 2002 season as a member of the independent Southeastern League. ==The ballparks==