Birmingham A's
The Birmingham Athletics, commonly the Birmingham A's were the Southern League AA affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics, playing at Rickwood Field from 1967 to 1975. They were a successor to the re-formed 1964 Birmingham Barons, also affiliated with the A's, which was the first racially-integrated professional sports team to play for Birmingham after the repeal of the city's segregation ordinances in 1963. After the 1965 season, owner Al Belcher decided to suspend play, and the team relocated to Mobile as the Mobile A's.
Belcher put Rickwood up for sale for $500,000 and threatened to demolish it for the salvage value. In 1966 he reached an agreement with the City of Birmingham, retaining a lease for the remainder of that year. Later in 1966, the lease was transferred to Athletics owner Charlie Finley, who brought Kansas City's farm team back to Birmingham for the 1967 season, playing as the "Birmingham A's".
With manager John McNamara and future Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson and Rollie Fingers, the A's went 84-55 and took the 6-team Southern League title by 3.5 games.
The Major League Athletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland, California in 1968. After a few strong seasons, the Birmingham club struggled for relevance on and off the field. The 1973 A's averaged only 305 fans per game at Rickwood.
The A's were sold to a group of Chattanooga, Tennessee investors in a deal announced during winter meetings on December 9, 1975. They played as the Chattanooga Lookouts the next season. Rickwood did not see Southern League baseball again for 5 seasons.
Records
- 1967 Birmingham A's: 84-55 (champion)
- 1968 Birmingham A's: 66-74, 20 games behind the Asheville Tourists
- 1969 Birmingham A's: 78-62, 3 games behind the Charlotte Hornets
- 1970 Birmingham A's: 73-65, 5.5 games behind the Columbus Astros
- 1971 Birmingham A's: 48-93
- 1972 Birmingham A's: 49-90
- 1973 Birmingham A's: 50-88
- 1974 Birmingham A's: 54-81
- 1975 Birmingham A's: 65-69
External links
- Birmingham Athletics history at birminghamprosports.com