Olean Oilers
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesClass D
LeagueNew York–Penn League (1957–1962)
Previous leagues
Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (1939–1956)
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 4 (1939, 1940, 1950, 1961)
Team data
Previous names
  • Olean Red Sox (1961–1962)
  • Olean A's (1959)
  • Olean Oilers (1955–1958)
  • Olean Giants (1954)
  • Olean Yankees (1952–1953)
  • Olean Oilers (1939–1951)
Previous parks

The Olean Oilers were a minor league baseball team located in Olean, New York which played primarily in the New York–Pennsylvania League from 1939 to 1966, with a hiatus in 1960. Starting in 1952, the team often shared nicknames with its major league affiliates.

A 2012 collegiate team with the same name played in the New York Collegiate Baseball League for several years. Both teams played their home games at Bradner Stadium.

History

Professional team

The Oilers were preceded in minor league play by the Olean Refiners. Between 1908 and 1916, The Refiners played as members of the Class D level Interstate League.[1][2]

The Oilers resumed minor league play, playing in the New York–Pennsylvania League from 1939 to 1951 and from 1955 to 1958. The league was known as the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League from 1939 to 1956. Their inaugural home game on 11 May 1939 was played in front of 3,300 spectators.[3]

The Oilers were a minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939 to 1948, the St. Louis Browns in 1949, and the Philadelphia Phillies from 1956 to 1958. The Oilers played their home games at Bradner Stadium.

The Oilers' president, Josephine Ross, was the only female president of an affiliated minor league team in 1959.[4]

Collegiate summer team

Starting in 2012, the Olean Oilers name was revived as a member of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. The team began play in the summer of 2012, initially playing on the campus of Saint Bonaventure University before returning to a renovated Bradner Stadium in 2014; a crowd of nearly 2,000 fans watched the Oilers during their first game back at Bradner.[5] In their fourth year of play as an amateur squad, the Oilers won the 2015 NYCBL championship; the next year, the team went on a 24-game winning streak near the beginning of the season, doubling the previous league record, en route to a league record 39 wins and a second consecutive championship, won before a league record 2,876 fans at Bradner. Despite concerns over competitive balance as well as admitted discussions with the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, the Oilers have shown a general preference to stay in the NYCBL for 2017.[6]

Year-by-year professional record

YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffs
193965-381stJake PitlerLeague Champs
194065-391stJake PitlerLeague Champs
194148-615thJake Pitler
194282-422ndJake PitlerLost League Finals
194343-666thJake Pitler
194457-665thJohn Fitzpatrick
194540-868thJohn Fitzpatrick
194669-563rdGreg MulleavyLost in 1st round
194766-583rdGreg MulleavyLost League Finals
194860-667thGeorge Scherger
194939-868thShan Deniston / Lawrence Mancini
195071-542ndLen SchulteLeague Champs
195179-481stOrval CottLost League Finals
195270-553rdBunny MickLost in 1st round
195363-615thBill Davis / Walter Lance
195446-807thAustin Knickerbocker / Frank Genovese
195546-808thPaul Owens
195665-583rdPaul OwensLost League Finals
195752-655thPaul Owens
195867-573rdBenny ZientaraLost in 1st round
195957-696thWilliam Robertson
196164-614thHarold HollandLeague Champs
196262-573rd (t)Harold HollandLost League Finals

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  2. ↑ "Olean, New York Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. ↑ "Hamilton takes home inaugural". 12 May 1939.
  4. ↑ Rosenbloom, Dave (November 29, 1958). "Women keeping baseball alive, says female prexy of Olean club". Democrat and Chronicle.
  5. ↑ By J.P. Butler Olean Times Herald (2014-06-07). "Crowd 'grew' as the Oilers' game wore on | Sports". oleantimesherald.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  6. ↑ CHUCK POLLOCK Olean Times Herald (2016-08-01). "O'Connell looks ahead after a 2nd Oilers title | Columnists". oleantimesherald.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.

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