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1935 CHURCHILL BISMARCKS
In 1946, the Carmichael Firemen defeated Wolf & Royer of Roseville 5-4 and became the only team from the Sacramento area to advance to the National Baseball Congress semi-pro World Series held annually in Wichita, Kansas. The Firemen finished as runners-up with their 6-2 record (best by any team from Northern Calif.) in the prestigious 32-team National tournament. Pitcher Les Lollis was named tournament MVP with his 4-0 record and .417 batting average. Carmichael 3rd baseman Glenn Dufour who hit .350 for the tournament, later suited up for the Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley the following spring. The 1947 Golden Bears defeated captain George H.W. Bush and his Yale Bulldogs in two straight games to win college baseball's inaugural World Series.
St. Joseph, Michigan declined the honor of representing the United States in the first Canadian-American Series. Carmichael accepted the bid to compete in the best-of-seven series to be held at Wichita. The Windsor, Ontario Auto Wreckers, winners of the Maple Leaf championship, represented Canada. The Firemen pasted the Canadians 25-12 in game #1 after scoring 12 runs in the 2nd inning. John Parino went 4-5 and scored four times in the rout. Dave Rodrick, a pick-up from Wolf & Royer, got the win. Carmichael won game #2 by a score of 6-5. Babe Perry got the complete-game win while right fielder Les Lollis homered. The Americans made it 3 in a row with a 5-4 victory. Lollis got the win while Izzy Smith went 3-5. The Canucks rebounded with a 10-9 win ( Sunny Davey took the loss) before Carmichael pitcher Al "Spider" Zutz ended the series with an 8-2 win. Marz Dutra went 3-5.
NATIONAL BASEBALL CONGRESS
CALIFORNIA BASEBALL HISTORY SEMI-PRO BASEBALL
The National Baseball Congress was founded by Hap Dumont in 1934 and is considered the best-case scenario as far as crowning a National semi-pro champion. The often 32-team tournament represents state tournament champions and automatic berths from previous winners. Qualifying state tournaments include sanctioned NBC league champions as well as at-large invited teams. An example would be a team that plays an independent schedule with a great winning record such as the 1953 Marysville Giants with Fred Besana and their 20-2 record before the start of the Northern California tournament. During wartime, America often coddled some of her best professional ballplayers who played for military teams. As a result, the Camp Wheeler, Georgia Spokes and Sherman Field, Kansas Flyers won NBC titles in 1943 and '45 while the Fort Myer Military District of Washington and the Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri Hilltoppers won titles in 1952 and '53. The Ford Ord Warriors with several major leaguers won California state titles in 1952, '53, and 1954.
The NBC held it's first World Series in 1935 when Dumont offered the great Satchel Paige $1000 to bring his Bismarcks from Bismarck, North Dakota (later named the Bismarck Churchills) to Wichita, Kansas for its inaugural tournament. Paige won four games (a record shared with Carmichael's Les Lollis) for most wins in a single tournament; Paige struck out a record 60 batters as the Bismarcks were crowned national semi-pro champions. Although the tournament has been dubbed as semi-pro, several of the players during the tourney's first 50 years were ex-professionals, including ex-major leaguers. Steve Kemp, future MLB All-Star, who was named NBC Tournament MVP in 1974 while with the Alaska Goldpanners also played in the tournament for the Liberal, Kansas BeeJays. He had a job mowing lawns for the city of Liberal and said it best in 50 YEARSNATIONAL BASEBALL CONGRESS TOURNAMENT--"but the better I hit the ball, the less grass I cut." During the 1950s, the NCAA sent officials (token baseball cops) to the Basin League to make sure college players were actually working at regular jobs and earning their pay. A fine line often separates the distinction between amateur, semi-pro, and professional teams and players.
Not all of the nation's top teams competed in NBC tournaments. Some teams couldn't financially afford to make the journey to Wichita, Kansas for the 2-week tournament or take time off from their own league schedules and compete in qualifying tournaments. During the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, some of Northern California's best semi-pro teams were from the Sacramento Valley League but only a few competed in NBC state tournaments. Often, 2nd place state finishers would make the journey to Wichita. Also, teams would stack the deck or add top players from other teams to enter NBC tournaments.
LES LOLLIS
1946 MVP
PETE BEIDEN '47
ATWATER PACKERS
PAT GILLICK--1965
NBC ALL-AMERICAN
WICITA DREAMLINERS
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
MGR. BILLY RICO,1946
CARMICHAEL FIREMEN
YR NOR. CA. CHAMPION CA. ST. CHAMPION RUNNER-UP AT WICHITA
1945 ATWATER PACKERS
1946 CARMICHAEL FIREMEN CAMP STONEMAN CARMICHAEL 6-2
1947 ATWATER PACKERS SANTA MARIA INDIANS CARM. 4-2, ATWATER 3-2
1948 MOFFAT'S MANTECA ATWATER PACKERS ATWATER 2-2
1949 BACKERSFIELD
COMBS BROS. SPUDS HUMBOLDT CRABS BAKERSFIELD 1-2
1950--SALINAS RODEO BUFFALOS SANTA MARIA INDIANS SALINAS RODEO SANTA MARIA 3-2
1951--ATWATER PACKERS ATWATER PACKERS
1952--FORT ORD WARRIORS FORT ORD
1953--FORT ORD WARRIORS FORT ORD SAN DIEGO SKYRAIDERS SAN DIEGO 4-2
1954--FORT ORD WARRIORS FORT ORD ATWATER PACKERS ATWATER 4-2
1955 SAN DIEGO NAV's LIVINGSTON MERCHANTS SAN DIEGO 1-2
1956 MARCH AFB BOMBERS LODI GUILD WINES MARCH AFB 1-2
1959--FISHERMAN'S GROTTO S. JOSE NESBIT MASONRY SAN MATEO BLUES FRESNO POLICE 1-2
1960 EL CERRITO HATZELL RADIO SAN JOSE NESBIT NO ENTRY ---
1961--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT WRIGHTS LIGHTING
1962--SANTA ROSA ELKS SANTA ROSA ELKS
1963--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT DANVILLE PHILLIES HUMBOLDT 1-2
1964--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT PURITY STORES HUMBOLDT
1965--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT HUSTEADS OF OAKLAND HUMBOLDT 5-2
1966--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT MENDOCINO BRAVES HUMBOLDT 6-2
1967--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT HUSTEADS of OAKLAND HUMBOLDT 4-2
1968--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT SAN BERNARDINO COLL. HUMBOLDT 5-2
1969--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT SAN JOSE GAGLIARDIS HUMBOLDT 2-2
1970--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT LOVIER-MAGVAVOX NO ENTRY ---
1971--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT LOVIER-MAG. OAKLAND HUMBOLDT 4-2
1972--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT SAN JOSE GAGLIARDIS HUMBOLDT 4-2
1973--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT GALLAGHERS of OAKLAND HUMBOLDT 4-2
1974--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT GALLAGHERS of OAKLAND HUMBOLDT 4-2
1975--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT CHICO COLTS HUMBOLDT 4-2
1976--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT FONTANETTIS SAN JOSE HUMBOLDT 1-2
1977--HUMBOLDT CRABS HUMBOLDT FONTANETTIS SAN JOSE HUMBOLDT 3-2
1978--FONTANETTI'S FONTANETTI'S HUMBOLDT CRABS
1979 SANTA MARIA INDIANS HUMBOLDT 2-2
1982 SANTA MARIA INDIANS SANTA MARIA
2003 SANTA BARBARA FORESTERS
2005 SANTA BARBARA FORESTERS
2006 SANTA BARBARA FORESTERS SANTA BARBARA
2008 SANTA BARBARA FORESTERS SANTA BARBARA
2011 SANTA BARBARA FORESTERS SANTA BARBARA
2012 SANTA BARBARA FORESTERS SANTA BARBARA
2014 SANTA BARBARA FORESTERS SANTA BARBARA
2016 SANTA BARBARA FORESTERS SANTA BARBARA
HAP DUMONT
SATCHEL PAIGE
BISMARCK, 1935
LEE IORG, 1973
NBC BATTING CHAMP
& TOURNAMENT MVP
The Humboldt-Eureka Crabs are by far the most successful team in the history of California semi-pro baseball having won 18 state titles including 15 in a row at one stretch (1963-1977). Most of the top Crab players during this run were local players, ex professionals and college players, mostly supplied by Fresno State. Although the Crustaceans have never won a National title, the Crabs have finished 3rd on three occasions. Chico, California native Pat Gillick was named NBC All-American as his Wichita Rapid Transit Dreamliners finished the 1965 NBC Worls Series with a perfect 7-0 record. Gillick pitched a total of 13 innings allowing only one run while striking out 18. He was previously named top pitcher at the Kansas State tournament. In 2011, Gillick was enshrined into MLB's Hall of Fame as a General Manager and at present is GM of the Philadelphia Phillies. Oakland native Billy Martin while serving in the military during also ventured out and played 2nd base for Goodland, Kansas. The Tigers finished 3rd at the NBC National tournament and Martin was named to the All-American team when he hit .560 (14-25, with 2 home runs), 3rd best at Wichita. In 1973, Blue Lake, California native Lee Iorg led his Alaska Goldpanners to an NBC National title. Iorg, who was an All-American at BYU was named tournament MVP as he led the tourney in hitting with his .500 average (11-22) which included a game-winning 2-run homer in the finals.
The Fairbanks, Alaska Goldpanners are the most successful team in NBC history having won six championships including three in a row (1972, '73, '74, '76, '80 and 2002) and placed second on four other occasions. The Santa Barbara Foresters of California have dominated the NBC in the past 11 years having won six of the last nine NBC championships (2006, '08, '11, '12, '14 and last year's title, 2016} to go along with two other second-place finishes (2003, '05). Their closest rival during the past decade has been the Seattle Studs who have won two titles (2013, '15) and placed runners-up twice in the past four years. The Liberal, Kansas BeeJays are the 3rd most successful team in NBC history having won 5 National titles (1968, '79, '85, 2000, and 2010) and finishing runners-up in six other years. The Anchorage, Alaska Glacier Pilots have also won five titles (1969, '71, 86, '91 and 2001) along with four second-place honors. The Grand Rapids, Michigan Sullivans have won four championships (1960,.'70, '83, and 1984). The Santa Maria, California Indians won a title in 1982 and finished second in 1979 while California's Carmichael (Sacramento) Firemen and the Fort Ord Warriors were runners-up in 1946 and 1951 respectively. The states of Alaska and Kansas have been in the finals more often than any other state with the majority of Alaskan ballplayers being supplied by the University of Southern California, Arizona State, and Fresno State, several of which were All-Americans. Goldpanner outfielders Gary Sutherland was an All-American from USC in 1964 while 1973 UBC MVP and batting champion Lee Iorg from Blue Lake, Ca. was an All-American at Brigham Young University.
BILLY MARTIN, 1954
MVP--NBC KANSAS
ST. TOURNAMENT
NBC ALL-AMERICAN
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