Tombstone
Born: 1967
Moved: November 1975 (Chattanooga Lookouts)
First Game: April 17, 1967 (W 2-0 vs. Evansville White Sox)
Last Game: September 5, 1975 (W 4-3 vs. Montgomery Rebels)
Southern League Champions: 1967
Stadium
Rickwood Field (9,312)
Ownership & Affiliation
Owner: Charles O. Finley
Major League Affiliations:
- 1967: Kansas City Athletics
- 1968-1975: Oakland Athletics
Attendance
Tilting your mobile device may offer better viewing.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (3rd ed.), Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, 2007
Editor's Pick
Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic
Reggie, Rollie, Catfish and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s
By Jason Turbow
The Oakland A’s of the early 1970s: Never before had an entire organization so collectively traumatized baseball’s establishment with its outlandish behavior and business decisions. The high drama that played out on the field—five straight division titles and three straight championships—was exceeded only by the drama in the clubhouse and front office.
Under the visionary leadership of owner Charles O. Finley, the team assembled such luminary figures as Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, and Vida Blue, and with garish uniforms and revolutionary facial hair, knocked baseball into the modern age. Finley’s insatiable need for control—he was his own general manager and dictated everything from the ballpark organist’s playlist to the menu for the media lounge—made him ill-suited for the advent of free agency. Within two years, his dynasty was lost.
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Background
The Birmingham Athletics (A’s) were the Class AA farm club of the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics from 1967 to 1975. The Southern League ballclub was owned directly by Oakland’s colorful, spendthrift owner Charles O. Finley.
The Athletics had a phenomenal farm system in the late 1960’s and many of the great ballplayers from Oakland’s 1972-1974 World Series dynasty spent time in Birmingham on their way up the developmental ladder.
Key Players
The 1967 Birmingham club was especially colorful, featuring future Hall-of-Famers Rollie Fingers and Reggie Jackson and future All-Star outfielder Joe Rudi. Three members of the 1967 A’s would also go onto become Major League field managers: Marcel Lachemann, Tony LaRussa and John McNamara.
Other notable A’s included:
- Darrell Evans (1968)
- Vida Blue (1969)
- Gene Tenace (1969)
- George Hendrick (1970)
- Manny Trillo (1970)
- A re-habbing Denny McLain (1972)
- Chet Lemon (1974)
- Claudell Washington (1974)
Move To Chattanooga
Throughout the A’s final season in Birmingham in 1975, Finley and his local staff feuded with the Birmingham Park & Recreation Board over the rent for Rickwood Field. For years the A’s had paid $12,500 annual rent for the ballpark. Both Finley and Southern League President Billy Hitchcock argued this was already among the highest rental fees in all of Class AA baseball in the United States. The Park & Recreation Board wanted to double the price to $25,000 for 1975, but were persuaded to delay a year. Negotiations continued throughout the 1975 season, but a cloud of uncertainty hung over the ball club as the two sides failed to resolve the impasse. In November 1975, Finley pulled out of Birmingham and the Southern League franchise moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 1976 season.
Birmingham A’s Shop
Rickwood Field: A Century in America’s Oldest Ballpark
by Allen Barra
Order Today from Amazon
In Memoriam
Birmingham Athletics owner Charlie Finley died at age 77 on February 19, 1996. New York Times obituary.
Links
###
