Western League (1947-1958)
Three-I League (1959-1960)
Tombstone
Born: 1946 – Western League founding franchise
Folded: November 28, 1960
Western League Champions: 1948, 1950 & 1951
Three-I League Championships: None
Stadium
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners: Adam Pratt, et al.
Major League Affiliations:
- 1947-1955: New York Giants
- 1956: St. Louis Cardinals
- 1957-1958: Co-op
- 1959-1960: Kansas City Athletics
Background
The Sioux City Soos of 1947-1958 were the fourth and final baseball club to play under the “Soos” name in the Northwest Iowa city. Earlier versions of the Soos played in 1904, 1908-1909 and 1940-1941.
The latter day Soos joined the Class A Western League for its inaugural season in the summer of 1947. Sioux City won three Western League playoff crowns during a nine-year working agreement with the New York Giants of the National League.
Say Hey … or Don’t
Sioux City fans missed out on two opportunities to enjoy the greatest Giant of the era. In 1950, the Giants signed 19-year Willie Mays out of the Negro American League. The Giants initially considered sending the Say Hey Kid to Sioux Falls, but Soos management wouldn’t integrate the team. Instead he was sent to the Class B Trenton Giants in New Jersey for the 1950 season. The following summer, Mays was tearing up the Class AAA American Association, hitting .477 for the Minneapolis Millers through late May. On May 24, 1951, Mays and the Millers were due to play an exhibition game against the Soos in Sioux City. But the afternoon of the game, the Giants summoned Mays to New York to join the Major League club. He missed the exhibition and never played another game in the minors.
Floyd River Flood
Tragedy struck Sioux City on June 8th, 1953. The Floyd River flooded, killing 14 people. Soos Park was inundated with water which killed the infield grass and washed away much of the stadium’s outfield fencing. Neverthless, the Soos were able to complete the 1953 campaign.
Post-Giants Troubles
The Giants pulled out at the end of the 1955 season and the late 1950’s were not kind to the Soos. In 1956 the St. Louis Cardinals took over as parent club. But the Soos played poorly and team owner Adam Pratt threatened to fold the team in mid-summer unless a list of demands was met. One demand was that the Western League immediately adopt a split season format, which would give the Soos a fresh start to drum up fan interest in July and August. Another was that the Chamber of Commerce drum up $15,000 in immediate ticket sales through a “Save The Soos” campaign. Attendance dropped to an all-time low of 42,000 fans during the summer of ’56.
The Soos muddled through the 1957 and 1958 seasons without a firm Major League working agreement in place. Sioux City dropped out of the Western League in December 1957, but returned to the fold a few months later, in time to field a Soos team for 1958. 1958 proved to be the final season of the Western League, which folded in February 1959.
Kansas City Athletic Era & Demise
After the Western League shuttered, the Soos soldiered on for two further seasons in the Three-I League as a Kansas City Athletics farm club. (The ‘Three-I’ stood for Illinois, Indiana & Iowa). Notable players during the Athletics era included shortstop Dick Howser (1959-1960) and pitcher Diego Segui (1960). Howser became an All-Star for the Kansas City A’s in 1961 and managed the Kansas City Royals to a World Series victory in 1985. Segui pitched 15 seasons in the Majors and led the American League in ERA in 1970.
The Soos finally caved to persistent financial troubles and went out of business in November 1960.
In Memoriam
Soos owner Adam Pratt died on August 23, 1980 at the age of 78.
Shortstop Dick Howser died after a battle with brain cancer on June 17, 1987. New York Times obituary.
Links
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9 Responses
Late 40s – early 50s . . . Use to sneak over the right field fence at times. Sometimes we would shag balls and get free entrance to games. Did this with Joe Biesbrock . . . Jan 1955 class.
I, along with so many others of my growing up era of the 1050’s and early 60’s, really miss the SOOS and that
minor league ballpark experience of those years Many memories and we SO hated to see it end but we all
saw the writing on the wall. $$$ drove the whole picture. What a neat memory with the greats like Willie
Kirkland, Mike Columbo, and so many countless others!! Gone with the wind. Now I am so happy that, at least,
the EXPLORERS are trying to keep baseball alive in Sioux City. I still try, whenever I am there, to drive by the area
of 12th and Steuben, to try and visualize where the SOOS ballpark was situated. I am like a little kid who just
can’t let go of the past. I can still hear Gene Sherman, the sports broadcaster, bring us the games each night, and I
so enjoyed those moments. I had really even considered pursuing a career in Broadcast Journalism.
Whatever happened to Mike Columbo, one of the players in the mid to late 50’s who tragically got hit by a
pitched ball and got pulled from the game. WOW! That was quite the site and so startling to a early teenage kid.
I was the captain of the Blue Jays little league ball team in 1954 and 1955 (May have been 53and54). We finished third in 1954 and won the championship in 1955. We received our championship trophy at the Soos ball park before one of the games. What a thrill ! The park was also used to organize the little league teams at the beginning of the season. My family moved to Los Altos California that winter and I never played ball again.
Some of the Blue Jay players were Darel Klute, Ed Steck, Wayne Dunlap, and a power ball picture whose first name was Eddie I believe. We cane to sign up day with almost a full team but at the park we picked up a center fielder named Willie. I black kid that was sitting all by himself without a parent with him. He was shy but a good ball player !! Innocent days of the 1950’s !!!
As I recall Jimmy Davenport played in Sioux City for a while !
My favorite soos player was bill white. My dad took me to many soos games.
Dizzy Dean came to Soos Park as a then radio/tv personality and hit a home run to the delight of cheering fans. As a young boy, I often walked to the park, my parents never concerned for my safety. Great times. Sorry to read about the Mays nonsense. Bob Strawn
Does anyone remember the Indian mascot of the SOOS in the 1950s?
I mean, Does anyone remember the name of the Indian mascot of the SOOS in the 1950s?
I played little league bb for the Soos sponsored team called The Little Soos
I worked the concession stand making popcorn and snow cones at the ballpark for a couple of summers. Didn’t see many games but enjoyed the atmosphere.