New England League (1946-1948)
Tombstone
Born: 1946 – New England League founding franchise
Re-Branded: 1949 (Providence Grays)
First Pro Game: May 8, 1946 (W 6-2 vs. Fall River Indians)
Final Game: September 6, 1948 (L 8-6 & L 4-3 @ Springfield Cubs)
Governors’ Cup Championships: None
Stadium
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners:
- 1946-????: Rhode Island Exhibition Co. Inc. (John C. O’Donnell)
- ????-1948: Providence Baseball Club, Inc. (Albert Brick, et al.)
Major League Affiliations:
- 1946: Independent
- 1947: Cincinnati Reds
- 1948: ?
Background
The Providence Chiefs were one of eight founding members of the New England League, a Class B minor league baseball circuit that sprang up in 1946 as Minor League Baseball enjoyed a nationwide post-WWII resurgence.
The team actually played in nearby Cranston, Rhode Island and during the Chiefs’ first season, the press used the names ‘Providence Chiefs’ and ‘Cranston Chiefs’ inter-changeably. You can see the Chiefs’ charmingly illustrated game program from the 1946 season (above) used ‘Cranston’ also. But by the 1947 season, all references to the team as the Cranston Chiefs in the press disappeared.
After playing the 1946 season with no Major League tie-up, the Cincinnati Reds added the Chiefs to their farm system for the 1947 season.
Following the 1948 season, the Chiefs changed their name to the Providence Grays. The Grays had no Major League affiliation and folded just over a month into the 1949 season. The New England League lost several other clubs during season and the circuit itself went out of business for good in December 1949.
Trivia
On July 9th, 1947 the Chiefs hosted their Major League parent club, the Cincinnati Reds, in a mid-season exhibition game in Rhode Island. A reported crowd of just 1,500 (Boston Globe 7/10/1947) turned out to watch the Reds best the Chiefs 8-4.
Links
###
