Tombstone
Born: 1962
Displaced: October 1976 – The Bees are displaced by the arrival of Class AAA baseball in San Jose
First Game: April 24, 1962 (W 10-6 vs. Bakersfield Bears)
Last Game: August 29, 1976 (L 5-1 vs. Lodi Dodgers)
California League Champions: 1962 & 1967
Stadium
San Jose Municipal Stadium (3,700)11975 San Jose Bees Program
Ownership & Affiliations
Owners:
- 1962-1963: Joe Sunseri
- 1964: Jack Quinn
- 1965-1975: Bud Urzi & Pete Felice
- 1976: Bud Urzi, Pete Felice & Joe Gagliardi
Major League Affiliations:
- 1962-1969: Los Angeles/California Angels
- 1970-1974: Kansas City Royals
- 1975-1976: Cleveland Indians
Attendance
Background
The original San Jose Bees of 1962-1976 served as farm team for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians in the Class A California League.
As an Angels farm club, the Bees won California League crowns in 1962 and 1967.
The Royals years, from 1970 to 1974, were particularly rich from a player development standpoint. Many future stars, including mainstays of Kansas City’s 1980 and 1985 World Series clubs, came up through San Jose in the early 70’s, including:
- Hall-of-Fame third baseman George Brett (San Jose ’72)
- Pitcher Steve Busby (San Jose ’71), author of two Major League no-hitters with the Royals
- Catcher John Wathan (San Jose ’71-’72)
- 5-time All-Star Frank White (San Jose’72), whose number has been retired by Kansas City
- Pitcher Dennis Leonard (San Jose ’73)
- Shortstop U.L. Washington (San Jose ’74)
Promotion to Class AAA & Aftermath
The Bees led the California League in attendance every year from 1971 through 1976. Ultimately, this made San Jose Municipal Stadium an attractive destination for a higher classification team. In October 1976, the triple-A Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League, saddled with an unsuitable multi-purpose stadium in the state capital, moved to San Jose, displacing the California League franchise. The triple-A San Jose franchise was known as the Missions beginning in 1977.
After two seasons in the Pacific Coast League, the Missions returned to the California League in 1979. San Jose has remained a fixture in the circuit ever since. From 1983 to 1987, San Jose’s California League played under the Bees name once more, this time as a notorious independent club loaded up with troubled former Major League stars and dubbed “The Bad News Bees” by the press. That is a story for another day.
San Jose Bees Shop
In Memoriam
Outfielder Al Cowens (San Jose ’71-’72) died of a heart attack at age 50 on March 11, 2002. Associated Press obituary.
Manager Steve Boros (San Jose ’73-’74), who went on to manage the Oakland A’s and San Diego Padres during the 1980’s, passed away on December 29, 2010 after a battle with cancer. Boros was 74. Los Angeles Times obituary.
Bees owner Bud Urzi passed away on December 23, 2012.
Links
###
7 Responses
Thank you so much for this article. I was one of the biggest San Jose Bees fans, next to my dad, Peter Filice, our family and Bud Urzi’s family. Those were the best days ever.
Thank you, Dad, and Bud and for all the other owners for keeping baseball in San Jose alive.
Yes, our Dad, Pete Khaki Filice, was a terrific pitcher who was on his way to the pros but hurt his arm. He and Bud Urzi had a 10 year run as owners of the Bees. It was a very successful franchise. We had a ball going to games and even working the manual scoreboard in the outfield. We would sneak into the Beehive and watch all the activity in there with friends and family. I am sorry to say that my Dad passed in 2008.Great job Dad and Bud keeping Baseball alive in SJ!
Linda, my name is Erik Hoffmann, Peter Carmen Filice was my Grandfather. I suspect we are related? I can’t tell for sure in the family tree.
Hey thanks so much for the history lesson. Like the felines said it was a great way to spend the summers of our youth I was lucky enough to work out with the team during my high school years which accelerated my dreams of playing pro baseball in 1973 my dream came true I was a San Jose bee great times for all of us thanks again …Johnny Urzi
Was a big Bees fan and attended many a game – wondering if there’s any links to buying a Bees cap anywhere?
Hi, just wanted to share that the San Jose Bees appeared as a team in the California State League from 1929-34, winning the championship in 1930. Their home field was Sodality Park off San Carlos Street near Bird Avenue (where Babe Ruth once hit a homerun, later the location of Orchard Supply Hardware).
Thanks Ralph! The way this site is set up, we would strive to eventually create a separate entry for the 1929-1934 Bees, since that was an entirely different franchise/ball club from the latter day Bees.