Pioneer League (1978-1985 & 1987-2000)
Tombstone
Born: February 6, 1978 – Pioneer League expansion franchise1Stevens, John. “Pioneer adds Butte as No. 8”. The Tribune (Great Falls, MT). February 7, 1978
Suspended Operations: December 10, 19852ASSOCIATED PRESS. “Copper Kings sit out ’86”. The Montana Standard (Butte, MT). December 6, 1985
Reinstated: September 11, 19863Trimmer, Dave. “Eight for Pioneer”. The Gazette (Billings, MT). September 12, 1986
Moved: December 5, 2000 (Casper Rockies)4THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. “Brewers head south, too”. The Montana Standard (Butte, MT). December 6, 2000
First Game: June 23, 1978 (L 15-11 vs. Idaho Falls Angels)
Last Game: September 3, 2000 (W 4-2 @ Idaho Falls Padres)
Pioneer League Champions: 1981
Stadium
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners:
- 1978-1985: Fred Nichols & Charlie Greathouse
- 1987-1995: Jim McCurdy, Miles Wolff, Rich Taylor, et al.
- 1996-1998: Mike Veeck, Bill Murray, Van Schley, Bill Fanning, Annie Huidekoper, Tom Whaley, Miles Wolff, Rich Taylor, Cynthia Gitt
- 1999-2000: Kevin Haughian, et al.
Major League Affiliations:
- 1978: Co-op
- 1979-1981: Milwaukee Brewers
- 1982-1983: Kansas City Royals
- 1984: Seattle Mariners
- 1985: Co-op
- 1986: Did not operate
- 1987: Co-op
- 1988-1992: Texas Rangers
- 1993-1995: Co-op
- 1996: Tampa Bay Devil Rays
- 1997-2000: Anaheim Angels
Attendance
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Source: The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (3rd ed.), Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, 2007
Background
The Butte Copper Kings were a Montana-based minor league baseball entry in the Rookie-level Pioneer League. The Kings played at Alumni Coliseum on the campus of Montana Tech University and shared the ballpark with local American Legion baseball teams.
Founded in 1978, the Copper Kings endured for nearly a quarter of a century despite a revolving door of owners and chronic difficulties with obtaining and hanging onto Major League working agreements. Butte was forced to play as a “co-op” club for six different seasons, accepting cast-off players from a hodge podge of sources in the absence of a Major League parent club. At their lowest moment, the Copper Kings sat out the 1986 season altogether before Durham Bulls owner and Baseball America publisher Miles Wolff rescued and re-animated the ballclub in 1987.
Throughout much of the Copper Kings era, the Pioneer League had a heavy Montana presence. The Copper Kings had intra-state rivalries with Billings, Great Falls and Helena (who entered the league alongside Butte as twin expansion franchises in 1978). Additional Pioneer League clubs of the era were located in Alberta, Idaho and Utah.
In 1981, while serving as a farm club of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Copper Kings won the first and only Pioneer League championship of their 22-season existence.
Move To Wyoming
By the end of the 1990’s, Major League Baseball officials had declared Butte’s Alumni Coliseum substandard for continued use as a Minor League Baseball facility. In December 2000, Copper Kings officials announced the club would move to Casper, Wyoming to become the Cowboy State’s first Minor League Baseball team in over 60 years.5ASSOCIATED PRESS. “Butte’s Pioneer League franchise moving to Casper”. The Gazette (Billings, MT). December 2, 2000
Fittingly, the Pioneer League’s Helena, Montana club announced its own move to Provo, Utah the very same week. The Butte and Helena entered the Pioneer League together as expansion teams 23 years earlier in the winter of 1977-78.
The franchise formerly known as the Butte Copper Kings still exists today. As further name changes and relocations, the club is now located in Colorado and known as the Grand Junction Rockies.
Trivia
On August 22nd, 1992 the Copper Kings saw their home game against the Idaho Falls Gems suspended by snow. Just a day earlier, Butte temperatures reached 88 degrees, but the mercury dropped into the 30’s during the game and the flurries soon descended.
Butte also had a short-lived hockey team known as the Copper Kings that competed in the amateur Southwest Hockey League during the winter of 1975-76.
Butte Copper Kings Shop
Links
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One Response
Its sad to hear it no longer exists. I played for the Copper Kings in 1983. I hope to visit the town and old stadium (if it still there) up the hill at Montana Tech where I played all those years ago.