Denver Zephyrs

American Association (1984-1992)

Background

 Organized baseball in Denver is almost as old as the city itself. Just a year after Denver City (as it was known back in the mid nineteenth century) was incorporated, the city saw it’s first baseball game. 

By the mid-1880s, the Colorado State League had been established, featuring teams from cities all around the state, including Denver. The city was later represented in the first iteration of the Western League, with teams playing in that circuit from 1886 through 1888. Denver joined the second version of that league in 1900 with several teams that, over the years, were variously known as the Bears, Grizzlies, and Bears again from 1947 to 1954 with WL operating at the single A level.

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Moving up

That final version of the Bears was displaced when the Kansas City Blues of the AAA American Association came to town, after being forced out of Missouri by the former Philadelphia A’s.⁴American League OK’s Moving Of Athletics To Kansas City, UP via The News-Dispatch, Oct. 13, 1954 The newly-arrived American Association team assumed the Bears nickname and became a hit, both on the field and at the ticket window.

Just a few years after the AAA Bears launched, Denver started to entertain thoughts of having a major league team. Other cities, including Baltimore, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco had gotten big league teams to relocate. The latter two had acquired two of the three teams based in New York City, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants.

The show must go on

As such, folks in the Big Apple were fuming. New York attorney William Shea soon took matters into his own hands, and formed the Continental League, a proposed third major league.⁵5 Cities in 3rd Major League: 8 Teams Planned for 1961 Start, UPI via The Pittsburgh Press, July 27, 1959 Among the cities scheduled to get teams in the new circuit was Denver, along with Buffalo, Toronto, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Atlanta, Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and, of course, New York. Things looked promising, until Major League baseball awarded a team to New York, undercutting the CL. The idea was quickly scrapped, leaving most of the potential CL cities holding an empty bag.

Houston was another beneficiary, as was Minnesota, who received the relocated Washington Senators for the 1961 season. Denver would have to wait over 30 years for a major league team. In the meantime, the Bears continued to be one of the most successful teams in the minor leagues, winning seven league titles, and two AAA championships, all while finishing near the top in average attendance.

Still, Denver longed to be in the show. In 1977, local oil magnate Marvin Davis agreed to purchase the Oakland A’s from Charlie O. Finley for $12.5 million and move the team to Denver. Giddy fans began suggesting new names for the franchise, including Orange Sox, inspired by the Denver Broncos, who were headed to their first Super Bowl.⁶A’s are moving to Denver after $12.5 million sale, UPI via The Boca Raton News, Dec. 15, 1977 A lawsuit by the Oakland Alameda-Coliseum, the A’s landlord in the Bay Area, the deal was scrapped.⁷Lawsuit scuttles A’s move to Denver, S-P Services via The Phoenix, Jan. 24, 1978

A new effort

In 1983, John Dikeou, along with his brothers, George and Deno, purchased the Bears and renamed them the Zephyrs, hoping to use the organization as a way to leverage the acquisition of a major league team. In the summer of 1985, the Dikeous sought to purchase the Pittsburgh Pirates.⁸Denver baseball owner opens negotiations to buy Pirates, The Denver Post via The Telegraph-Herald, Jun. 30, 1985 

Later that year, the Giants threatened to leave San Francisco, likely for Denver, if a new stadium wasn’t built to replace then 25-year-old Candlestick Park.⁹Without a Stadium Deal, Giants Likely to Move, The Los Angeles Times, Nov. 1, 1985 The team of course got its way, and Denver continued to wait. 

A brief stumble

In 1990, the Coors Brewing Company became a partner in the Zephyrs organization, which by that time had become the spearhead for a full-fledged major league expansion bid. However, in July, Dikeou walked away from the city’s expansion bid due to undisclosed financial problems.{mfn]Denver Looks for New Owner, The St. Petersburg Times, Jul. 18, 1990[/mfn] He maintained ownership of the Zephyrs, though.

New owners were found and the Zephyrs, along with their major league aspirations, were saved. In June of 1991, with the decision on which two cities would join the National League for the 1993, the group chose to call their potential franchise the Colorado Rockies.¹⁰Colorado Rockies, new team picks name, AP via The Bulletin, Jun. 21, 1991  On July 5, 1991, it became official.¹¹Denver, Miami given formal approval as newest NL teams, AP via The Daily Sentinel, Jul. 7, 1991

The Zephyrs were in the midst of one of their best seasons in team history and went on to win the Triple-A Classic, the championship of Triple-A baseball. The following season, they missed capturing the Western Division by a game. Though they had continued to play well, attendance fell by almost half, as fans waited for the Rockies to debut.

Dikeou relocated the Zephyrs to Louisiana, announcing the move on November 24, 1992. There, they became the New Orleans Zephyrs. 

Links

American Association Media Guides

American Association Programs

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