The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. The Central Association began play in 1908, evolving from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association played continuously through 1917 before folding. The league reformed in 1947, operating as a Class C level league from 1947 to 1949, with major league affiliates for most teams.
Baseball Hall of Fame members Grover Cleveland Alexander (Galesburg), Jake Beckley (Hannibal), Burleigh Grimes (Ottumwa) and Sam Rice (Galesburg and Muscatine) are league alumni. History 1908 to 1917 Central Association The Central Association formed in 1908 with charter members: Burlington Pathfinders (Burlington, Iowa), Jacksonville Lunatics (Jacksonville, Illinois), Keokuk Indians (Keokuk, Iowa), Oskaloosa Quakers (Oskaloosa, Iowa), Ottumwa Packers (Ottumwa, Iowa), Quincy Gems (Quincy, Illinois) and the Waterloo Lulus (Waterloo, Iowa). All had been members of the 1907 Iowa State League the previous season. A new team in Kewanee, Illinois, the Kewanee Boilermakers, joined as the eighth team.
In 1909, the Oskaloosa Quakers franchise folded and the Hannibal Cannibals (Hannibal, Missouri) moved from the Illinois–Missouri League. In 1910, Jacksonville moved to the Northern Association and Waterloo moved to the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. The Galesburg Pavers (Galesburg, Illinois) and Monmouth Browns (Monmouth, Illinois) joined after having left the Illinois–Missouri League. For the 1911 season, Quincy moved to the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League and the Muscatine Camels (Muscatine, Iowa) formed and joined the league.
For 1913, Galesburg and Hannibal folded, with the Cedar Rapids Rabbits (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), and Waterloo Jays (Waterloo, Iowa) forming to join the league. In 1914, Kewanee and Monmouth folded while the Clinton Pilots (Clinton, Iowa) and Marshalltown Ansons (Marshalltown, Iowa) formed and joined the league. Ottumwa moved to Rock Island, Illinois, as the Rock Island Islanders and then again to Galesburg, as the Galesburg Pavers.
In 1915, Galesburg folded and the Mason City Claydiggers (Mason City, Iowa) formed and joined the league. The Clinton team folded during the season. The league also threw out several wins by Keokuk (1), Marshalltown (5), Waterloo (1), and Clinton (40) after the fact.
Keokuk folded in 1916, while the Clinton Pilots rejoined and the Fort Dodge Dodgers (Fort Dodge, Iowa) formed and joined the league. Burlington moved to become the Ottumwa Packers on July 20, and Muscatine also forfeited 34 wins in 1916.
In the final season, 1917, Muscatine and Ottumwa folded. The Dubuque Dubs in Dubuque, Iowa and the La Crosse Infants (La Crosse, Wisconsin) formed and joined the league. Dubuque moved to Charles City, Iowa on July 4 to become the Charles City Tractorites. Cedar Rapids moved to Clear Lake, Iowa on July 27, finishing the season as the Clear Lake Rabbits. Clinton and La Crosse both folded before the end of the season on July 17. After the season, the league, and all teams in it, folded.
1947 to 1949 Central Association
In 1947, a new league of the same name was created with major league affiliations. The Clinton Cubs (Chicago Cubs) in Clinton, Iowa; Hannibal Pilots (St. Louis Browns), Hannibal, Missouri; Rockford Rox (Cincinnati Reds), Rockford, Illinois; Keokuk Pirates (Pittsburgh Pirates), Keokuk, Iowa; Burlington Indians (Cleveland Indians), Burlington, Iowa, and the Moline A's, (Philadelphia A's) Moline, Illinois were the charter members of the reformed league.
In 1948, the Moline A's moved to Kewanee, Illinois to become the Kewanee A's in mid-season. In 1949, the Hannibal Pilots folded and the Cedar Rapids Rockets of Cedar Rapids, Iowa formed to join the league. Kewanee captured the 1949 championship. After the 1949 season, Cedar Rapids joined the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, and the rest of the teams, and the league itself, folded.
Cities represented
Burlington, Iowa: Burlington Pathfinders (1908–1916); Burlington Indians (1947–1949) Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Cedar Rapids Rabbits (1913–1917); Cedar Rapids Rockets (1949) Charles City, Iowa: Charles City Tractorites (1917) Clear Lake, Iowa: Clear Lake Rabbits (1917) Clinton, Iowa: Clinton Pilots (1914–1917); Clinton Cubs (1947–1948); Clinton Steers (1949) Dubuque, Iowa: Dubuque Dubs (1917) Fort Dodge, Iowa: Fort Dodge Dodgers (1916–1917) Galesburg, Illinois: Galesburg Pavers (1910–1912); Galesburg Pavers (1914) Hannibal, Missouri: Hannibal Cannibals (1909–1912); Hannibal Pilots (1947–1948) Jacksonville, Illinois: Jacksonville Lunatics (1908); Jacksonville Braves (1909) Keokuk, Iowa: Keokuk Indians (1908–1915); Keokuk Pirates (1947–1949) Kewanee, Illinois: Kewanee Boilermakers (1908–1913); Kewanee A's (1948–1949) LaCrosse, Wisconsin: La Crosse Infants (1917) Marshalltown, Iowa: Marshalltown Ansons (1914–1917) Mason City, Iowa: Mason City Claydiggers (1915–1917) Moline, Illinois: Moline A's (1947–1948) Monmouth, Illinois: Monmouth Browns (1910–1913) Muscatine, Iowa: Muscatine Camels (1911); Muscatine Wallopers (1912–1913); Muscatine Buttonmakers (1914); Muscatine Muskies (1915–1916) Oskaloosa, Iowa: Oskaloosa Quakers (1908) Ottumwa, Iowa: Ottumwa Packers (1908–1910); Ottumwa Speedboys (1911–1912); Ottumwa Packers (1913–1914); Ottumwa Packers (1916) Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Rox (1947–1949) Quincy, Illinois: Quincy Gems (1908); Quincy Vets (1909–1910) Rock Island, Illinois: Rock Island Islanders (1914) Waterloo, Iowa: Waterloo Lulus (1908–1909); Waterloo Jays (1913–1915); Waterloo Shamrocks (1916); Waterloo Loons (1917)
Standings & statistics 1908 to 1917 1908 Central Association Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Waterloo Lulus8837.704– Frank Boyle Burlington Pathfinders 8341.6694½ Ned Egan Quincy Gems 7355.57016½ Harry Hofer Keokuk Indians5768.45631 Frank Belt Jacksonville Lunatics5669.44832Harry Berte Oskaloosa Quakers 5175.39837½Snapper Kennedy / Taylor Kensel Kewanee Boilermakers4879.37841 Harry Busse / Andy Steveson / William ConnorsOttumwa Packers 4880.37541½Billy Earle / Chuck Fleming +Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot John House BurlingtonBA.306Harry Gaspar WaterlooW32 Charles Rose BurlingtonHits146 Harry GasparWaterlooSO 2.17 Al Linderbeck QuincyRuns75Harry GasparWaterlooPct.889; 32–4 Al Linderbeck QuincyHR10
1909 Central Association Team standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Burlington Pathfinders8351.620–36,884Ned Egan Hannibal Cannibals8353.610130,130 Bert Hough / Ben Prout Keokuk Indians 8057.5844½42,029 Frank Belt Kewanee Boilermakers7361.5441031,228 William Connors Waterloo Lulus6469.48118½33,756 Frank Boyle Quincy Vets 6273.45921½45,527 Louis Cook / <br/ >Harry Hofer / Fred Bennett Jacksonville Braves4684.3543526,908Harry Berte Ottumwa Packers 4891.34537½35,576 Hugh Shannon / Arthur Owens +Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Fred Fenney Ottum/BurlBA.300Collis Spencer BurlingtonW27 George Manush BurlingtonHits149 Joe Vyskocil HannibalSO 209 George Manush BurlingtonRuns91Burleigh GrimesOttum/KewPct.742; 23–8 Al Linderbeck QuincyHR10 H.W. Gray JacksonvilleHR10
1910 Central Associationschedule Team standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Quincy Vets8850.638–37,213 Bade Myers Ottumwa Packers8057.5847½37,000 Ned Egan Hannibal Cannibals 7760.56210½28,547 Bill Prout / Bill Forney Galesburg Pavers6967.5071835,031 Bert Hough Keokuk Indians6770.49320½28,160 Frank Belt Monmouth Browns 6272.4592425,000Lew Drill Burlington Pathfinders5681.40931½25,043Phil Geier Kewanee Boilermakers 4991.3504026,307 William Connors / Ted Price +Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Dan KerwinHannibalBA.331 Charles Fanning GalesburgW30 Thomas Owens QuincyHits148 Charles Fanning GalesburgSO 320 Don Senno OttumwaRuns84 Charles Fanning GalesburgPct.714; 30–12 Thomas OwensQuincyHR9 Bill Donahue QuincyHR9
1911 Central Associationschedule Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Ottumwa Speedboys8741.680– Ned EganBurlington Pathfinders8144.6484½ Richard Rohn Galesburg Pavers 6663.51221½ Bert Hough Keokuk Indians6464.50023 Frank Belt Kewanee Boilermakers5967.46827 Jay Andrews Monmouth Browns 5969.46128 Claude Starke Muscatine Camels4880.37539 Harry C. Blake / Lou Walters Pearl Holycross Hannibal Cannibals 4581.35741Jake Beckley +Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Pearl Holycross MuscatineBA.361Ray Boyd OttumwaW30 Taylor Kensel OttumwaHits163 Ray BoydOttumwaPct.811; 30–7 George Watson BurlingtonRuns108 A.J. Ahring MuscatineSB79 Don Senno OttumwaHR14
1912 Central Association Team standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Ottumwa Speedboys7950.612–23,000 Ned EganKewanee Boilermakers7451.592319,000George Pennington / Art Queisser Burlington Pathfinders 7353.5794½25,000 Richard Rohn Monmouth Browns7155.5636½18,000 Bert Hough / Jack Corbett R.L. Noven Hannibal Cannibals6761.52311½NA Eddie Herr / Ed Painter Galesburg Pavers 6167.47717½18,000 Ducky Eberts Keokuk Indians4976.3922817,000 Art Queisser / Bill Proutt Muscatine Wallopers 3394.2604522,000Ed Coleman / Bill Kreig / Joe Wall / Bill Clayton +Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot George Manush OttumwaBA.375 Bert Dunn OttumwaW26 Harry Shanley MuscatineHits176 Joe Sloan KeokukSO197 Harry Ellis BurlingtonRuns100Tom DrohanKewaneePct.800; 24–6 John Sullivan OttumwaHR21
1913 Central Association Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Ottumwa Packers7254.571– Ned EganMuscatine Wallopers6854.5572 Frank Boyle Monmouth Browns 6462.5088Bert Hough Keokuk Indians6263.4969½ George Manush Burlington Pathfinders6366.48810½ Richard Rohn Cedar Rapids Rabbits 5965.47612 Belden Hill Kewanee Boilermakers5965.47612George Pennington / Frank Richardson Waterloo Jays 5371.42718 Jay Andrews +Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Dave Milligan Cedar RapidsBA.320George Zackert MuscatineW22 Harry Ellis BurlingtonHits156 George ZackertMuscatineSO230 Harry Ellis BurlingtonRuns100George ZackertMuscatinePct.759; 22–7 Elmer JacobsBurlingtonSO230
1914 Central Association Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Waterloo Jays7851.605– Jay Andrews Burlington Pathfinders7553.5862½ Tom Hayden / George Manush Muscatine Buttonmakers 7253.5764 Frank Boyle Clinton Pilots 6761.52310½Bert HoughCedar Rapids Bunnies6460.51611½Belden Hill Keokuk Indians 5276.40625½Spencer Abbott / Harry Sweet Marshalltown Ansons5276.40625½ Frank Richardson Ottumwa Packers / Rock Island Islanders / Galesburg Pavers4979.37328½ Ned Egan Ottumwa moved to Rock Island July 17. The National Association did not allow the Central Association to place a franchise in the territory of the Three-I League, so Rock Island was moved to Galesburg July 24. +Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Paddy SiglinWaterlooBA.322 Fred Miller BurlingtonW23 John Singleton BurlingtonHits158 George ZackertMuscatineSO305 Walt MeinertBurlingtonRuns94 W. Halper Cedar RapidsPct.722; 13–5
1915 Central Association Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Burlington Pathfinders8138.681– Richard Rohn Muscatine Muskies6357.52518½ Ned Egan / Jess Runser Keokuk Indians 5152.49522 Frank BoyleMason City Claydiggers5863.47924Harry Bay Cedar Rapids Rabbits5462.46625½James Hamilton / Jack Herbert Marshalltown Ansons 4667.40732Frank Richardson / Bob Lynch Waterloo Jays5274.41332½ Jay Andrews / Eddie Brennan Clinton Pilots 1369.159NA George Manush Clinton disbanded in mid-season. Wins taken away: Clinton 40, Keokuk 18, Marshalltown 5, Waterloo 1. +Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Bill CollinsCedar RapidsBA.337Grover Baichley BurlingtonW23 Walt MeinertBurlingtonHits137 Dick Blunk BurlingtonW23 Walt MeinertBurlingtonRuns97Grover BaichleyBurlingtonPct.697; 23–10 Harmon Hagmon BurlingtonHits137Grover BaichleyBurlingtonSO310 Cliff LeeMuscatineHR9 Lyle Sours MuscatineHR9
1916 Central Association