The Wilson Tobs were a minor league baseball club based in Wilson, North Carolina and played periodically between 1908 and 1973. The Tobs nickname was a shortened form of the word "tobacconists". From 1908 to 1910, the team was officially known as the Wilson Tobacconists and played in the Eastern Carolina League. The club won the league's championship in 1909 and they were in the championship series in 1908, when play was suspended due to a tropical storm. They then next spent eight seasons in the Virginia League. During the 1920–1922 and 1924–1927 seasons the team was known as the Wilson Bugs. They won the Virginia League championship in 1922 and 1923. From 1939 to 1952, the renamed Wilson Tobs were also a member of the Class D Coastal Plain League, winning that league's championship in 1941. The 1941 Tobs were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time. In 1942, the team played in the Bi-State League.
The team also played in the Carolina League from 1956 to 1968, winning the league championship in 1959, 1961, and 1963. The 1966 team had future Hall of Fame member Rod Carew in their line-up. Wilson returned to the Carolina League for one season in 1973 as the Wilson Pennants.
Currently, a summer collegiate baseball team plays at Fleming Stadium as the Wilson Tobs.
Notable Wilson Alumni
Hall of Fame Alumni
Rod Carew (1966) Inducted, 1990
Notable Alumni
Ted Abernathy (1973) Donn Clendenon (1959) 1969 World Series Most Valuable Player Ripper Collins (1923) 3 x MLB All-Star; 1934 NL Home Run Leader Jack Fisher (1958) Jimmie Hall (1957) 2 x MLB All-Star Pat Kelly (1964-1965) MLB All-Star Jack McKeon (1960-1961, MGR) Manager: 2003 World Series Champion - Florida Marlins Charlie Manuel (1965-1966) Manager: 2008 World Series Champion - Philadelphia Phillies George Mitterwald (1966) William D. Mullins (1957) member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Cal Ripken Sr. (1958) Rich Rollins (1960) 2 x MLB All-Star Lee Stange (1960) Bob Veale (1959) 2 x MLB All-Star; threw a no-hitter for Wilson in 1959
Seasons
Year Record Finish Manager Notes 1908 36-18 1st Earl Holt Abandoned due to weather down 2-1 1909 50-39 1st Earl Holt League Champs 1910 44-39 2nd Charles McGeehan 1923 70-52 1st (t) Rube Oldring 1939 64-61 6th Frank Rodgers 1940 77-49 1st Frank Rodgers Lost in 1st round 1941 87-30 1st Bill Herring League Champs 1942 69-53 1st Bill Herring Lost in 1st round 1946 67-57 3rd Irv Dickens Lost in 1st round 1947 79-61 1st Max Wilson Lost League Finals1948 61-79 6th Max Wilson / Irv Dickens / Bob Latshaw 1949 57-79 8th Ross Morrow 1950 68-70 5th Bill Herring 1951 69-57 4th Joe Antolick / Alfred Rehm Lost League Finals 1952 71-51 2nd Jake McComas / Alfred Rehm Lost in 1st round 1956 72-79 6th Charlie Gassaway 1957 51-89 overall 6th Pete Suder Kinston moved to Wilson on May 111958 60-78 7th Bob Hooper / Barney Lutz 1959 71-58 2nd Hardy Peterson / Don Osborn (7/14-8/13) / Hardy Peterson League Champs 1960 73-65 2nd Jack McKeon 1961 83-56 1st Jack McKeon League Champs 1962 65-75 5th Harry Warner 1963 77-67 5th Ralph Rowe League Champs 1964 57-82 7th Ralph Rowe 1965 68-75 6th Vern Morgan 1966 72-65 5th Vern Morgan 1967 61-72 11th Vern Morgan 1968 71-68 5th Vern Morgan 1973 52-88 6th Ray Hathaway (18-34) / Marshall Fox (0-1) / Don Lock (34-53)
References