# Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League

The Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League (or KOM League) was a name of an American minor league baseball league which was established in 1946 and played through 1952. As the name indicates, the Class D level league had franchises based in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Baseball Hall of Fame members Mickey Mantle played in the league for the 1949 Independence Yankees and Burleigh Grimes managed the 1948 Independence Yankees.

## History

The Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League was founded after World War II and ran from 1946 through 1952 as a Class D level league. Like many post-war minor leagues, it did not last a complete decade of play. During the seven year run of the league there were nine cities that represented the league. Four were from Kansas, four from Oklahoma and one from Missouri.
E.L. Dale served as the League president for its entire seven years of operation. The Ponca City Dodgers won three of the seven league titles, winning championships in 1948, 1950 and 1951. No other team won more than one championship. The total attendance of the KOM league, in the seven year period, reached slightly over two million fans. In 1948 the league had its best year, drawing 387,980, before the league permanently folded after the 1952 season. The Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League League had 1,588 total players, 30 made it to the majors and one made it to the Hall of Fame. In his first professional season, Mickey Mantle played for the 1949 Independence Yankees, hitting .313 with 7 HR, 63 RBI. Just graduated from high school in Oklahoma, Mantle received a $1,100 signing bonus from the New York Yankees and a salary of $400 for the rest of the season.

## Cities represented

* Bartlesville, OK: Bartlesville Oilers (1946–1947); Bartlesville Pirates (1948–1952)
* Blackwell, OK: Blackwell Broncos (1952)
* Carthage, MO: Carthage Cardinals (1946–1948); Carthage Cubs (1949–1951)
* Chanute, KS: Chanute Athletics (1946–1947, 1949–1950); Chanute Giants (1948)
* Independence, KS: Independence Yankees (1947–1950); Independence Browns 1952
* Iola, KS: Iola Cubs (1946-1947); Iola Indians (1948–1952)
* Miami, OK: Miami Blues (1946); Miami Owls (1947-1949); Miami Eagles (1950–1952)
* Pittsburg, KS:Pittsburg Browns (1946–1951); Pittsburg Pirates (1952)
* Ponca City, OK: Ponca City Dodgers (1947–1952)

## Standings & statistics
### 1946 to 1947

1946 Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League - schedule The League and all of its member teams were created. Teams were formed in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Carthage, Missouri, Chanute, Kansas, Iola, Kansas, Miami, Oklahoma, and Pittsburg, Kansas.
| Team standings | Affiliate | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
| Chanute Owls | Topeka Owls | 68 | 53 | .562 | - | 41,600 | Goldie Howard |
| Miami Blues | Brooklyn Dodgers | 69 | 54 | .561 | 0.0 | 49,266 | Ted Vernon / Guy Froman |
| Iola Cubs | Chicago Cubs | 63 | 57 | .525 | 4.5 | 45,231 | Al Reitz |
| Pittsburg Browns | St. Louis Browns | 61 | 59 | .508 | 6.5 | 42,932 | Jimmie Crandall |
| Carthage Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | 54 | 66 | .450 | 13.5 | 47,400 | Buzz Arlitt |
| Bartlesville Oilers | Pittsburgh Pirates | 47 | 73 | .392 | 20.5 | 46,822 | Keith Willoughby |
Playoffs: Iola 3 games, Miami 2; Chanute 3 games, Pittsburg 2. Finals: Iola 3 games, Chanute 3. Rest of playoffs called off due to rain and lack of available playing grounds.
Player statistics :
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| Newt Keithley | Miami | BA | .346 | Ross Grimsley | Chanute | W | 18 |
| Richard Bulkley | Chanute | Runs | 111 | Oscar Walterman | Carthage | W | 18 |
| Newt Keithley | Miami | Hits | 167 | Ross Grimsley | Chanute | SO | 295 |
| Buzz Arlitt | Carthage | RBI | 82 | Ross Grimsley | Chanute | ERA | 1.93 |
| Larry Singleton | Iola | HR | 10 | Ross Grimsley | Chanute | PCT | .783 18-5 |
* Brooklyn assigned a few players to Miami that season but the team was actually run by Ted Vernon of Amarillo, Texas. When it was discovered that the Miami Baseball Club Inc. had turned the reigns of the operation of the club to Mr. Vernon, W. G. Bramham, the President of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, sent a very stern letter to the Miami baseball officials that the rules had been violated in this matter. The next year the Dodgers moved their franchise to Ponca City, Oklahoma and Mr. Vernon returned to Amarillo.
Chanute beat Pittsburg by 3 games to 2 in the first round of the playoffs. Iola beat Miami by the same number. The championship series between Chanute and Iola ended tied at three games apiece, although Chanute won 4 games. A dispute arose between the Chanute and Iola club officials regarding Chanute selecting Dave Dennis from the Miami club for the playoffs. Although Iola owner Earl Sifers originally agreed to the arrangement he later changed his mind. By the time the dispute was settled it was too late in the fall, young men had to go back to school, the rodeo took over the ball park playing area and then the rains came.
1947 Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League Teams from Independence, Kansas and Ponca City, Oklahoma joined.
| Team standings | Affiliate | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
| Miami Owls | Topeka Owls | 76 | 49 | .608 | - | 53,119 | William Davis |
| Iola Cubs | Chicago Cubs | 69 | 54 | .561 | 6.0 | 39,862 | Al Reitz |
| Pittsburg Browns | St. Louis Browns | 69 | 54 | .561 | 6.0 | 59,435 | Jimmie Crandall |
| Bartlesville Oilers | Pittsburgh Pirates | 68 | 56 | .548 | 7.5 | 64,074 | Edward Marleau |
| Carthage Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | 66 | 59 | .528 | 10.0 | 42,838 | Woody Fair / Alvin Kluttz |
| Ponca City Dodgers | Brooklyn Dodgers | 61 | 62 | .496 | 14.0 | 55,554 | Boyd Bartley |
| Chanute Athletics | None | 44 | 80 | .355 | 31.5 | 34,758 | Dave Dennis / Charles Bates |
| Independence Yankees | New York Yankees | 41 | 80 | .339 | 33.0 | 22,460 | Goldie Howard |
Playoffs: Miami 3 games, Bartlesville 1; Iola 3 games, Pittsburg 1. Finals: Miami 4 games, Iola 1.
Player statistics :
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| Loren Packard | Miami | BA | .364 | Carroll Dial | Bartlesville | W | 22 |
| Albert Solenberger | Bartlesville | Runs | 131 | James Morris | Miami | SO | 240 |
| Loren Packard | Miami | Hits | 185 | Carroll Dial | Bartlesville | ERA | 3.32 |
| Loren Packard | Miami | RBI | 124 | Jim Post | Pittsburg | PCT | .813 13-3 |
| Jim Baxes | Ponca City | HR | 20 |

### 1948 to 1949

1948 Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League
| Team standings | Affiliate | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
| Ponca City Dodgers | Brooklyn Dodgers | 79 | 47 | .627 | - | 78,305 | Boyd Bartley |
| Independence Yankees | New York Yankees | 74 | 46 | .617 | 2.0 | 46,270 | Goldie Howard / Burleigh Grimes / Bones Sanders |
| Bartlesville Pirates | Pittsburgh Pirates | 71 | 52 | .577 | 6.5 | 64,090 | Edward Marleau |
| Pittsburg Browns | St. Louis Browns | 60 | 60 | .500 | 16.0 | 53,743 | Shan Deniston / Donald Smith |
| Miami Owls | Topeka Owls | 58 | 66 | .468 | 20.0 | 33,716 | Arthur Priebe / James Hansen |
| Carthage Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | 51 | 67 | .432 | 24.0 | 36,525 | Alvin Kluttz |
| Iola Indians | Cleveland Indians | 51 | 72 | .415 | 26.5 | 42,770 | Al Reitz |
| Chanute Giants | New York Giants | 44 | 78 | .361 | 33.0 | 32,561 | Al Smith |
Playoffs: Pittsburg 3 games, Ponca City 2; Independence 3 games, Bartlesville 2. Finals: Independence 4 games, Pittsburg 1.
Player statistics :
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| William Fox | Chanute | BA | .327 | Harland Coffman | Independence | W | 18 |
| Louis Godla | Bartlesville | Runs | 83 | Lou Michels | Independence | W | 18 |
| Al Solenberger | Bartlesville | Hits | 134 | Joseph Tufteland | Ponca City | W | 18 |
| Charles Sturnborg | Pittsburg | RBI | 78 | Bill Pierro | Bartlesville | SO | 300 |
| Charles Sturnborg | Pittsburg | HR | 13 | Harland Coffman | Independence | ERA | 1.94 |
| Joseph Beran | Ponca City | HR | 13 | Joseph Tufteland | Ponca City | PCT | .900 18-2 |
1949 Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League schedule
| Team standings | Affiliate | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
| Independence Yankees | New York Yankees | 71 | 53 | .573 | - | 46,607 | Harry Craft |
| Bartlesville Pirates | Pittsburgh Pirates | 71 | 55 | .563 | 1.0 | 51,000 | Tedd Gullic |
| Iola Indians | Cleveland Indians | 70 | 55 | .560 | 1.5 | 49,491 | Windy Johnson |
| Ponca City Dodgers | Brooklyn Dodgers | 66 | 59 | .528 | 5.5 | 62,082 | Boyd Bartley |
| Chanute Athletics | None | 65 | 60 | .520 | 6.5 | 39,228 | James Hansen / Charles Bates |
| Carthage Cubs | Chicago Cubs | 62 | 64 | .492 | 10.0 | 38,028 | Don Anderson |
| Miami Owls | Topeka Owls | 56 | 69 | .448 | 15.5 | 32,887 | Omar Lane |
| Pittsburg Browns | St. Louis Browns | 39 | 85 | .315 | 32.0 | 39,755 | Al Barkus / Olan Smith |
Playoffs: Independence 3 games, Ponca City 1; Iola 3 games, Bartlesville 1. Finals: Independence 3 games, Iola 0.
Player statistics :
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| Richard Drury | Bartlesville | BA | .317 | Jake Thies | Chanute | W | 18 |
| Charles Weber | Independence | Runs | 98 | Bob Weisler | Independence | SO | 240 |
| James Bello | Independence | Hits | 156 | Conrad Swensson | Ponca City | ERA | 1.69 |
| Harry Bright | Miami | RBI | 96 | Conrad Swensson | Ponca City | PCT | .800 12-3 |
| Bob Speake | Carthage | HR | 14 |

### 1950 to 1952

1950 Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League
| Team standings | Affiliate | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
| Ponca City Dodgers | Brooklyn Dodgers | 80 | 42 | .656 | - | 63,313 | Boyd Bartley |
| Bartlesville Pirates | Pittsburgh Pirates | 73 | 48 | .603 | 6.5 | 56,250 | Tedd Gullic |
| Carthage Cubs | Chicago Cubs | 75 | 50 | .600 | 6.5 | 29,080 | Don Anderson |
| Pittsburg Browns | St. Louis Browns | 71 | 52 | .577 | 9.5 | 43,953 | Olan Smith / Jimmie Crandall |
| Miami Eagles | None | 62 | 60 | .508 | 18.0 | 27,548 | Jack Hodge / Jim Oglesby / Pug Griffin |
| Independence Yankees | New York Yankees | 60 | 66 | .476 | 22.0 | 38,274 | Bunny Mick / Bones Sanders |
| Iola Indians | None | 35 | 84 | .294 | 43.5 | 23,872 | Windy Johnson |
| Chanute Athletics | None | 35 | 89 | .282 | 46.0 | 21,372 | Charles Bates / Thomas Imfeld / Chuck Hostetler |
Playoffs: Ponca City 3 games, Pittsburg 2; Bartlesville 3 games, Carthage 1. Finals: Ponca City 3 games, Bartlesville 1.
Player statistics :
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| Stan Gwinn | Ponca City | BA | .320 | Tom Vines | Carthage | W | 17 |
| Jim Pisoni | Pittsburg | Runs | 115 | Donald McKeon | Miami | W | 17 |
| Don Hunter | Ponca City | Hits | 152 | Tom Vines | Carthage | SO | 234 |
| Loren Doll | Ponca City | Hits | 152 | David Elliot | Bartlesville | ERA | 2.04 |
| Harold Neighbors | Bartlesville | RBI | 107 | Joe Stanek | Ponca City | PCT | .846 11-2 |
| Willard Davis | Ponca City | HR | 21 |
1951 Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League The teams in Chanute and Independence folded.
| Team standings | Affiliate | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
| Ponca City Dodgers | Brooklyn Dodgers | 85 | 39 | .686 | - | 44,960 | George Scherger |
| Bartlesville Pirates | Pittsburgh Pirates | 77 | 45 | .631 | 7.0 | 34,296 | Tedd Gullic |
| Miami Eagles | None | 67 | 55 | .549 | 17.0 | 23,500 | Pug Griffin / Tom Warren |
| Carthage Cubs | Chicago Cubs | 60 | 65 | .480 | 25.5 | 20,022 | Don Anderson / Al Reitz |
| Pittsburg Browns | St. Louis Browns | 41 | 80 | .339 | 42.5 | 22,534 | Bill Enos |
| Iola Indians | None | 38 | 84 | .311 | 46.0 | 16,981 | Forrest L. Crawford / Al Reitz/ Mason Pool / Floyd Temple |
Playoffs: Carthage 3 games, Ponca City 2; Miami 3 games, Bartletsville 1. Finals: Carthage 3 games, Miami 0.
Player statistics :
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| Jack Denison | Ponca City | BA | .365 | Ron Kline | Bartlesville | W | 18 |
| Jack Denison | Ponca City | Runs | 133 | Donald Cochran | Bartlesville | W | 18 |
| Jack Denison | Ponca City | Hits | 167 | Ron Kline | Barletsville | SO | 208 |
| Robert Ottesen | Pittsburg | RBI | 89 | John Mudd | Carthage | ERA | 2.12 |
| Brandy Davis | Bartlesville | HR | 13 | Ron Kline | Bartlesville | PCT | .818 18-4 |
| Bill Phillips | Bartlesville | HR | 13 |
1952 Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League The Carthage Cubs moved to Blackwell, Oklahoma. The Pittsburg Brownies moved to Independence, Kansas. The Bartlesville Pirates moved to the now-vacant Pittsburg on July 7.
| Team standings | Affiliate | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
| Iola Indians | None | 79 | 47 | .627 | - | 42,327 | Floyd Temple / Woody Fair |
| Miami Eagles | Philadelphia Phillies | 67 | 57 | .540 | 11.0 | 43,008 | John Davenport |
| Ponca City Dodgers | Brooklyn Dodgers | 68 | 58 | .540 | 11.0 | 55,726 | Boyd Bartley |
| Bartlesville Pirates / Pittsburg Pirates | Pittsburgh Pirates | 59 | 65 | .476 | 19.0 | 34,267 | Hersh Martin / Ed Hayes |
| Blackwell Broncos | Chicago Cubs | 57 | 69 | .452 | 22.0 | 51,000 | Al Reitz |
| Independence Browns | St. Louis Browns | 46 | 80 | .365 | 33.0 | 39,487 | Fred Collins |
Bartlesville moved to Pittsburg July 7. Playoffs: Ponca City 1 game, Iola 0; Miami 1 game, Pittsburg 0; Finals: Miami 2 games, Ponca City 0.
Player statistics :
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| John Vossen | Miami | BA | .335 | Joe Vilk | Iola | W | 26 |
| Paul Weeks | Iola | Runs | 128 | [Jim Owens | Miami | S0 | 300 |
| Gaspar del Toro | Iola | Hits | 155 | Jim Owens | Miami | ERA | 1.76 |
| John Davenport | Miami | RBI | 116 | Joe Vilk | Iola | PCT | .813 26-6 |
| Don Ervin | Miami | HR | 24 |