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1939 Troy Trojans
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The Trojans offered this team photo to it’s fans at the ballpark on July 23, 1939.
The Coca-Cola company sponsored the promotion: A rare premium for fans in the AFL. This picture was provided by Windley Tatom. Mr. Tatom also graces us with the following rememberance: Enclosed is a picture of the team that played in the first baseball game I ever saw. On the 4th of July, 1939, at the age of 2 years and 5 months, I was taken through the old wooden turnstyleand into the grandstand at the old Fairgrounds Field in Troy, Alabama. As I watched from my Uncle John’s arms, I saw third baseman Bruce « Suzie-Q » Middlebrooks take a hard one-hop ground ball spin, completely around 360 degrees, do a little dance, like he was running in place, and throw the runner out at first. From that moment on, I was a life-long baseball fan. As a pre-teen in the late 40’s, the baseball field of the Class-D Troy team was where I could be found day or night in the summer months. I can close my eyes and still see Bob Benish doing his famous split-stetch to field a throw at first base, or Norman DeWeese hitting two home runs in the same inning in the 1946 All-Star game. It seems like only yesterday when things like the ballpark smells of popcorn, parched peanuts, the wooden grandstands, the dugouts, and the clubhouse full of dirty uniforms waiting to be cleaned were a constant part of my adolescent life. These memories will go with me to my grave. I am sure that the players that played in the Class-D Alabama State League never realized the lasting effect that they had on our lives. As an interesting side note, batboy Wilbur Hester went on the play in the AFL for Troy in 1946 and Greenville in 1946-48. AFL. |
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Dewey
George Carter Eldon Ed Pershing Bruce Fred Finley Purcell Perkins Lindsey Kramer Henderson Middlebrooks Dick |
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John Spurlock Elmer Bohannon
Wilbur Hester Manny Russo Bill Hodgins Holt « Cat » Milner |
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As an interesting side note, batboy Wilbur Hester went on the play in the AFL for
Troy in 1946 and Greenville in 1946-48. |
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Confederate Monument, Troy Alabama
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