Southern Association

This article is about the minor league baseball league that operated from 1901 to 1961. For the original league that preceded it, see Southern League (1885–1899). For the later minor league, see Southern League (1964–present).
Not to be confused with Southern League.
Southern Association
Classification
SportBaseball
Founded1901 (123 years ago) (1901)
Ceased1961 (63 years ago) (1961)
No. of teams13
CountryUnited States
Last
champion(s)		Chattanooga Lookouts (1961)

The Southern Association' (SA) was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class B (1901), Class A (1902–1935), Class A1 (1936–1945), and Double-A (1946–1961). Although the SA was known as the Southern League through 1919, the later Double-A Southern League was not descended from the Southern Association; the modern SL came into existence in 1964 as the successor to the original South Atlantic ("Sally") League.

A stable, eight-team loop, the Southern Association's member teams typically included the Atlanta Crackers, Birmingham Barons, Chattanooga Lookouts, Little Rock Travelers, Memphis Chicks, Nashville Vols, and New Orleans Pelicans. The eighth club was usually either the Knoxville Smokies, Mobile Bears, or Shreveport Sports.

The Association was formed from the remnants of the Southern League (1885–1899) by Abner Powell, Newt Fisher, and Charley Frank.[1]

  1. ^ Martini, Stephen (2005). The Chattanooga Lookouts & 100 Seasons of Scenic City Baseball. ISBN 9780557279272.