Born in the small New York town of Glen Cove, Norman "Butch" Small began his professional career as a pitcher in 1934 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals's farm system with the Martinsville Manufacturers. In 1935 he joined the Asheville Tourists in the Piedmont League and played in two other leagues before returning to Martinsville.
Born in Canton, North Carolina, Hipps received numerous awards in 1926 while playing baseball at Furman University. Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics signed Hipps to play with a number of AA ball clubs. By 1929, Hipps was teaching and coaching baseball in Weaverville, North Carolina. Between 1927 and 1934, Hipps played for eighteen different ball clubs. By 1935 at the age of 30, Bobby Hipps joined the Coolemee Cools but transferred to the Kannapolis Towelers, first as a player then as a manager.
Probably one of the most unusual stories to come from Hank Utley’s research is the story of Edwin C. Pitts (1909 - 1943), known to his fans as “Alabama” Pitts. Born in Opelika, Alabama, Pitts joined the Navy at 15. Four years later, Pitts, like so many young men at that time, struggled to find work. Arrest and conviction for a holdup at a grocery store landed Pitts in Sing Sing Prison.
At six-foot-four, Concord first baseman, “Slim” Ingram was a power hitter with a batting average running from the high .390s to the low .400s. This photograph was taken in 1935 at home plate in Concord’s Webb Field. The new 1200-seat grandstand in the background had been built with federal emergency relief money. (Note visiting team bench on extreme right.)
"Rube" Wilson pitched for the Hickory Rebels in 1937. He played semi-professional baseball for teams in the North Carolina State League, Coastal Plain League Bi-State League, the Western Carolina League, and the Appalachian League between 1939-1957 as well as scouted for the Chicago Cubs.
Art Hord was one of Concord’s all-time favorite baseball players. A graduate of Wake Forest, he played ball in Birmingham, Alabama, in the Southern Association during the early 1930s. Hord went on to play in the New York-Penn League, where he was voted best second baseman in 1933. He jumped his contract with the Scranton Miners in Pennsylvania to play second base for as well as manage the Concord Weavers in 1935.
After playing in Albany, N.Y., in the International League, Hitchner left the team because the pay was lousy and they wanted to send him to a Class "D" ball club. Technically, Hitchner was not released from the Albany ball club when he signed up with the Hickory Rebels who were by then part of the Carolina "Outlaw" Leauge.
Born in Norwood, North Carolina, "Buck” Ross pitched for the Kannapolis Towelers before signing with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1935. Ross just missed playing in the Outlaw League by one year. He played in the Majors for ten years, ending his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1945.
Originally from Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Ernest Rufus “Red” Evans began his pitching career with the Omaha Packers, a Nebraska Minor League Ball Club. While with the Packers in 1933, Evans pitched a doubleheader and won both games. Evans became the ace pitcher for the Valdese Textiles in 1937 and was known for not putting up with any of the antics of other ball players.