Brothers “Ginger Watts”, catcher, and Marvin Watts, third base, were from Watts Crossroads area in rural Cabarrus County, home of the Kannapolis Towelers and Concord Weavers. At the time of this 1941 photograph, the brothers were playing for Concord in the Class “D” North Carolina State League.
In the 1930s, there were so many good baseball players that not all of them could get signed with a team. With offers of decent pay as well as regular jobs in the off season, professional players from all over the country descended upon the Carolinas for the opportunity to play baseball.
Though some were professional, others came fresh out of high school or colleges to obtain the experience that would take them to the majors. The opportunity to be paid to play the game they loved was the lure, the dream, and the hope.
Bill Steinecke (aka Bill Selph) seen here when he played catcher for the Williamsport Grays of the Class A New York-Penn League in 1936. Steinecke played catcher for and managed the Concord Weavers under the name of Bill Selph to avoid detetection from Judge Bramham. He led the team to a league win in 1937. Some local fans blamed Steinecke for contributing to the break up the Carolina Outlaw League through his many fights and his departure from the team before the playoffs.
Growing up on a farm along Coddle Creek in western Cabarrus County, “Coddle Creek” Taylor developed his pitching skills by knocking out knotholes inside the family’s barn. Winnie Taylor Watkins often traveled with her husband.
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.