Early Championships
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by Larry McCray, October 2012
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It's About Winning, Stupid!
Until 1855, most modern base ball was apparently played intramurally, and the main objectives were healthful exercize and comaraderie, the latter often achieved at jolly post-game banquets.
But soon, match games began to dominate, and the main point was winning. Not eating lots, not breathing hard, but winning.
We noticed this trend when we weren't looking for it. In the newly collected data on the SABR "Spread of Base Ball" site, and in Protoball, a surprising number and variety of claims of area championships turned up, often for ad hoc local territories. Below is our initial compilation of such championship claims.
| Month | Crown | Crowned Club | Note | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 1858 | Champs of Rochester | Live Oak BBC | Unbeaten Against other County Clubs | link |
| 1859 | Champs of Buffalo | Niagara BBC | Beat the Erie BBC of Buffalo | link |
| Sep 1859 | Champs of Chicago | Atlantic BBC | Beat the Excelsior BBC of Chicago | [1] |
| Oct 1859 | Champs of Brooklyn | Atlantic BBC of Brooklyn | Beat the Eckford BBC of Brooklyn 22-12 | |
| July 1860 | Champs of Rochester | Lone Star BBC | Beat the Live Oak BBC | link |
| Aug 1860 | Junior Champs of Brooklyn | Powhattan BBC of Brooklyn | beat the Oriental BBC of Brooklyn 16-11 | [2] |
| Aug 1860 | Champs of Brooklyn | Atlantic BBC of Brooklyn | versus the Excelsior BBC of Brooklyn. Game called at 6-6 | |
| Sep 1860 | Central New York Champions | Syracuse BB Club | Had beaten champs of surrounding counties | link |
| Oct. 1862 | Champs of Pennsylvania | Olympic BBC | Versus the Athletic BBC of Philadelphia | [3] |
| Aug 1863 | Champs of Illinois | Garden City BBC of Chicago | versus Empire BBC of Freeport, best of 3 | |
| Aug 1864 | Champion, Union Prison Camp | Ohio's "earliest match game" | link | |
| Sep 1864 | National Champs | Atlantic BBC of Brooklyn | Mutual BBC of NYC | |
| July 1865 | New England and Massachusetts Champs | Harvard U. BBC | beat Lowell BBC of Boston 28-17 | |
| Nov 1865 | National Champs | Atlantic BBC of Brooklyn | beat Athletic BBC of Philadelphia, 27-24 | |
| Apr 1866 | Indiana State Championship | Laporte BB Club | Best of 3 Series | link |
| July 1866 | Champs of Midwest | Excelsior BBC of Chicago | Multi-state tourney in Rockford IL | link |
| Aug 1866 | Champs of Tennessee and Kentucky | Louisville BB Club | Beat Cumberland BBC of Nashville club, 39-23. | link |
| Aug 1866 | Champs of Northern Missouri | Empire BB Club of Chillicothe MO | link | |
| Sep 1866 | Champs of Michigan | Detroit BBC | versus Anchors of Adrian | |
| Sept 1866 | Champs of New Hampshire | Dartmouth College BB Club | Beat a Concord NH Club, 38-7 | link |
| Sept 1866 | Champs of Connecticut | Charter Oaks BBC of Hartford | Beat the Chester Club of Norwich | |
| Oct 1866 | National Champs | Atlantic BBC of Brooklyn | vs Athletic of Philadelphia. 3rd and deciding game not played | |
| Oct 1866 | Champs of the South | Lone Star BBC of New Orleans | beat Magnolia BBC of New Orleans, 42-29 | |
| Oct 1866 | Champs of Oregon | Pioneer BB Club of Portland | "May wear their laurels until fairly won from them" | link |
| Oct 1866 | Iowa State Tourney Champs | not yet known | link | |
| Oct 1866 | Champs of Greater Cincinnati | not yet known | 5-club tourney: Cincy, Dayton KY, Covington KY clubs | link |
| Oct 1866 | Champs of SE Iowa (?) | not yet known | 7-club tourney: Burlington, Davenport, Ottumwa, Mt. Pleasant | link |
| Nov 1866 | City Champs, Virginia, Nevada | not yet known | Virginia BBC vs. Northwestern BB Club | link |
| March 1867 | Champs of North Carolina | Nationals BBC of Raleigh | beat Meteor BBC of New Bern, 49-40 | |
| July 1867 | Champs of Delaware | Diamond State BB Club of Wilmington | 3-game series against Wawasset Club of Wilmington | link |
| July 1867 | Champs of the West | not yet known | Omaha BBC vs. Occidental Club of Denver | link |
| Aug 1867 | Champs of Maryland | Maryland BBC of Baltimore | beat Pastime BBC of Baltimore 47-26 | |
| Aug 1867 | Champs of Kansas | Frontier BB Club of Leavenworth | link | |
| Aug 1867 | Champs of Columbus, Ohio | Capital BBC | beat Excelsior BBC 53-48 | |
| Sep 1867 | Champs of Virginia | Pastime BBC of Richmond | versus Independent BBC of Petersburg | |
| Sept 1867 | Champs of Tennessee | not yet known | Holston Club of Knoxville vs. Mountain Club of Chattanooga | link |
| Sept 1867 | Champs of Central Vermont (?) | not yet known | 5-club tourney, all central VT clubs | link |
| Sep 1867 | Champs of Wisconsin | Cream City BBC of Milwaukee | Beat Whitewater BBC 44-19 | |
| Oct 1867 | National Champs | Union BBC of Morrisania | Beat Atlantic of Brooklyn in 2nd game of series | |
| Oct 1867 | Champs of Maine | Bowdoin BBC of Brunswick | beat Eon BBC of Portland, 39-36 | |
| Oct 1867 | Champs of Iowa | Hawkeyes BBC of Mt. Pleasant | beat Western BBC of Burlington 115-42 | |
| Nov 1867 | Champs of Vermont | Queen City BBC of Burlington | beat Mountaineer BBC of West Randolph 103-8 | |
| April 1868 | Champs of Texas | Stonewall Club of Houston | Beat R. E. Lee Club of Galveston, 34-6 | link |
| May 1868 | Champs of Alabama | Montgomery Club of Montgomery | Beat Dramatic Club of Mobile, best 2 of 3 | |
| June 1868 | Champs of the County | Eagles of Wabasha MN | (A newspaper's aspiration for this new club) | link |
| July 1868 | Champs of West Tennessee | not yet known | Pride of the South Club, unnamed others in series of games | link |
| July 1868 | Champs of Rhode Island | Hope and Anchor BBC of Pawtucket | Beat the Olympic BBC of Providence 41-35 | |
| Sept 1868 | Champs of Arkansas | not yet known | BB Tourney at the State Fair | link |
| Oct 1868 | National Champs | Mutual BBC of NYC | Atlantic BBC of Brooklyn 28-17, in 3rd game of series | |
| Nov 1868 | Champs of New Mexico | Santa Fe BBC | Beat Bradley BBC of Fort Union 74-36 | |
| Feb 1869 | Champs of Mississippi | Osyka BB Club | Beat Summit Club 47-23. | link |
| Aug 1869 | Junior Champs of Illinois | Occidental BB Club of Quincy | Beat Liberty Jr. Club of Springfield. | [4] |
| July 1870 | Champs of Utah Territory | Corinne BB Club | Beat Enneas (Salt Lake City) Club, 42-31 | link |
| Aug 1870 | Champs of Nebraska | Elkhorns of Omaha | Beat the Otoes of Nebraska City 34-21 | |
| Sept 1870 | Champs of Vermont | not yet known | Round robin State Tourney Set | link |
| May 1871 | Red River Championship, Louisiana | Rapides Club of Alexandria | beat Lone Star BBC of Pineville | link |
| Aug 1871 | Champs of Colorado (?) | not yet known | Tourney played by Greeley CO club | link |
| June 1872 | Championship of 1872 | Blue Stockings of Shreveport LA | Beat Arlington BB Club 57-32 | link |
| July 1875 | Champs of Kane County IL | Bluff City BB Club | link | |
| Aug 1875 | Champs of Alabama and MS | A Mississippi Club | Beat Demopolis BB Club of Alabama | link |
| May 1876 | Champs of Arizona Territory | Champion Club of Prescott | Beat Whipple BB Club of Fort Whipple | link |
| July 1876 | Champs of Colorado (?) | not yet known | Tourney in Central City, CO | link |
| July 1876 | Champs of No. Mississippi | Corinth BB Club | Beat Iuka BB Club | link |
| Aug 1886 | Champs of King County, WA | not yet known | Seattle BB Club vs Newcastles | link |
| undated | Champs of Canada | Maple Leaf Club of Hamilton ONT | see P. Morris et al, Base Ball Pioneers, page 88. |