The Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings were the professional baseball club shared by Bisbee and Douglas, Arizona from 1949 to 1955, two copper towns on the Mexican border that split their home games. The team moved to Douglas alone in 1956 and played there through 1958, the final season of the Class C Arizona-Mexico League.
The Copper Kings grew out of the Bisbee Yanks of 1947 and the Bisbee-Douglas Miners of 1948, and took a name that had belonged to a Bisbee mining company team at the turn of the century. The club was a Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate in 1950 and 1951 and a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate from 1956 to 1958. First baseman Gene Clough hit 37 home runs in 1949 and George Arent hit 32 in 1956, but the shared club never finished above .500 in its seven seasons.
Douglas changed that. The 1956 club finished second, and in 1958 the Copper Kings won the championship at 68-52 under pitcher-manager Bob Clear. On August 19, 1958, in a game played at Ciudad Delicias against Chihuahua, all nine Douglas starters hit a home run in a 22-8 win, Clear included, a feat no other professional team is known to have matched. The game was called after eight innings for darkness in front of 614 people.
The league folded by telegram the following March, and professional baseball never returned to either town. Bisbee's Warren Ballpark, where the Copper Kings played their Bisbee dates, opened in 1909 and still stands.
Arizona's first league in organized baseball opened in 1928 as a Class D circuit with four clubs, in Bisbee, Miami, Phoenix and Tucson. It became the Arizona-Texas League in 1931 and the Arizona-Mexico League in 1955, and ran, with gaps, through 1958, eventually reaching into Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and northern Mexico.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our crewneck sweatshirts are classics that anyone is sure to recognize. They are thick, durable Gildan brand crews. They are a cotton/poly blend that stands the test of time.
Size Guide: True to size
- Made with a medium-heavy fabric blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyester (8.0 oz/yd² (271.25 g/m²)), this sweatshirt feels cozy and is the perfect choice for those colder months.
- The classic fit along with the crew neckline deliver a comfy wearing experience with a clean-cut style. Meanwhile, the double-needle stitching at the shoulder, armhole, neck, waistband, and cuff seams add top-tier durability.
- Say goodbye to itchiness thanks to the gray, pearlized tear-away label.
- Made using 100% ethically grown US cotton. Gildan is also a proud member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol ensuring ethical and sustainable means of production. The blank shirt's dyes are OEKO-TEX-certified dyes with low environmental impact.
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F); Non-chlorine: bleach as needed; Tumble dry: low heat; Do not iron; Do not dryclean.
