Cedar Rapids Rabbits

Baseball in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, goes back a long way to 1890. The Cedar Rapids Rabbits, or Bunnies, as they were sometimes called played from 1896 through 1932 in various leagues including the Western Association, Central Association, Mississippi Valley League, and the Triple I League (Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League). These were minor leagues that ran in the early 1900s consisting of teams from across the Midwest. In the 1800s and first half of the 1900s, teams existed in thousands of small towns across the United States, as Americans looked for recreational activities and entertainment in the era before TV.  

The Rabbits were succesful on the field, winning the Western Association in 1897. Playing in the Triple I League in 1907, the Rabbits won the league title with a 79-43 record. In 1922, 1925 and 1930, they won the Mississippi Valley League. 

The Rabbits/Bunnies moniker would be retired in 1932 when the MVL Bunnies folded. However, baseball in Cedar Rapids would continue in 1934 with the Raiders, and then the Rockets, Indians, Braves, Red Raiders, Red Raiders, Reds, Cardinals, Giants, and now the Kernels who have called the city home since 1993.