Hopkinsville Hoppers

The Hopkinsville Hoppers, who often went by the local nickname for the city, Hoptown, were one of the most stable teams throughout the KITTY League history. Hoptown fielded a team in every version of the Kitty League from 1904 to 1954.  There were some bumps along the way and a couple of seasons were shut down early, but all-in-all, this was a stable and popular franchise that entertained Hopkinsville and surrounding communities (including the large Fort Campbell US Army base nearby) for most of six decades. 

Hopkinsville played as the “Browns” in their very first season in 1904 but thereafter were known exclusively as the “Hoppers”. At home they wore white with bright red trim and socks.  For most of their history they were not affiliated with any one major league team, however they did have short runs as an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1940’s and 1950’s. 

The Hoppers three KITTY League pennants, including 1911, and 1938. In 1947, the Hoppers won the KITTY League playoffs title, after posting only a 69-56 record. That would be their only playoff title. The next season in 1948, the team vastly improved and went 85-41 on their way to a third KITTY League pennant! But they would fall short in the playoffs, losing in the first round. 

The Hoppers went the way of the rest of the Kitty League in the mid 1950’s, as the league folded in 1955 and took the Hoppers along with it.