Longview Cannibals

The Longview Cannibals played in various leagues throughout Texas between 1893 and 1939 and had one of the most unusual monikers in all of sports. The Cannibals nickname happened based off a newspaper reporter's story. The San Antonio Missions of the much bigger Texas League came to Longview in 1895 and surprisingly lost to Longview's semi-pro ball club. San Antonio's reported said the Longview team "ate up" San Antonio and that's how the name came to be. And it stuck over the years. 

The Cannibals were successful on the field outside of that one game, too. They bounced around between a number of leagues but over time they sent over 60 players to the majors. Their lone league title would come in the East Texas League in 1926. After 1939 the team name was changed to the White Sox to match Longview's major league affiliation, and the Cannibals name was no more. 

For a deep dive on the Cannibals, check out Jeff Barnhart's book "The Longview Cannibals: A Complete History of East Texas' Most Celebrated Baseball Club" available on Amazon.