Sport Baseball Ceased 1961 Country USA | Founded 1901 No. of teams 31 Cities | |
Most titles 8 Evansville Braves/ Bees/ Hubs (1957, 1956, 1954, 1952, 1949, 1941, 1938, 1930) | ||
The Illinois-Indiana–Iowa League was a minor league baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 years, mostly in those three states. The league began play in 1901 and disbanded after the 1961 season. It was popularly known as the Three–I League and also sometimes jokingly as the Three-Eye League.
Contents
History
The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was founded in 1901 with Rock Island, IL native Michael H. Sexton serving as President. Eight charter members began play in 1901: the Bloomington Blues, Cedar Rapids Rabbitts, Davenport River Rats, Decatur Commodores, Evansville River Rats and Rock Island Islanders, Rockford Red Sox and Terre Haute Hottentots. Bloomington, Illinois, Decatur, Illinois and Terre Haute, Indiana had left the Central League to join expansion teams in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Davenport, Iowa, Evansville, Indiana, Rockford, Illinois, and Rock Island, Illinois and form the Class D league. Interestingly, two expansion teams, Davenport and Evansville, chose "River Rats" as their team name. For the second season, 1902, the league became Class B, a classification it retained for the next 59 seasons of league operation.
The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was inactive during some years of World War I (1918), the Great Depression (1933-1934, 1936) and World War II (1943-1945), similar to many minor leagues that were forced to suspend operations or disband during those severe times.
As with many minor leagues, especially at the lower classifications, league membership fluctuated a great deal over its six decades. Overall, the league hosted teams in 31 cities during its existence. At various times it had teams in such medium-sized cities as Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Bloomington, Decatur, Danville, Peoria, Springfield, Evansville and Terre Haute. It was a Class B league in the old classification system that ran from Class D up to Class Triple-A.
The 1955 Keokuk Kernels are ranked #30 in the Top-100 All Time teams by MiLB.com. The Kernels finished with a 92-34 record and were led by Russ Nixon and Mudcat Grant.
Since 1956 its territory had largely been supplanted by the Midwest League, which began in 1947 as the Class D Illinois State League. After 1956 there were no Illinois or Indiana teams in the league. The final 1961 Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League franchises were the Fox Cities Foxes, Burlington Bees, Topeka Reds, Lincoln Chiefs, Cedar Rapids Braves and Des Moines Demons. In 1962, Appleton (Fox Cities), Burlington, and Cedar Rapids joined the Midwest League and the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League folded operations when those franchises switched leagues.
The league's unique name made it a convenient reference point for any mention of the minor leagues. Casey Stengel made the following comment in later life, evidently still feeling stung from having been traded by the New York Giants to the Boston Braves in the 1923–1924 off-season, despite having hit 2 game-winning home runs in the World Series: "It's lucky I didn't hit 3 home runs in three games, or McGraw would have traded me to the 3-I League!"
Three-I Most Valuable Player(s)
Ball parks
Year By Year 1901-1932
1901Terre Haute won the title behind the impressive pitching of Mordecai Brown, future Chicago Cubs mound star.
1902
1903 Evansville and Terre Haute joined the Central League. New teams in Dubuque, Iowa and Joliet, Illinois formed. Joliet, with a record of 14-19, moved to Springfield, Illinois on June 12, where they had a record of 28-61.
1904
1905 The Rockford team folded, and a new team in Peoria, Illinois formed.
After the season ended, Cedar Rapids lost to the Burlington, Iowa team from the Iowa State League 4 games to 3.
1906
1907
The Davenport team folded. The team from Clinton, Iowa joined after leaving the Iowa State League.
1908
1909 The Clinton team folded. A new team in Davenport, Iowa formed.
1910 After the previous disappointing season, Cedar Rapids folded. The Decatur team moved to the Northern Association. The team from Waterloo, Iowa left the Central Association to join here. A new team from Danville, Illinois formed and joined the league as well.
1911 The team from Bloomington folded. The Quincy, Illinois team from the Central Association joined the league. The Springfield team, with a 12-4 record, moved to Decatur, Illinois on May 31, where their record was 57-56.
1912 The teams from Rock Island and Waterloo folded. New teams from Springfield, Illinois and Bloomington, Indiana joined the league.
1913
1914 The Danville team, with a record of 26-53, moved to Moline, Illinois on July 14, where their record was 20-33.
1915 The Springfield team folded. A new team in Rockford, Illinois formed. Dubuque moved to Freeport, Illinois during the season. The Decatur team folded on August 10. The league adopted a playoff system in which the team with the best record in the first half of the season would play the team with the best record in the second half of the season.
Moline beat Davenport 4 games to 2 for the title.
1916 The Freeport team folded. New teams in Hannibal, Missouri and Rock Island, Illinois formed and joined the league. The playoff system was apparently dropped.
1917 The Davenport team folded. A new team in Alton, Illinois formed and joined the league.
1918 The league suspended operations because of World War I.
1919 The teams in Alton, Hannibal, Quincy, and Rock Island folded. New teams in Evansville, Indiana and Terre Haute, Indiana formed and joined the league.
1920 New teams in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois formed and joined the league. Evansville changed their names to the "Evas".
1921
1922 The teams in Cedar Rapids and Rock Island moved to the Mississippi Valley League. New teams in Danville and Decatur formed and joines the league.
1923
1924 The Rockford team folded. The Moline team moved to the Mississippi Valley League.
1925 New teams in Quincy and Springfield formed and joined the league.
1926
Springfield played Bay City of the Michigan State League and won 4 games to none. They were leading against Des Moines of the Western League 3 games to 1 when the series was canceled due to cold weather.
1927
1928 The league returned to the playoff format in which the team with the best record in the first half of the season played the team with the best records in the second half of the season for the title.
Decatur beat Terre Haute for the title 4 games to 1, with 1 tie.
1929 Two teams with the nickname "Tractors" played in the league this season.
Quincy played Canton of the Central League after the season ended and lost 4 games to 2.
1930 The league returned to the best record in the 1st half vs. best record in the 2nd half playoff system.
Danville defeated Evansville 4 games to 2 for the title. Danville went on to play Springfield of the Central League and lead 3 games to 2 when the series was cancelled because of poor attendance.
1931
Quincy beat Springfield 4 games to 2 for the championship.
1932 The teams in Bloomington and Evansville folded before the season, and the Springfield and Decatur teams folded on July 12.
The Terre Haute, Peoria, Quincy, and Danville teams all folded on July 15, as did the league itself. The league was restarted in 1935, 1937–1942, and 1946–1961.