History of sports in Fort Wayne, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The history of sports in Fort Wayne, Indiana reflects a rich sports tradition for a city of its size.
On June 3, 1883, Fort Wayne hosted the Quincy Professionals for the first lighted baseball game involving a professional team (the very first lighted game of any kind was played earlier that year in Lowell, Massachusetts).
The first major league baseball game was played on May 4, 1871, between the Fort Wayne Kekiongas and the Cleveland Forest Citys. It was rained out in the top of the 9th inning, with the Kekiongas ahead 2-0. The Kekiongas franchise in the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was sold midway through the first season, and they moved to Brooklyn, where they eventually became the Trolley Dodgers and eventually today's Los Angeles Dodgers professional baseball team.[citation needed]
In women's sports, Fort Wayne was the home of the Daisies, the first women's professional baseball team.
According to local legend, Babe Ruth hit the longest home run ever hit, while playing an exhibition game in 1927 at League Park on North Clinton Street in Fort Wayne. Ruth belted a homer over the left-center-field fence, where it landed in an open boxcar and didn't stop until it was miles away.
[edit] Current professional sports teams
[edit] Former sports teams
| Club | Sport | League | Years | Logo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Wayne Daisies | Baseball | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League | 1943 - 1954 |  |
| Fort Wayne Flames | Soccer | American Indoor Soccer Association | 1986 |  |
| Fort Wayne Friars | Football | 1910 - 1917 | ||
| Fort Wayne Fury | Basketball | Continental Basketball Association |  |
|
| Fort Wayne General Electrics | Basketball | National Basketball League | 1937 - 1938 | |
| Fort Wayne Kekiongas | Baseball | Major League Baseball National Association | 1871 | |
| Fort Wayne Pistons | Basketball | National Basketball League | 1941 - 1957 |  |
| Indiana Kick | Soccer | American Indoor Soccer Association | 1989 |  |
| River City Rhinos/Fort Wayne River Rhinos | Football | Mid-Continental Football League |  |
[edit] Notable natives and former residents
- Lloy Ball, Olympic and pro volleyball player
- DaMarcus Beasley, professional soccer player for PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) and the US national team, who used to play for the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.
- Jamar Beasley, former professional soccer player for the New England Revolution and the Chicago Fire of MLS.
- Johnny Bright, former athlete, CFL Edmonton Eskimos and collegiate running back, victim of the 1951 "Johnny Bright Incident"
- Vaughn Dunbar, former athlete, NFL New Orleans Saints
- Jason Fabini, athlete, NFL Dallas Cowboys
- Bobby Milton, athlete, former player and manager, Harlem Globetrotters
- Art Smith, aviator, invented "loop the loop"
- Mark Virts, diver, member of the U.S. Olympic team denied participation in the 1980 Olympics by decision of President Jimmy Carter
- Matt Vogel, swimmer, Gold Medal winner, Olympics
- Rod Woodson, former athlete, NFL Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens Oakland Raiders
- Bill Everitt, baseball infielder, Chicago Colts/Orphans, Washington Senators
- Eric Wedge, baseball catcher, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, manager of Cleveland Indians
- Sharon Wichman, swimmer, Gold Medal winner Olympics
- Roosevelt Barnes, former athlete, NFL Detroit Lions
- Trai Essex athlete, NFL Pittsburgh Steelers
