Houma Indians

The Houma Indians was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Houma, Louisiana between 1940 and 1952. Houma teams played as exclusively as members of the Evangeline League. The Houma Indians won the 1946 and 1948 Evangeline League Championships. In 1946, four Houma players were implicated in a baseball gambling scandal.

The 1940 Houma Buccaneers became the first minor league baseball team based in Houma, Louisiana, before the team relocated during the season.^[1] The "Buccaneers" began play as members of the Class D level Evangeline League. On June 27, 1940, the Houma Buccaneers had a 23–43 record when the franchise moved to Natchez, Mississippi, finishing the season as the Natchez Pilgrims. The Houma/Natchez team finished with a 51–79 overall record, placing seventh in the Evangeline League final standings, playing under manager Carlos Moore in both locations.^[2][3]

Minor league baseball returned to Houma in 1946. After stopping play due to World War II following the 1942 season, the Evangeline League reformed for the 1946 season. Originally a league franchise was awarded to Opelousas, Louisiana, but the potential franchise there was ultimately unable to meet financial needs and the franchise folded. A month before the 1946 season, a group in Houma, led by Gibson Autin met financial needs by organizing a corporation, selling stock to the public, and securing the American Legion Field. Houma was granted a franchise and Tom Smith was appointed as the business manager. The 1946 team used the actual uniforms intended for Opelousas. The team moniker of "Indians", was in reference to the Houma tribe, for which the city of Houma is named.^[4]

The Houma Indians rejoined the Class D level Evangeline League in 1946 and won the league championship.^[5] The Indians joined the Abbeville Athletics, Alexandria Aces, Baton Rouge Red Sticks, Hammond Berries, Natchez Giants, New Iberia Cardinals and Thibodaux Giants in the 1946 Evangeline League. The Indians ended the 1946 regular season with a record of 92–39, finishing 6.0 games ahead of the 2nd place Natchez Giants. The player/managers were Joseph Benning and Paul Fugit. Houma defeated the Alexandria Aces 4 games to 1 in the first playoff series. In the Evangeline League Finals, the Indians defeated the Abbeville Athletics 4 games to 1 to capture the 1946 Evangeline League Championship.^{[6][7][4][8][3]} Mike Conroy hit .372 to win the Evangeline League batting title. Three other players had noteworthy seasons before being embroiled in controversy after the season. Player/manager Paul Legit hit .327, with 23 home runs and 130 RBI, Leonard Pecou led the league with 53 stolen bases and William "Bill" Thomas had a pitching record of 35–7.^[3]

After the 1946 Championship season, allegations surfaced that Houma and Abbeville players had conspired with gamblers over the outcomes of three playoff games. At the October 23, 1946 league meeting, it was alleged that the Houma players conspired with gamblers for Houma to lose the fourth game of the first round of the recent playoffs, lose the first game of the second round, and win the fourth game of the second round. After the allegations, Judge W. G. Bramham, President of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, summoned the unnamed accused players to attend a hearing on January 10–11, 1947. After interviews and further investigation, five players were put on the ineligible list, meaning they could not play in minor league baseball. Houma players William "Bill" Thomas, Leonard Pecou, Alvin Kaiser and Paul Fugit and Don Vettorel of Abbeville were placed on the ineligible list by Branham for their actions. Later, Thomas and Pecou appealed and were ultimately restored to eligibility by George Trautman, Bramham's successor after two years. On August 22, 1949, both players were reinstated and allowed to immediately to return to the Houma roster.^{[9][10][11][12][8][13][3]} After his reinstatement, Thomas would continue his career to set the minor league career records for total games, victories, losses, hits and runs. Baseball reference shows his career record as 305–264 over 24 seasons and other sources have his minor league win total at 383.^{[5][4][14][15]}

Continuing play in 1947, the Houma Indians placed fifth in the Evangeline league final standings. Houma ended the regular season with a 63–76 record in the 1947 regular season, finishing 19.5 games behind the first place Alexandria Aces, missing the Evangeline League playoffs, playing under player/managers Copeland Goss and George Washburn. Playing home games at American Legion Park, Houma had home season attendance of 100,934, an average of 1,452 per game.^{[16][17][18][3]}

The 1948 Houma Indians the captured Evangeline League pennant and overall championship after the entire playoffs were cancelled due to weather, making Huma the default champion. Houma ended the regular season with a 81–55 record under manager George Washburn, finishing 2.5 games ahead of the second place Hammond Berries. The Houma 1948 playoff series against the Baton Rouge Red Sticks was tied 1 game to 1 and the Hammond Berries and Thibodaux Giants were tied 2 games to 2, when the entire 1948 playoffs were cancelled due to bad weather. Houma season home attendance was 96,744, an average of 1,423.^{[19][10][20][8][3]} Houma's Roy “Tex” Sanner had a noteworthy season as a hitter and a pitcher. Sanner won the Evangeline League’s “triple crown” with 34 home runs, 126 RBI, and a batting average of .386. As a pitcher, Sanner had a 21–2 record, 2.58 ERA with 251 strikeouts.^[3][21]

The Houma Indians and manager George Washburn won their second consecutive pennant in 1949. After capturing the Evangeline League pennant with a 81–58 record, the Indians were defeated by the Alexandria Aces 4 games to 1 in the first round of the playoffs. Continuing play at American Legion Park, 1949 season attendance was 73,853, an average of 1,063.^[22][3]

The Houma Indians finished with a 53–84 in record 1950 and had the first of three consecutive seventh place finishes. The Evangeline League was upgraded to a Class C level league as Houma finished 32.0 games behind the champion Lafayette Bulls, again playing under returning manager George Washburn. Total season attendance was 43,283, an average of 632.^{[23][24][25][3]}

The Houma Indians of the Evangeline League ended the 1951 season with a record of 60–78, again placing seventh in the regular season standings. Sid Gautreaux served as manager, as Houma finished 16,0 games behind the Thibodaux Giants. Attendance at American Legion Park declined to 32,716, an average of 474.^{[23][26][27][3]}

In their final season, the 1952 Houma Indians finished with a 59–79 record, placing seventh in the eight–team Evangeline League for the third consecutive season.^[28] Playing under Managers Woodrow Head and Bobby Gales, Houma was 21.5 games behind the Crowley Millers. Season attendance was 25,821, an average of 377. Both the Houma Indians and Abbeville Athletics franchises were folded after the 1952 season, leaving the Evangeline league with a 6–team field for 1953. The Evangeline League eventually folded following the 1957 season and had never become an integrated league, despite the efforts of major league affiliates to assign players to teams in the league.^{[29][10][8][3]}

Houma was without a minor league team until 2003. The Houma Hawks played as members of the Independent Southeastern League in 2003.^[30]

Today, Houma Indians baseball artifacts are on display within the Ellender Memorial Library on the campus of Nicholls State University.^[13]

The Houma Buccaneers and Houma Indians reportedly played minor league home games at American Legion Park in 1940 and from 1946 to 1952. The ballpark had a capacity of 3,000 in 1940, 3,800 in 1950 and expanded to 4,500 in 1952. American Legion Park had a wooden grandstand and was destroyed by fire in 1956. American Legion Park was located at Lafayette & Crescent Boulevard in Houma, Louisiana.^[31][32][33]

• Houma Buccaneers players
• Houma Indians players

• Houma Indians team photo
• Baseball Reference