Frank Quigg

From baseball-reference.com

Positions: Leftfielder and Pitcher

Bats: Unknown, Throws: Unknown

Born: June 1874 in Atchison, Kansas, US

Died: December 31, 1909 in Harrah, Oklahoma, US

Played for:

• 1893 Topeka Capitols (Western Association)
• 1984 St. Joseph Saints (Western Association)
• 1895 Memphis Lambs/Giants (Southern Association)/Austin Beavers (Texas-Southern League)
• 1896 Denison Tigers (Texas Association)
• 1897 Denison-Sherman Twins/Waco Tigers (Texas League)

According to the article From Ballplayer to Bank Robber (from Baseball Daily History at http://baseballhistorydaily.com/2012/09/page/2/), Quigg was a  

pioneering figure in Oklahoma baseball, organizing professional ball in the state with the creation of the Southwestern Association in 1901, the league included teams in Oklahoma City, Enid, Shawnee, Arkansas City and Winfield. 

To date, I haven't found any articles in the 1901 Daily Oklahoman about the ball club that season.  More from the article From Ballplayer to Bank Robber shows:

Quigg managed the Oklahoma City team until 1903.

An article in the Wichita Eagle in 1901 about the league provides interesting insight into the finances of turn of the century minor league baseball:

“The salary limit of the league is to $450 per month and room and board for the Players…home teams paying the visiting club $25 per scheduled game, rain or shine.”

“The umpires are to receive $2.50 a game plus transportation.”

Later Quigg became a well respected umpire in the Eastern, Pacific Coast and Texas Leagues as late as the summer of 1909.

So we fast forward to the end of 1909 when Quigg meets his end.  This sounds like a good topic for a Hollywood movie based on fact stranger than fiction.  

This front page article from the Daily Oklahoman on January 1, 1910 says it best explaining what happened to this one time Oklahoma baseball entrepreneur when he and his gang went to the then tiny town of Harrah:

 It also made the headlines elsewhere as well.  Here is the article about it from the Houston Press' January 1, 1910's newspaper:

As suggested in the Houston Press, Quigg may not have been as much of a well-respected umpire as some believe; they even went on to cite him as "mentally unbalanced".  Whatever his reputation as a baseball player, organizer, or umpire, his life certainly was full of twists and turns to end up being shot dead as a desperado in an attempted bank robbery.

So far, I have been unable to locate any pictures of Quigg in any phase of his checkered career.

Oklahoma City Statehoods

On February 4, 1902 is the first article about the Oklahoma City Statehoods as they are initially to be called.  Frank Quigg is the manager of the team.  The following article contains a short bio for each person on the team.  Let's preface it, for now, that Frank Quigg is a primary mover and shaker of establishing professional baseball in Oklahoma City.  The next post will be more biographical information about Quigg and his surprising future after 1902.

Introduction to Blog

Welcome to my blog about baseball in Oklahoma City.  I'm starting out by exploring the Daily Oklahoman newspaper archive for articles to learn about baseball in the early days of the Oklahoma Territory.  I'll branch out on rabbit trails occasionally as the situation arises.  Enjoy the journey...