Owensboro Oilers

The Owensboro Oilers were a minor league baseball team in Owensboro, Kentucky. The team played in the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League (KITTY League) in 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1955. In 1952 the team was managed by former major league all-star Wally Berger. The Oilers were the KITTY League champions in 1946, 1947 and 1949, and were the league runner up in 1951.

Major leaguer Tony Kubek began his professional baseball career with the Oilers in 1954. Kubek went on to play for nine seasons with the New York Yankees. Kubek was the 1957 American League Rookie of the Year and played in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1958, 1959 and 1961. Kubek was enshrined in the Kitty League Hall of Fame in 2005 for his time with the Oilers.

Major leaguer Chuck Tanner also began his professional baseball career with the Owensboro Oilers, as did Ray Crone, Don McMahon and Lee Thomas.

Other major leaguers who played for the Owensboro Oilers include Ken Silvestri, Jack McMahan, Bill Adair, and Earl Browne. Browne was a player and manager for the Oilers, winning two consecutive Kitty League pennants with Owensboro (1946 and 1947) and leading the minor leagues with a .424 batting average in 1946. Browne was enshrined in the Kitty League Hall of Fame in 2005 for his time with the Oilers.

The Oilers were affiliated with the Cleveland Indians in 1937 and 1938, the Boston Braves in 1939-1940 and 1946-1950, the Boston Red Sox in 1941-1942 and the New York Yankees from 1953 to 1955. The Oilers played their home games at Miller Field in Owensboro.

Half a century later the Owensboro Oilers name was used by a summer collegiate baseball team in the Ohio Valley Collegiate Baseball League, playing its home games in Panther Park, located at Kentucky Wesleyan College.