Baseball in Bartlesville

Bartlesville has been a baseball town since its first team, the Brickbats, formed in 1895. The early-day teams had a community ballpark with a roofed grandstand for 500 spectators at what was the south end of the city near Johnstone Avenue and 11th Street. That park was quickly abandoned for a new stadium just south of there, which hosted 53 home games for the Bartlesville Grays. In 1907 the city purchased land just north of the city limits from William Johnstone - the site of present-day Doenges Stadium. The wooden grandstand would be replaced by today's 2,600 seat roofed concrete facility via a $42,000 bond issue in 1930. It was dedicated as Municipal Athletic Field on May 2, 1932, and besides baseball games has hosted parades, rodeos, celebrations, and revivals. It even served as the high school football field until Custer Field was built in the early 1950s at College High School. Originally its outfield fence was exactly 340 feet from home plate in a symmetrical arc, the only professional ballpark in the world with an equal distance to the fence in fair territory. Today home plate has been moved and the field is no longer fully symmetrical. In 1997 the community began more than $1,000,000 in stadium improvements using both public and private monies and the arena was renamed Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium, recognizing his dedication to community baseball. The stadium received new field lights, roof, metal bleachers, and chair-back seats with 2007 bringing large ceiling fans in the grandstand and remodeled concessions. In 2002 the city hosted the National Baseball Congress World Series Tournament, and in 2003 and 2007 it hosted the American Legion World Series.

• In 1906 Bartlesville joined with eight Kansas towns in the Kansas State League which had formed the prior year.
• In 1907 the Oklahoma-Arkansas-Kansas League formed, including Bartlesville and three other Oklahoma cities as well as two Kansas, one Arkansas, and one Missouri town.
• That league folded after one year, and in 1908 Bartlesville joined with three other towns to form the short-lived Oklahoma-Kansas League. The Milwaukee team of the American Association arrived in Bartlesville for spring training that year.
• Bartlesville joined the Western Association, which had formed back in 1905, for the 1909 and 1910 seasons. Bartlesville would participate again in this league in 1924, 1931-32, and 1934-38.
• From 1921-23, Bartlesville was part of the Southwestern League.
• Phillips Petroleum sponsored semi-pro baseball in the 1920s.
• Bartlesville briefly joined the large Western League in 1933.
• Bartlesville was part of the K.O.M. League from 1946-1952. Teams included the Bartlesville Oilers, Bucs, and Pirates. 28 players from the K.O.M. league went on to the major leagues, including Oklahoma's own Mickey Mantle, who played at Municipal Stadium during his days with the Independence, Kansas Yankees.
• The American Legion has sponsored statewide summer baseball for young people for over sixty years. Bartlesville's program began in 1937 with the team using Municipal Stadium when the Bartlesville Bucs were away. An early name for the Legion team was the "Philnines" but after local car dealer William C. "Bill" Doenges began sponsoring it in 1942, the team was called the "Engines". This was later changed to the "Injuns" in some punny wordplay. The Doenges Ford Injuns captured the Class A state championship in 1969 and went to the Legion World Series with a 48-13 season record. The Injuns won the Majors championship in 1976 and 1978. From 1964 to 2001, the Injuns had a combined 1506 to 621 won-loss record, with 37 straight winning seasons, 30 district championships, 9 zone titles, three state banners, and one national regional championship. The team's sponsorship is the longest continuous single sponsorship of any American Legion team in the nation.
• In 2002 Bartlesville had the 18-and-under AAAA Doenges Ford Injuns, the 17-and-under AAA Examiner-Enterprise Braves, and the AA 16-and-under United Linen Warriors. In June 2005 the Injuns were renamed the Doenges Ford Indians out of respect for Native American sensibilities.