Charlie Byrne (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Charles H. Byrne was a New York realtor who was one of the original founders of the team that became the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Byrne was a graduate of St. Francis Xavier College, and after graduation he worked as a writer for a newspaper.
Byrne along with New York Herald
editor George J. Taylor
, Joseph Doyle
(Byrne's brother-in-law) and Rhode Island
casino owner Ferdinand Abell
were the group that originally raised the money to found the ball club, known at first simply as the "Brooklyns." They leased land on fifth avenue to build Washington Park, the team's original home. It cost them the then-considerable sum of $30,000 to build the ballpark. The first year the team played in the minor Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball Clubs but the team was able to attract a following and won the league championship.
In 1884, the owners were able to bring the franchise into the American Association
, a competitor to the more established National League
, that catered to a more working-class crowd. http://books.google.com/books?id=iefbwP_Wx88C&pg=PA232&lpg=PA232&dq=%22charles+byrne%22+brooklyn&source=web&ots=ZYiRDzB9_f&sig=yy1nnUxmjt8yvuF3Cb9Y1wrjTAw
Byrne remained in the ownership group until his death in 1898, seeing the franchise eventually join the National League in 1890. Under his ownership, the Grays/Grooms/Bridegrooms/Dodgers (as they were alternately known during this period) went 567-506 and won two championships (the AA championship in 1889 and the NL championship in 1890. http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/history/owners.jsp) He was also the team's Manager from 1885-1887. http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/history/managers.jsp
Byrne was in ill health when the National League meeting was set to take place in November of 1897, but he insisted on making the journey from Virginia, where he had been recovering, to Philadelphia, the site of the meeting. After the meeting concluded, his health took a turn for the worse, from which he never recovered.
Byrne was a graduate of St. Francis Xavier College, and after graduation he worked as a writer for a newspaper.
Byrne along with New York Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
editor George J. Taylor
George Taylor (baseball)
George J. Taylor was the city editor of James Gordon Bennett's New York Herald. He noticed that his readers had a craving for baseball news. Together with Charles Byrne and Joseph Doyle they decided to form a team in Brooklyn to compete in the new Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball...
, Joseph Doyle
Joseph Doyle (baseball)
Joseph Doyle was the brother-in-law of Charlie Byrne and part of the original ownership team of what became the Brooklyn Dodgers.-External links:**...
(Byrne's brother-in-law) and Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
casino owner Ferdinand Abell
Ferdinand Abell
Ferdinand A. Abell was one of the original founders of the team that became the Brooklyn Dodgers. A Rhode Island casino owner, he put up most of the money to form the team in 1883 and also was the leading financing behind the building of Washington Park, the home of the ballclub.He stuck primarily...
were the group that originally raised the money to found the ball club, known at first simply as the "Brooklyns." They leased land on fifth avenue to build Washington Park, the team's original home. It cost them the then-considerable sum of $30,000 to build the ballpark. The first year the team played in the minor Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball Clubs but the team was able to attract a following and won the league championship.
In 1884, the owners were able to bring the franchise into the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
, a competitor to the more established National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
, that catered to a more working-class crowd. http://books.google.com/books?id=iefbwP_Wx88C&pg=PA232&lpg=PA232&dq=%22charles+byrne%22+brooklyn&source=web&ots=ZYiRDzB9_f&sig=yy1nnUxmjt8yvuF3Cb9Y1wrjTAw
Byrne remained in the ownership group until his death in 1898, seeing the franchise eventually join the National League in 1890. Under his ownership, the Grays/Grooms/Bridegrooms/Dodgers (as they were alternately known during this period) went 567-506 and won two championships (the AA championship in 1889 and the NL championship in 1890. http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/history/owners.jsp) He was also the team's Manager from 1885-1887. http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/history/managers.jsp
Byrne was in ill health when the National League meeting was set to take place in November of 1897, but he insisted on making the journey from Virginia, where he had been recovering, to Philadelphia, the site of the meeting. After the meeting concluded, his health took a turn for the worse, from which he never recovered.