Tulsa Drillers
Encyclopedia
The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball
team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. The team, which plays in the Texas League
, is the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies
major-league club.
district. The team previously played at Drillers Stadium
on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th and Yale in midtown Tulsa. The Drillers held their first home opener at ONEOK Field on April 8, 2010, losing 7–0 to the Corpus Christi Hooks
in front of an over-capacity crowd of 8,665. In their first season in the new ballpark, the Drillers drew total attendance of 408,183, the highest season figure in the history of Tulsa professional baseball.
team was transferred to Tulsa. Before that time, the Triple-A Tulsa Oilers
had been the city's minor league club, but owner A. Ray Smith moved that team to New Orleans, Louisiana
due to concerns over the dilapidated condition of Oiler Park
. Tulsa County completed 8,000 seat Robert B. Sutton Stadium in 1981, naming it for its chief benefactor, a local oil executive. (The team name also pays homage to the oil industry which has been a large part of the Tulsa economy.) Sutton, however, was convicted in 1982 of fraud, and as a result the County renamed the park Tulsa County Stadium, and renamed it Drillers Stadium in 1989.
From 1976 to 2002, the Drillers were the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers
. In 2002, Rangers owner Tom Hicks
purchased the Shreveport, Louisiana
Texas League franchise with the intention of moving the team to Frisco, Texas
, a suburban city north of Dallas, Texas
. At the time, the Shreveport Swamp Dragons were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants
; Hicks cast aside this association and bought out the remaining two years of Tulsa's Player Development Contract. The Drillers then signed a two-year agreement with the Colorado Rockies
.
was a co-owner of the team for six years. Went Hubbard bought the team in 1986. In March 2006, Chuck Lamson (a former Drillers pitcher and executive) bought out much of Hubbard's stock in the team; Lamson became president and majority owner of the team. In December 2010, Lamson sold his stock back to Hubbard. This transaction made Hubbard the sole owner of the team; his sons, Dale and Jeff, became co-chairmen. Went and Dale Hubbard are residents of Walpole, New Hampshire
; Jeff Hubbard, a former player (in 1987) and coach (in 1991) for the Drillers, lives in Durham, North Carolina
.
Sportscenter
anchor John Anderson
has often alluded to team alumni as "former Driller(s)" on-air. Anderson was a weekend sports anchor for Tulsa CBS
affiliate KOTV before joining ESPN.
For 13 years the Tulsa Drillers' radio (and sometime television) announcer was Mark Neely, but in January 2009 it was announced that Neely had been hired to be the new TV play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres
. In February the Drillers announced that Neely's replacement would be Dennis Higgins, former announcer for the Wichita Wranglers
. Since the 2005 season, the Drillers have been broadcast on KTBZ (AM)
, Sports Radio 1430, "The Buzz" in Tulsa.
was killed in a freak accident on July 22, 2007. While standing in the first base coach box, he was hit in the head by a line drive
. Although CPR was administered at the scene, he died less than an hour later. The Drillers and Travelers suspended their game, which the Travelers had been leading, 7–3, in the ninth inning. The Drillers also postponed their game the following night. The coroner concluded that Coolbaugh was actually hit in the neck with the line drive instead of the head, which ruptured an artery in his neck, killing him.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. The team, which plays in the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
, is the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
major-league club.
Stadium
The Drillers play at ONEOK Field , in downtown Tulsa's GreenwoodGreenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Greenwood was a district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As one of the most successful and wealthiest African American communities in the United States during the early 20th Century, it was popularly known as America's "Black Wall Street" until the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921...
district. The team previously played at Drillers Stadium
Drillers Stadium
Opened in 1981, Drillers Stadium, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA is a minor league baseball stadium, located in the Tulsa metropolitan area. From 1981 to 2009, Drillers Stadium was home to the Tulsa Drillers, a minor league baseball team which plays in the Texas League...
on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th and Yale in midtown Tulsa. The Drillers held their first home opener at ONEOK Field on April 8, 2010, losing 7–0 to the Corpus Christi Hooks
Corpus Christi Hooks
The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team's ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan...
in front of an over-capacity crowd of 8,665. In their first season in the new ballpark, the Drillers drew total attendance of 408,183, the highest season figure in the history of Tulsa professional baseball.
History
The Drillers came into being in 1977, when a Lafayette, LouisianaLafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
team was transferred to Tulsa. Before that time, the Triple-A Tulsa Oilers
Tulsa Oilers (baseball)
The Tulsa Oilers, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off in multiple leagues from 1905 to 1976. For most of their history, they played at Oiler Park, which opened on July 11, 1934, and was located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th Street and...
had been the city's minor league club, but owner A. Ray Smith moved that team to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
due to concerns over the dilapidated condition of Oiler Park
Oiler Park
Oiler Park, also known as Texas League Park and Driller Park, was a stadium located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds, it was primarily used for baseball and was the home of the Tulsa Oilers until that team was moved to New Orleans and replaced by the Tulsa Drillers after...
. Tulsa County completed 8,000 seat Robert B. Sutton Stadium in 1981, naming it for its chief benefactor, a local oil executive. (The team name also pays homage to the oil industry which has been a large part of the Tulsa economy.) Sutton, however, was convicted in 1982 of fraud, and as a result the County renamed the park Tulsa County Stadium, and renamed it Drillers Stadium in 1989.
From 1976 to 2002, the Drillers were the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. In 2002, Rangers owner Tom Hicks
Tom Hicks
Thomas Ollis Hicks, Sr. , is an American 'leveraged buyout' businessman living in Dallas, Texas. Despite Forbes Magazine estimating Hicks' wealth at USD 1 billion in 2009, Hicks was unable to pay off joint loans of circa £200 million the following year...
purchased the Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
Texas League franchise with the intention of moving the team to Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
, a suburban city north of Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. At the time, the Shreveport Swamp Dragons were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
; Hicks cast aside this association and bought out the remaining two years of Tulsa's Player Development Contract. The Drillers then signed a two-year agreement with the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
.
Championship seasons
The Drillers have been Texas League champions three times: in 1982, 1988, and 1998. As well as Eastern Division Champions in 1999, and 2002. The Drillers also appeared in the Texas League playoffs during the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons.Ownership
Tulsa businessman Bill Rollings acquired the Lafayette franchise and moved it to Tulsa in 1977. Country music entertainer Roy ClarkRoy Clark
Roy Linwood Clark is an American country music musician and performer. He is best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969–1992. Clark has been an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre...
was a co-owner of the team for six years. Went Hubbard bought the team in 1986. In March 2006, Chuck Lamson (a former Drillers pitcher and executive) bought out much of Hubbard's stock in the team; Lamson became president and majority owner of the team. In December 2010, Lamson sold his stock back to Hubbard. This transaction made Hubbard the sole owner of the team; his sons, Dale and Jeff, became co-chairmen. Went and Dale Hubbard are residents of Walpole, New Hampshire
Walpole, New Hampshire
Walpole is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,734 at the 2010 census.The town's central settlement, where 605 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Walpole census-designated place , and is east of New Hampshire Route 12...
; Jeff Hubbard, a former player (in 1987) and coach (in 1991) for the Drillers, lives in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
.
Media
ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Sportscenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
anchor John Anderson
John Anderson (broadcaster)
John Anderson is a sports journalist from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and a host of the ESPN TV program SportsCenter since June 1999. He lives in Southington, Connecticut.-Biography:...
has often alluded to team alumni as "former Driller(s)" on-air. Anderson was a weekend sports anchor for Tulsa CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate KOTV before joining ESPN.
For 13 years the Tulsa Drillers' radio (and sometime television) announcer was Mark Neely, but in January 2009 it was announced that Neely had been hired to be the new TV play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. In February the Drillers announced that Neely's replacement would be Dennis Higgins, former announcer for the Wichita Wranglers
Wichita Wranglers
The Wichita Wranglers were a minor league baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team, which played in the Texas League, was the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major-league club from 1995 to 2007, and of the San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994. The Wranglers played in...
. Since the 2005 season, the Drillers have been broadcast on KTBZ (AM)
KTBZ (AM)
KTBZ is a radio station licensed to serve Tulsa, Oklahoma. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and licensed to Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc...
, Sports Radio 1430, "The Buzz" in Tulsa.
Coach's death
Batting coach Mike CoolbaughMike Coolbaugh
Michael Robert Coolbaugh was an American baseball player and coach. Born in Binghamton, New York, he was the brother of former major leaguer Scott Coolbaugh.-Playing career:...
was killed in a freak accident on July 22, 2007. While standing in the first base coach box, he was hit in the head by a line drive
Line drive
In baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive and a fly ball can be subjective....
. Although CPR was administered at the scene, he died less than an hour later. The Drillers and Travelers suspended their game, which the Travelers had been leading, 7–3, in the ninth inning. The Drillers also postponed their game the following night. The coroner concluded that Coolbaugh was actually hit in the neck with the line drive instead of the head, which ruptured an artery in his neck, killing him.
Notable former players
- Troy TulowitzkiTroy TulowitzkiTroy Trevor Tulowitzki , nicknamed Tulo, is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Colorado Rockies.Tulowitzki's arm, range and instincts at shortstop are highly regarded...
, shortstop - Ubaldo JimenezUbaldo JimenezUbaldo Jiménez García is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. He pitched the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies history on April 17, 2010, against the Atlanta Braves.-Colorado Rockies :...
, pitcher - Brad HawpeBrad HawpeBradley Bonte Hawpe is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman.-High school and college:...
, outfielder - Jeff FrancisJeff FrancisJeffrey William Francis is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.-Early life:...
, pitcher - Matt HollidayMatt HollidayMatthew Thomas Holliday , nicknamed "Big Daddy", is an American Major League Baseball left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Holliday was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.Holliday is a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger...
, outfielder - Ian StewartIan StewartIan Stewart may refer to:*Ian Stewart , British musician and early member of the Rolling Stones*Ian Stewart , Scottish Formula One driver...
, third baseman - Chris IannettaChris IannettaChristopher Domenic Iannetta is an American professional baseball catcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball.-High school:...
, catcher - Gabe KaplerGabe KaplerGabriel "Gabe" Stefan Kapler is an American Major League Baseball outfielder.He has played portions of 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Tampa Bay Rays...
, outfielder - Ivan RodriguezIván RodríguezIván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher...
, catcher - Sammy SosaSammy SosaSamuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
, outfielder