Charlotte O's Tribute Night is April 18

On April 18th, the city of Charlotte will be treated to an exciting evening filled with many Charlotte baseball memories. Sure, many will come to see the Knights take on the rival Gwinnett Braves, but for many, the focus of the evening will be on the re-introduction of more than 30 former Charlotte O's players and staff who will make their return to the Queen City for the first time in many years.

From 1976 to 1987, the Charlotte O's epitomized Charlotte. The players, the coaches, the front office staff, and of course, the Crockett Family were synonymous with baseball in the Queen City. If you were a baseball fan in the Charlotte area from the mid-to-late 1970's to the mid-to-late 1980's, you attended games at Crockett Park on Magnolia Avenue in Charlotte. You witnessed history in 1980 and 1984 when the Knights brought home a Southern League Championship. For 12 memorable seasons, it was the place to be all summer long. With baseball now back in Charlotte - where it belongs - many fans will once again be able to enjoy a game.

The Charlotte O's were the Double-A, Southern League affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. During the course of their 12-year affiliation, the O's featured many bright stars including National Baseball Hall-of-Famers Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. The franchise also boasted talented players that would become Charlotte icons. Players such as Drungo LaRue Hazewood, John "T-Bone" Shelby, "Cat" Whitfield, and others, were household names in and around the Charlotte area. Managers Grady Little, John Hart, Jimmy Williams, and Mark Wiley were also legendary figures in the Queen City.

Just before the O's came into existence, the city of Charlotte was without baseball for three consecutive seasons. After the Charlotte Hornets (baseball) left the Queen City at the conclusion of the 1972 season, Charlotte was without professional baseball from 1973-1975. Enter the Crockett family.

Jim Crockett Jr. - son of legendary wrestling promoter Jim Crockett Sr. -- along with his family purchased the Asheville O's in 1975 and moved the club to Clark Griffith Park in Charlotte. Griffith Park was the same ballpark that housed the Charlotte Hornets from 1940 to 1972 and it was once home to Harmon Killebrew, Early Wynn, Tony Oliva, and many other Hornets greats. The historic wooden ballpark was renamed Jim Crockett, Sr., Memorial Park and it was the place where new memories were made.  

Serving as the club's President and General Manager was Frances Crockett, who was just 35 years old at the time when she first took over control in 1976. Her organization was a true family affair too. Her five children all had roles in the team's operation. Debbie popped the popcorn and supervised vendors in the stands. Lisa was a Pepper Girl. Jimmy worked on the grounds crew. Betsy ran the souvenir stand, while Ron - her youngest -- was a ball boy. Sports Illustrated wrote a story about their success in 1982.

The team's success was felt at the gates and on-the-field - but not at first. Although the inaugural O's team (1976) compiled a 76-64 record and featured future legend Eddie Murray, who hit .298 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs over 88 games - it wasn't until 1980 that the team brought home a championship.

In 1979, a young Cal Ripken Jr. made his O's debut. At the age of 18, the future "Iron Man" played in 17 games for the O's that season -- giving fans a small glimpse of what they could expect in 1980. When the 1980 season came around, Ripken, Hazewood and the O's combined to win 72 games and the club earned a chance to bring home a Southern League Championship to the city of Charlotte for the first time in nine years (1971 Hornets). Under manager Jimmy Williams, the O's beat the Memphis Chicks 3-1 in the playoffs to capture their first of two championships in franchise history. The 1980 team also welcomed 198,528 fans through the gates - a Charlotte baseball record at the time.

Four years later, the O's brought home another championship. After winning the second-half of the season, the O's beat Greenville in the first round (3-1) and then defeated Knoxville in the finals (3-0) to win their second Southern League title. It was another great day for the O's and the city of Charlotte.

30 seasons later over 40 members of the Charlotte O's family will come together on April 18th at BB&T Ballpark for a riveting tribute. Even the team's play-by-play man -- Tony Schiavone -- will be on hand for the event. Schiavone is the current play-by-radio voice of the Gwinnett Braves.

Charlotte O's Attendees:
Jim Schaffer
Grady Little
Minnie Mendoza
Paul Bard
John Flinn
Dave Ford
Marc Sczesnak
David Caldwell
Rick Mayo
Buddy Flesh
Mike Dimmel
Mark Corey
Sammy Stewart
Nate Snell
Willie Royster
Larry Jones
Brooks Carey
Dan Logan
Cat Whitfield
Jeff Schafer
Kenny Dixon
Kurt Beamsderfer
Joe Kurcharski
Ken Gerhart
Carl Nichols
John Stefero
Dave Falcone
Jim Rooney
John "King" Tutt
Jeff Doerr
Vern Thomas
Bill Swaggerty
Tommy Rowe
Chris Willshere
Russ Pensiero
John Buffamoyer
The Crockett Family
O's Front Office Staff 
Pepper Girls

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7:05 p.m. first pitch on the 18th and the first 2,000 kids 12 and under will receive a replica O's jersey thanks to Carolinas HealthCare System. All fans that come out to the game will have a chance to see their former heroes on field during a special pre-game ceremony. Baseball officially returned to Charlotte on April 11th, but on April 18th, 12 years of rich Charlotte baseball history return for a special evening at Charlotte's new home.