The Eagles played in the Big State League from 1949 to 1954 and proved to be one of league’s most popular teams. Not mentioned in the original story was that the Eagles were one of the most popular minor league teams in the country.
At a time when Temple’s population was about 21,000, the Eagles drew nearly 250,000 fans in 1950 and ’51. Out of 512 minor league teams, the Eagles were fourth nationally in paid attendance in 1950 and second in 1951.
The team’s popularity relative to the size of its market caught the attention of the Sporting News, which named Hayes “Executive of the Year” for the more than 400 teams in the lower classifications. The major league and minor league winners were on the front page of Jan. 2, 1952, issue of the publication.
Hayes said there was a lot of interest in the team when he arrived in Temple, but the town’s loyalty to the Eagles blossomed while he was here. Nearly every night was some sort of “special” night featuring a different promotion.
One night the team would hold a “Greased Pig” contest where fans were allowed to chase the contest’s namesake around the field. There was a “Handsome Player Night” where fans voted for the team’s best looking player. The team staged an auto show and even a flower show. Magicians, acrobats, clowns - all were fair game for the Eagles’ promotions.
“We always had those after the game,” Hayes said. “That way we figured to make more money from the concession stands.”
The Eagles were fairly successful during Hayes’ tenure. They qualified for the league’s last playoff spot in 1950 but lost to Texarkana in postseason play. The team finished second the following year but lost in the playoffs to the Austin Pioneers. They missed the playoffs the next year with a .500 record and suspended operations midway through the 1954 season.
Increased recreational opportunities, like the opening of Belton Lake and the growth of Little League baseball, did in the Eagles, Hayes said.
Hayes left Temple to work for Buffalo, the Triple A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers organization. He was in Buffalo when the Sporting News officially awarded him the Executive of the Year award at home plate in the Buffalo stadium.
Hayes got into pro baseball right out of high school. The New York Yankees scouted his small New Hampshire team because of a pitcher they were interested in signing. Hayes was there when the Yankees signed the pitcher, and so they signed Hayes to play for their Class D farm team.
The pitcher got a signing bonus. Hayes asked Yankee scout Paul Krichell (who also signed Lou Gehrig) what kind of bonus he would get. Krichell asked Hayes what he wanted and Hayes said he wanted to go to spring training with the Yankees the following year.
Hayes happened to be in New York the next January and went to the Yankees office, where he found Krichell. When he reminded Krichell of his “signing bonus” Krichell got up and left the room.
“I didn’t know what to make of that, but I didn’t leave right away,” Hayes said.
Krichell came back into the room with two train tickets for the Yankees spring training site in Florida.
Hayes ended up not only going to spring training twice with the Yankees but he stuck around with the team for a brief road trip to open the 1937 season.
“The main thing I did was warm up pitchers in the bullpen,” he said. “Once the minor league team’s season began, I was sent back down.”
Hayes had his brushes with greatness during his days in baseball. He got to meet Lou Gehrig.
One memento from Hayes’ playing days is a picture of him with Yankee centerfielder Joe DiMaggio at Fenway Park.
The picture was taken during Hayes’ time with “the big club” in 1937. Hayes was a first baseman by trade but is pictured with a fielder’s glove in the photo because he had been shagging flies during batting practice.
Before he was sent back to the minors, Hayes occasionally got to take a couple of rounds of infield practice with the team.
After a broken shoulder put an end to his playing career Hayes stayed in baseball as an executive, working for the Milwaukee Braves, Chicago White Sox and other organizations.
“My happiest years in baseball were where they let me run the team like I wanted to,” he said. “That’s one reason I look back so fondly on my time in Temple.
“I never had any real claim to fame. But I had a great life in baseball.”
ccoppedge@temple-telegram.com
