1948 seems to bring the upheaval to the Florida League that “white” baseball’s integration is bringing to Negro baseball overall. The Daytona Beach Black Cats operation is for sale, perhaps to Jacksonville and out of the FSNBL. Ben Williams in Bartow has folded the tent due to lack of attendance and poor field conditions. Many of the same towns played in leagues todather going back to the 1920’s including Bartow playing St. Petersburg for the league championship in ’20.
Standings as of 9/12/48 near final, playoffs set. begin 9/19
| Teams | Won | Lost | Pct. |
| West Palm Beach Rockets | 19 | 8 | ,704 |
| Orlando All-Stars | 21 | 10 | .694 |
| Bradenton Nine Devils | 19 | 12 | .613 |
| St. Petersburg Pelicans | 14 | 18 | .438 |
| Tampa Rockets | 7 | 23 | .233 |
| Sanford Giants | 6 | 22 | .214 |
*** The Lakeland Tigers begin the league season and the Pelicans are associate members with an agreement that all league teams will schedule them. Henry McAlpin who had bought the team to begin the season, sold it back to Jesse Richardson. Richardson was running the Atlanta Black Crackers at the time and couldn’t devote enough time to Lakeland. Eventually Lakeland dropped out and St. Pete enters as a full league member the first week of July. St. Petersburg assumed the Tigers league record at the bottom of the standings.
*** The original Tampa Rockets were sold along with 14 players to become the Baltimore Panthers of the Negro American Association. The Baltimore team eventually withdrew from the league and many players returned to Tampa. Three more Rocket players are picked up by the Indianapolis Clowns. The Rockets and Pepsi Cola Giants eventually combine. David “Fats” Waitman the founder of the Giants is still exiled and running the Panama City (Fl.) Giants. The Rockets also pick up manager Bish Tyson and five other players from the defunct Daytona Beach Black Cats.
*** The Cleveland Buckeyes and Panama City Giants were barred from playing against league teams due to their poaching of players from the league.
Team Owner(s)
West Palm Beach Rockets Dr. W. E. Edgecomb
Orlando All-Stars F. E. Crosby
Bradenton Nine Devils Bish Christopher
St. Pete Pelicans George Grogan
Sanford Giants Roosevelt Harris
Tampa Rockets C. Blythe Andrews
Lakeland Tigers Henry McAlpin/ Jesse Richardson
League Officials:
President C. J. Keyes Daytona Beach
Secretary Henry Lee Daytona Beach
Chief Umpire E. H. McLin St. Petersburg
Play-offs: Round one – best 2 of 3
Bradenton d. West Palm Beach 2 – 1
Gm 1 West Palm Beach 3 – 2
Gm 2 Bradenton 7 – 6
Gm 3 Bradenton 5 – 2
St. Petersburg d. Orlando 2 – 1
Gm 1 St. Petersburg 3 – 1
Gm 2 Orlando 6 – 3
Gm 3 St. Petersburg 3 – 0
Championship best 3 of 5, St. Petersburg 3 Bradenton 2
Gm 1 Bradenton 5 – 4
Gm 2 St. Petersburg 14 – 9
Gm 3 St. Petersburg 8 – 5
Gm 4 Bradenton 4 – 1
Gm 5 St. Petersburg 10 – 4
St. Petersburg Pelicans are 1948 FSNBL Champsampbell Park
St. Petersburg Pelicans Owner George Grogan Campbell Park
| 1B/MGR Howard “Bo” Williams | Capt./SS Jim Oliver | P L. C. “Workhorse” Monroe |
| P CLeveland L. “Sam” Howard | 1B Mack “Red” Anderson | P “Pookie” Williams |
| C Eddie Nixon | 1B James Welch | Willie T. Williams |
| OF Buddy Brockington | P/2b Clarence Brockington | Willie J. Brockington |
| IF Frank “Squench” Grayson | Leon Blue Waters | Roscoe Adkins |
| OF Oscar “Gopher” Ingram | Ike Nivens | J. W. Blair |
| P Elmore Edwards | Frank Williams | |
| OF Lee Artist Burgess | 1B Al McCoy | 2B Roberts |
| 2B M. J. Bynum | P Tillman | |
| OF Billy Leggett | C J. D. Brown |
Bradenton Nine Devils Owner Bish Christopher Thirteenth Ave. Park
| Capt/Mgr Givens “Buck” Walker | OF Waymon “Honeybread” Armstead | SS Horace “Buddy” Nappers |
| P Red Hughes | P Lefty Faught | LF J. B.Broom |
| P Robert “Boo” Royal | P Lefty Willis | C Silkirk Saunders |
| P/C “Big Sim Streeter | 3B Robert “Bubba” Bowden | CF James “Son” Copeland |
| P/3B Rudolph “Snow” Riley | C Warren “Dadd” O’Neil | 2B Carlo “Greek” Swaris |
| OF Pepper Martin | P Finch | LF W, Brown |
| 1B Hugh Yancey | P Ed Parramore | C McNeal ? |
| P Lefty Willis | P Isadore | SS Billie Rainey |
| LF Elijah “Big” Barber | P Tomboy Christopher | C (L. L.) Levi Smith |
West Palm Beach Rockets Owner Dr. W. E. Edgecomb Lincoln Park Wright Field
| Capt, Sammie | LF Pedro | P Cheeseborough |
| OF Connie Green | Mint Ward | P Kelly Butler |
| P Mason Shamrock | C Baker | C Bouie |
| P William Tatum Burns | P Brown | Zeke |
| P Clarence “Hambone” Simms | P Boyer |
Orlando All-Stars Ownwer Felix Crosby Carter St. Park
| Mgr/C Charlie Pelham | OF David Black | P Frank Dixon |
| 3B Louis “Sleepy” Garvin | P Charles “Lefty” Cleveland | 2B Jimmie Thompson |
| OF Charles Gum | P Terry Patterson |
Tampa Rockets Owner: C. Blythe Andrews Jr. 22nd St. Park, Plant Field
| Mgr. Jim Maxie | Mgr/1B Bish Tyson | Mgr/UT Gabriel Spotford |
| Mgr/C Rosell Sales | Mgr/P John “Bebe” Gibbons | Capt/3B Adam Young |
| P Walter “Dirk” Gibbons (Clowns) | SS Billy “Benny” Felder (Clowns) | OF Chuck Brown (Clowns) |
| P Otis Gambrell | OF Joe Jackson | OF Sylvester Weaver |
| OF J. B. Brown | OF George Moore | 1B Robert Crumpton |
| OF John Henry McQueen | P “Ole Man” Joe Boley | C “Biggie” Golden |
| P “Schoolboy” Allen | CF Brock | 2B Levi (L.L.) Smith “Broke up” |
| C Millard “Popeye” Taylor | CF/C Ferry | RF Smitty |
| 1B Willie “Guts” Hendrix | P Ted “Lefty” Richardson | RF Spotford |
| 2B Charlie “ Mutt” Brooks | C Russell | SS Davis |
| 3B Herbert Goldwire | LF/P M. Rainey | 2B Rouse |
Sanford Giants Owner: Roosevelt Harris
| Mgr/? Roosevelt Harris | P Clegg | Pearson |
| P Johnson | P James | Henderson |
| P Roberts | P Jackson | Woodward |
| P Jeffers | Reave |
Lakeland Tigers Owner: Henry McAlpin sold back to Jesse Richardson
| Mgr/C Dennis “Hoggie” Gordon | P Jimmy “Squab” Hill | P Baker |
| P James “Lefty” Bell | P Murray |
Lakeland was running in last place as Jesse Richardson bought the team back, he was also running the Atlanta Black Crackers. He felt he couldn’t do justice to both franchises, so he withdrew the Tigers from the FSNBL the first week and July. They were replaced by the St. Petersburg Pelicans.
All-Star Game
Originally, it was announced that there would be two East/West Games, only one is evident. Under the lights, July 15. 1948 at Orlando’s Carter Street Park. Lights were newly installed there in ’48. The East squad pulls off a 7 – 4 win.
East All-Stars (Orlando, Weast Palm Beach, Sanford) Mgr. Charlie Pelham,
| C Charlie Pelham, Orl | 2B Jimmie Thompson, Orl | P Terry Patterson, Orl |
| P Frank Dixon, Orl | C Bouie, WPB | P Brown, WPB |
| OF David Black, Orl | 3B L.Sleepy Garvin, Orl | Crowder |
| OF Charles Gum, Orl |
West All-Stars (Bradenton, St. Petersburg, Tampa) Mgr Jim Maxey, Tpa
| P Robert Royal, Brad | P Elmore Edwards, SP | C Biggie Golden, Tpa |
| UT Givens (Buck) Walker, Brad | SS Jim Oliver, St. P | 1B Robert Crumpton, Tpa |
| 3B Robert “Bubba” Bowden, Brad | OF Buddy Brockington, St. P. | CF John Henry McQueen, Tpa |
| LF Elijah “Big” Barber, Brad | C Eddie Nixon, St. P. | P “Schoolboy” Allen, Tpa |
| 1B Hugh Yancy, Brad | 2B Roberts, St. P. | P Otis Gambrell, Tpa |