Denver Zephyrs

The Denver Zephyrs (formerly the Denver Bears) were a Minor League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They were a Triple-A team that played in the American Association from 1955 to 1962, the Pacific Coast League from 1963 to 1968, and the American Association again from 1969 to 1992. They played their home games at Mile High Stadium.

The Zephyrs won the American Association championship on seven occasions: 1957, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, and 1991. They also won the 1957 Junior World Series and the 1991 Triple-A Classic.

History

Origins

Denver, Colorado, had been the home of numerous minor league baseball teams dating back to 1885 with an unnamed team of the Colorado State League. Off and on from 1901 to 1954, the city was represented by the Denver Bears of the Western League. In 1955, the Class A Bears were replaced by a Triple-A team of the American Association. This came about when the Kansas City Blues were forced to move after the American League's Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to become the Kansas City Athletics.

Denver Bears (1955–1983)

thumb|left|upright=0.8|A Denver Bears uniform

Although naming a team for its uniform color had been popular in the 19th century, it was not fashionable in the 20th. As Denver had no connection to the original Blues, and in recognition of the new location in the Rockies, the team became known as the Bears.

The Triple-A Bears were affiliated with the New York Yankees at the outset, with Ralph Houk managing many players who would reach the majors and play in the World Series. The team had some early success, winning the American Association championship in 1957. League MVPs in this period included Marv Throneberry in 1956 and Steve Boros in 1960.

Although the team had been a member of the American Association since the league's inception 60 years before, it was a Midwestern circuit, so for the 1963 season, the Bears transferred to the Pacific Coast League.

Denver Zephyrs (1984–1992)

thumb|right|upright=1.3|The Zephyrs played at [[Mile High Stadium, shown here configured for an NFL game.]]

In 1984, the team name was changed to the Denver Zephyrs,

The Zephyrs' only championship under the new nickname was the 1991 American Association title.

Major League Baseball came to Denver with the arrival of the Colorado Rockies expansion team of the National League in 1993. After 39 seasons of play, the Zephyrs moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, after the 1992 season where they continued as the New Orleans Zephyrs.

Notable players

Narciso Elvira - played with the Zephyrs after his stint in the Major League Baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1990
Joey Meyer - holds the record for the longest home run in professional baseball history at , which he hit June 3, 1987, at Denver's Mile High Stadium