Boise Hawks

History

The franchise originated as the Tri-Cities Triplets in Richland, Washington, after moving from Walla Walla in 1983. Affiliated with the Texas Rangers for two seasons, they operated independently in 1985 and 1986. In fall 1986 the Triplets were sold to Diamond Sports, headed by general manager Mal Fichman, and relocated to Idaho for 1987. The Hawks debuted on the road before over 7,100 spectators in Spokane, aided by Hank Aaron's appearance.

They remained independent for three seasons, then joined the California Angels organization in 1990, making the playoffs that year and winning four league titles in the next five. After eleven seasons with the Angels, the Hawks affiliated with the Chicago Cubs in 2001, winning two league titles and finishing runners-up three times. The 2020 minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the following winter the Northwest League was elevated to High-A and contracted to six teams, and the Hawks were not invited to continue as an MLB affiliate.

The franchise announced it would continue in the independent Pioneer League, an MLB Partner League. Before the cancellation, the team was scheduled to appear as the "Boise Papas Fritas" in six home games as part of the "Copa de Diversion" program.

Ballparks

The Hawks play at Memorial Stadium in Garden City, north of the Western Idaho Fairgrounds, on the banks of the Boise River. The facility, which opened in 1989 for the team's third season, seats 3,500 and was privately built by an investor group led by Bill Pereira and his son Cord Pereira. For their first two seasons, the Hawks played at Bill Wigle Field on the campus of Borah High School. In 2017 the ownership group proposed Boise Sports Park, a new ballpark that could also host minor-league soccer; after opposition to the original site and a 2018 voter-approved ordinance requiring a citywide election on any publicly funded sports stadium, the project was shelved in December 2019.

Previous Boise teams

Before the Hawks arrived, Boise had two short-lived Northwest League teams in the 1970s. The Boise A’s played from 1975 to 1976 before moving to Medicine Hat, Alberta, while the Boise Buckskins folded after going bankrupt in their only season, 1978. Both clubs called Borah Field (now Bill Wigle Field) home.

Earlier, Boise was a longtime Pioneer League member, starting as the Pilots, then the Yankees for 1952 and 1953, back to the Pilots in 1954, and finally the Braves after linking up with the Milwaukee Braves through 1963. Future broadcaster Bob Uecker caught for the league-champion Boise Braves in 1956 and 1958. These earlier teams played at Airway Park (later Braves Field) in east Boise, now the Idaho Department of Fish and Game headquarters.