Excelsior of Brooklyn
Pioneering amateur club that introduced the Brooklyn-style baseball cap.
The Brooklyn Excelsiors, also known as the Excelsior Base Ball Club of Brooklyn, were an amateur baseball team formed in 1854. The club featured future pitching stars Jim Creighton, Asa Brainard, and Candy Cummings. They are noted for originating the "Brooklyn-style" baseball cap and for being the first baseball club to undertake a long-distance tour to compete against clubs outside their home region.
Quick Facts
- Full name
- Excelsior Base Ball Club of Brooklyn
- Nickname
- Jolly Young Bachelor Base Ball Club
- Founded
- December 8, 1854 at Florence's Hotel, Broadway and Howards Streets in NY
- League
- NABBP
Facts from the source article.
1860 Championship Season
In 1860, the Excelsior club made a now-famous tour around New York and large cities in surrounding states, defeating the Champion Club of Albany, the Victory Club of Troy, the Buffalo Niagaras, and the powerful Brooklyn Atlantics. This tour helped advance the popularity of New York rules-based baseball outside the region. The Excelsiors compiled a record of 19 wins and two losses, finishing in a draw with the Brooklyn Atlantics Club for the championship of the National Association of Base Ball Players, though the Atlantics were the accepted champions. During the season, the team began wearing an ancestor of the modern snug-fitting baseball cap with a long visor and button top, known as "Brooklyn-style," which became predominant until the 1940s.
The Club After 1860
The Excelsiors managed to field a competitive side in 1862, but their fortunes shifted after the October death of star pitcher Jim Creighton, who was 21. Though the club continued playing until 1870, it gradually faded from relevance, unable to keep pace with the stronger teams of the pre-professional era.
More in National Association of Base Ball Players Teams
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