Kannapolis Intimidators

The Kannapolis Intimidators are a minor league baseball team in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The team is a Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and has played in the South Atlantic League under various names and team affiliations since its inception in 1995.

Team History

The Intimidators franchise moved to Kannapolis in 1995 from Spartanburg, South Carolina, where they had been a Class A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Debate raged in the Kannapolis area over what to name the team, with the team's front office changing how it answered the phones almost constantly - from "Piedmont Phillies" (in reference to the region of North Carolina that Kannapolis is situated in), to "Kannapolis Phillies," and for a time even "Lake Fisher Phillies" (Lake Fisher is a small reservoir that sits near the team's stadium). Team officials finally decided to call the team the Piedmont Phillies for the 1995 season.

Related Topics:
1995 - Spartanburg, South Carolina - Philadelphia Phillies - North Carolina - Reservoir

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A name-the-team contest in the fall of 1995 drew thousands of entries, and team officials settled on the boll weevil as the team's new mascot, indicative of Kannapolis' history as a textile mill town (Kannapolis natives are even called "lintheads"). The Piedmont Boll Weevils would keep that mascot until after the 2000 season, when NASCAR racing legend Dale Earnhardt purchased a share in the team's ownership. It was then that the name was again changed to the Kannapolis Intimidators, in honor of Earnhardt's legendary nickname. It was also during that offseason that the team's parent club changed from the Phillies to the Chicago White Sox, making the Intimidators the third White Sox farm team to be located in North Carolina, following the Charlotte Knights (who actually play their home games in South Carolina) and the Winston-Salem Warthogs.

Related Topics:
Boll weevil - Textile - 2000 - Dale Earnhardt - Chicago White Sox - Charlotte Knights - South Carolina - Winston-Salem Warthogs

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Currently, the team plays in Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis. "The Cannon" was still under construction when the Piedmont Phillies began play in 1995. Upon completion in the winter of 1996, the stadium seated 4,700 fans.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Current or former Major League Baseball players to pass through Kannapolis include Jimmy Rollins and David Coggin of the Philadelphia Phillies. Also, NFL running back Ricky Williams played for the Boll Weevils during the late 1990's while he was also playing college football for the University of Texas.

Related Topics:
Major League Baseball - Jimmy Rollins - David Coggin - NFL - Ricky Williams - College football - University of Texas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~