The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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This is a draft. It is published so it can be read and corrected, not because it is finished.

Baseball claims to avoid

This document records false, inaccurate, or unverified historical claims regarding Avon Park baseball, along with the documented evidence that clarifies each topic.

Summary of claims to avoid

The following table summarizes claims found in local press features, event program materials, or legacy web pages, contrasted against primary and established historical records.

Claim Record Source / Settled by
Dizzy Dean played in Avon Park Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean did not sign with the St. Louis Cardinals organization until 1930 and made his major league debut in September 1930, after the Cardinals had relocated their spring training camp to Bradenton. Baseball-Reference; Leib [leib-spring-training]
Eighteen major leaguers came from Avon Park High School Baseball-Reference lists two major leaguers (Tom Gordon and Dee Strange-Gordon) and eight professional players from Avon Park High School. Baseball-Reference school index [bbref-avon-park-hs]
The Cardinals won the 1926 World Series in Avon Park The St. Louis Cardinals won the 1926 World Series after holding spring training in San Antonio, Texas. Their Avon Park tenure began in spring 1927. Baseball Almanac [almanac-spring-training-nl]; HistoryOfCardinals.com [hoc-spring-training-sites]
Spring training in Avon Park began in 1925 Major league spring training in Avon Park began in 1927 when the St. Louis Cardinals arrived at Cardinal Field. Leib [leib-spring-training]; Baseball Almanac [almanac-spring-training-nl]
Every major league team played in Avon Park during the 1920s and 1930s Only the St. Louis Cardinals held spring training quarters in Avon Park (1927–1929). In 1928, ten major league teams trained across nine Florida cities. Florida Grapefruit League [fgl-roar-of-the-20s]; Baseball Almanac [almanac-spring-training-nl][almanac-spring-training-al]
Frank Wren attended South Florida State College Former major league executive Frank Wren was born in St. Petersburg and attended St. Petersburg Junior College, not SFSC. Baseball-Reference Bullpen [bbref-bullpen-sfsc]
Ruth Street was officially named for Babe Ruth’s 1928 home run The account that Ruth Street was named following Babe Ruth’s home run during a March 1928 exhibition game is community tradition; no municipal naming record has been located. Community tradition [fhb-cardinals-1927-1929][wiki-avon-park]
The Avon Park Black Tigers were a Negro League team The Avon Park Black Tigers were a local town team and semi-professional club playing in central Florida’s segregated leagues, not a franchise in the Negro National League or Negro American League. SABR BioProject [sabr-mcrae]
The Baseball Museum grand opening occurred on February 7, 2026 The planned February 7 opening was postponed due to exhibit vendor delays; the museum officially opened on May 9, 2026. Highlands News-Sun [newssun-avon-park-baseball-exhibit][newssun-play-ball-ribbon-cutting]; APHS recap [fb-depot-grand-opening]
Inland towns lost spring training camps specifically to coastal cities Academic research demonstrates Avon Park lost the Cardinals because the city could not sustain its $15,000 annual payment guarantee, not due to geographic preference. Leib [leib-spring-training]
Hal McRae graduated from Avon Park High School Hal McRae attended elementary school at Hopewell School in Avon Park and graduated in 1963 from E. O. Douglas High School in Sebring, which was Highlands County’s sole secondary school for Black students under segregation. SABR BioProject [sabr-mcrae]; McCarthy [mccarthy-african-american-sites]
Castle Street became Hal McRae Boulevard in 1986 The Orlando Sentinel reported in February 1992 that the city had renamed Castle Street “last December,” at the end of 1991. The 1986 date rests on a family email written in 2018. Orlando Sentinel [os-1992-02-25-mcrae]; SABR BioProject [sabr-mcrae]
The Florida Legislature designated Hal McRae Boulevard under Chapter 89-408 Chapter 89-408, Laws of Florida, is an act relating to the Canaveral Port District in Brevard County. The street was renamed by the City of Avon Park. Laws of Florida 1989 [laws-of-florida-1989-ch-89-408]

Dizzy Dean spring training claim

Local feature stories have reported that Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean played in Avon Park during spring training [newssun-avon-park-home-baseball]. However, Dizzy Dean did not sign a professional contract with the St. Louis Cardinals organization until 1930 and made his major league debut in September 1930 [leib-spring-training]. By spring 1930, the Cardinals had already relocated their spring training facility to Bradenton [almanac-spring-training-nl].

High school major leaguers claim

Centennial celebration coverage reported that eighteen major leaguers came from Avon Park High School [newssun-aphs-banquet-celebrated-100]. Historical records confirm that exactly two Avon Park High School alumni reached the major leagues: Tom Gordon and Dee Strange-Gordon [bbref-avon-park-hs]. Eight alumni in total reached professional baseball [bbref-avon-park-hs]. See Avon Park in the Majors for full player details.

1926 World Series and arrival date claim

Local accounts have variously stated that spring training began in 1925 or that the Cardinals won the 1926 World Series while training in Avon Park [newssun-artist-signs-mural-depicting][newssun-aphs-banquet-celebrated-100]. The St. Louis Cardinals held spring training in San Antonio, Texas in 1926 before arriving in Avon Park for the 1927, 1928, and 1929 seasons [almanac-spring-training-nl][hoc-spring-training-sites]. The club arrived in Avon Park as reigning World Series champions, having won the title in October 1926 [fhb-cardinals-1927-1929]. See The Cardinals Came to Avon Park, 1927–1929.

League-wide participation claim

A museum exhibit wall label and banquet coverage claimed that all major league teams of the era came to Avon Park to play [newssun-aphs-banquet-celebrated-100][fb-depot-museum-photos]. Historical records show that Avon Park hosted only the St. Louis Cardinals for spring training quarters from 1927 to 1929 [almanac-spring-training-nl]. Across the entire state of Florida in 1928, ten major league clubs trained in nine host cities [fgl-roar-of-the-20s]. Visiting teams, such as the New York Yankees in March 1928, played exhibition games at Cardinal Field, but no other major league club established spring headquarters in Avon Park [almanac-spring-training-al][fhb-cardinals-1927-1929]. While no other major league club trained in the town, Head Field subsequently served as the official spring training camp for six professional minor league franchises from 1934 to 1954 (including the Columbus Red Birds, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Bisons, and Toledo Mud Hens), as documented in Cardinal Field / Head Field.

Hal McRae high school alma mater claim

Community retrospectives and informal local accounts sometimes refer to Hal McRae as an alumnus of Avon Park High School, or claim that Avon Park High School produced major league standout Hal McRae alongside Tom Gordon and Dee Strange-Gordon.

Historical records establish that Avon Park High School was racially segregated for white students only during McRae’s youth. Black children in Avon Park attended Hopewell School through eighth grade and were transported to E. O. Douglas High School in Sebring for secondary education.[mccarthy-african-american-sites] McRae graduated from E. O. Douglas High School in the Class of 1963 before starring at Florida A&M University.[sabr-mcrae] McRae is a celebrated native son of Avon Park who grew up on Castle Street (now Hal McRae Boulevard), but he is not an Avon Park High School alumnus.

Hal McRae Boulevard renaming claims

McRae’s SABR biography states that Castle Street, where he grew up, was renamed in his honor in 1986, after the Royals won the 1985 World Series, and cites an email from his wife written in April 2018.[sabr-mcrae] The Orlando Sentinel of 25 February 1992 reported that “last December the city renamed Castle to Hal McRae Boulevard,” placing the change at the end of 1991, after McRae had become manager of the Royals.[os-1992-02-25-mcrae] The date and the other accounts of it are set out in Castle Street and the Hal McRae Boulevard Renaming.

The renaming is also sometimes described as a 1989 designation by the Florida Legislature under Chapter 89-408. That chapter is Senate Bill No. 904 of 1989, “an act relating to the Canaveral Port District, Brevard County,” and has nothing to do with Avon Park.[laws-of-florida-1989-ch-89-408]

Classification of the Avon Park Black Tigers

Local references sometimes describe the Avon Park Black Tigers as a Negro League team. The Black Tigers were a local town team and semi-professional club that competed in central Florida’s segregated leagues [sabr-mcrae]. No Negro National League or Negro American League franchise was based in Avon Park or Highlands County [sabr-mcrae].

Museum opening date claim

The historical society’s legacy website advertises a grand opening on February 7, 2026 [depot-legacy-site]. That opening was postponed due to display vendor delivery delays [newssun-avon-park-baseball-exhibit]. The museum officially held its ribbon cutting and grand opening on May 9, 2026 [newssun-play-ball-ribbon-cutting]. See Visiting the Avon Park Baseball Museum.

References

Where this comes from

Evidence
corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
Review
unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
Rights
public-domain

Sources

  1. Jonathan I. Leib, "Major League Baseball's Spring Training in Florida, 1901–2001," The Florida Geographer (2001) · secondary
  2. Avon Park HS baseball players — Baseball-Reference (2026) · secondary
  3. Spring Training Sites for all National League Teams — Baseball Almanac (2026) · secondary
  4. Spring Training Sites Since 1901 — HistoryOfCardinals.com (2026) · secondary
  5. The Roar of the 20s in Two Centuries — Florida Grapefruit League (2026) · official
  6. Spring Training Sites for all American League Teams — Baseball Almanac (2026) · secondary
  7. South Florida State College — Baseball-Reference Bullpen (2026) · secondary
  8. Jason Byrne, Cardinals Played in Avon Park from 1927–1929 — Florida History Blog (2023) · secondary
  9. Avon Park, Florida — Wikipedia (2026) · secondary
  10. Hal McRae — SABR BioProject (Thomas J. Brown Jr.) (2026) · secondary
  11. Avon Park baseball exhibit grand opening coming soon (2026) · newspaper
  12. Play Ball! (ribbon-cutting recap) (2026) · newspaper
  13. Grand-opening recap (2026) · official
  14. Avon Park: home of baseball legends (2021) · newspaper
  15. APHS banquet celebrated 100 years of baseball (2025) · newspaper
  16. Artist signs mural depicting baseball history (2025) · newspaper
  17. Avon Park Depot & Baseball Museum — promotional graphics and wall label photographs (2026) · official
  18. Visit the Avon Park Depot Museum (legacy site) · official
  19. Kevin M. McCarthy, African American Sites in Florida (Pineapple Press, 2019) (2019) · secondary
  20. Orlando Sentinel, McRae Manages K.C. With Eye on a Target (1992) · newspaper
  21. State of Florida, Laws of Florida 1989, Volume II, Chapter 89-408 (Senate Bill No. 904) (1989) · official

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