St. Louis Browns
Before they wore red, they were brown.
One history, multiple identities, continuous professional baseball in St. Louis since 1892. The history of today’s Cardinals can be traced all the way back to the 1892 St. Louis Browns who played in the American Association for the first decade.
The team’s official name was the Brownstockings, for the color of the socks they wore, but they went by Browns for short.
From 1885 to 1888, the team won four straight league titles facing off against National league foes in what was a precursor to the World Series.
“Those winning teams from 1882–1892 were really colorful, a lot of characters, and we also know there’s some trophy evidence of their achievement.” — Bill DeWitt III
One such trophy was an ornate pin each player received after defeating the NL Chicago franchise during 1886 postseason. The pin is now on display at Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum.
Chris von der Ahe, an eccentric local tavern owner, operated the team in late 1880s. He bought the team as a way to sell beer during games and was a pioneer for many present-day staples like promotional days and giveaways.
In 1892, the club joined the National League which marked the official start of the Cardinals franchise.
“Because modern MLB recognizes things like World Series and Pennants going back to that date, it would be a little awkward to put a couple more Pennants up there and a couple World Championships…1886 for example did you really win the World Series or an exhibition match between the NL champions.”
Von der Ahe was forced to give up the team after the 1898 season. He had creditors suing him, outstanding loans, other baseball clubs suing him, and his wife divorcing him.
Stanley and Frank Robison, who also owned the Cleveland Spiders, acquired the team. In an effort to win, the Robison brothers combined the best players from each team and put them on the St. Louis roster. One of the players who came to St. Louis as a result of the acquisition was Cy Young.
The team re-branded and changed colors from brown to red before the 1899 season in an effort distance itself from the von der Ahe era. The team name was also changed to the Perfectos to reflect what the Robison’s though was a perfectly assembled roster.
However, the Perfectos name lasted just one season. In 1900, the team became the Cardinals. The name Cardinal originated from the color of the socks the team began wearing in the 1899 season after the re-brand. It was not until 1922 that Branch Rickey added the redbird to the jersey.
“125 years continuously, every summer, it’s the soundtrack of people’s existence.”
Nora Farrell is the Multimedia Content Coordinator for the St. Louis Cardinals.
