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The Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs were an American minor league baseball team in the Texas League from 1965–1971. The team played in Turnpike Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The Spurs were created when the Triple-A Dallas Rangers moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1965. With the opening of Turnpike Stadium, the Double-A Texas League's Fort Worth Cats, an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, moved into the new venue and adopted the regional Dallas-Fort Worth designation and the Spurs nickname.

The Spurs were affiliated with the Cubs (1965–1967), Houston Astros (1968) and Baltimore Orioles (1969–1971).

As a Cubs' affiliate, the Spurs groomed future Major League players Don Kessinger, Chuck Hartenstein, Joe Niekro, Fred Norman and Bill Stoneman. The club's one season in the Houston organization was lean in terms of prospects, with Fred Stanley and Danny Walton enjoying the longest big-league careers. During their affiliation with Baltimore, the Spurs featured Don Baylor, Bobby Grich, Enos Cabell and Wayne Garland, along with managers Cal Ripken Sr. and Joe Altobelli and batboy Cal Ripken Jr.

The Spurs set many Texas League attendance records, especially after Turnpike Stadium expanded to a capacity of 20,500 in 1970. The Dallas-Fort Worth area was considered a prime location for an expansion team or a re-located franchise. Indeed, Turnpike Stadium had been built specifically to attract a major-league team to the Metroplex. That dream nearly came to fruition when the National League expanded in 1969. But the league instead expanded to Montreal, with the Expos.

Two years later, the struggling Washington Senators received American League permission to transfer to the area in 1972 as the Texas Rangers, who moved into Turnpike Stadium (expanded and renamed Arlington Stadium).

Yearly record

References

1. Franchise History since 1902 Archived 2008-10-06 at the Wayback Machine at texas-league.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. 12/30/09
2. ^ The History of Baseball in Fort Worth at fwcats.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived August 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine 12/30/09
3. Pacific Coast League (AAA) Encyclopedia and History at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 12/30/09
4. ^ "1965 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
5. ^ "1968 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
6. ^ 1969 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs Archived 2012-04-16 at the Wayback Machine at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. 12/30/09
7. ^ 1971 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs Archived 2013-09-18 at the Wayback Machine at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. 12/30/09
8. ^ "1966 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
9. "1967 Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
10. A look at historic stadiums in Dallas-Fort Worth area at pe.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived December 31, 2009, at archive.today 12/30/09
11. The Team That Nearly Wasn’t: The Montreal Expos Archived 2009-01-16 at the Wayback Machine by Maury Brown at hardballtimes.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. 12/30/09
12. Historical Moments Archived 2010-01-06 at the Wayback Machine at sportsencyclopedia.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. 12/30/09
13. Arlington Stadium at ballparks.com, URL accessed December 30, 2009. Archived 2010-01-02 at the Wayback Machine 12/30/09

• Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliates
• Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates
• Defunct baseball teams in Texas
• Defunct Texas League teams
• Houston Astros minor league affiliates
• Sports in Arlington, Texas
• 20th century in Arlington, Texas
• Baseball teams in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
• Baseball teams disestablished in 1971
• Baseball teams established in 1965