Fresno State University & Western Canada Baseball     

The college connection, especially with California schools, was strong throughout the short history of the Western Canada League and Fresno State University was the leading contributor. 

So many FSU products  played on Western diamonds (more than 80 identified so far) it's a wonder we didn't call the prairies San Joaquin North.

Pete Beiden

Beiden & BennettPete Beiden, a legend in college coaching ranks, got his first taste of the prairies with the barnstorming California Mohawks of 1949 and 1950.  At Fresno, he never had a losing season in coaching the Bulldogs from 1948 to 1966, and 1968-69.  Overall, he had 601 wins and just 268 losses.  In 1972, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the American Baseball Coaches Association.  

Beiden was a regular on the prairies, first with the touring Mohawks, then Medicine Hat , Saskatoon and parts of four summers in Regina.  He died in March, 2000 at age 92. In 2002 a statue of Beiden was unveiled at the Fresno stadium which bears his name.    (Above right  - Pete Beiden, at Fresno State in 1952 with catcher Bob Bennett and sports writers Sid Hosking and Bruce Farris)  (Fresno Bee, March 20, 2000)

Roy TaylorRoy Taylor, a former Fresno star and Beiden partner on the barnstorming California Mohawks, took over the baseball program at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia and sent more than 40 of his COS players to suit up with teams on the prairies. 

Taylor spent nine summers in Western Canada as playing-coach in Kamsack, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw.

Bob BennettBob Bennett was among the Beiden's 1952 contingent to play in Western Canada and he returned the following year to catch for Taylor's Kamsack team.  He suited up with Saskatoon in 1954 and made a brief return in 1959. 

Bennett was Beiden's successor at Fresno and, in 1992, followed his mentor into the Coaches Hall of Fame. He stepped down after the 2002 season as one of only seven coaches in NCAA history to reach 1,300 wins and closed out an outstanding career with 26 consecutive winning seasons.  In his 34 years with the club, Bennett compiled a 1,302-759-4 record.  His record included 17 conference championships, 21 NCAA Tournament berths, 32 All-Americans, nine first-round draft picks and two College World Series appearances.

Bennett, coach of Team USA in 1986, was a catcher on the Fresno State teams from 1952-1955. In February, 2000 Bennett received one of college baseball's most prestigious honours -- the Lefty Gomez Award.  Not bad. An all-star catcher (he set a school record for fielding percentage by a catcher in 1953 when he went errorless in 224 total chances) and a Hall of Fame coach!

Below, and on the pages which follow, Fresno State players who spent some time with teams on the Canadian prairies.  Clicking some of the photos will bring up a larger (and sometimes different) photo of the player.

 

Don Abbott
Calgary 1950

Jake Abbott
 Jake Abbott
 Cal Mohawks 1949-1950
Dave Abel
 Dave Abel
 Moose Jaw 1955
Jack Altman
 Jack Altman
 Vulcan 1954-1955
 Granum 1955

Ned Andreoni
Ned Andreoni
Moose Jaw 1967-1973
Terry Banderas
 Terry Banderas
 Lethbridge 1961
Don Barrett
 Don Barnett
 Cal Mohawks 1949-1950
Fred Bartels
 Fred Bartels
 Cal Mohawks 1950
 M-Hat Mohawks 1951
 Regina 1952
Mountie Bedford
 Mountie Bedford
 Regina 1955
 Lethbridge 1959
Pete Beiden
 Pete Beiden
 Cal Mohawks 1949-1950
 Medicine Hat 1951
 Regina 1952
 Saskatoon 1953
 Regina 1955-1956-1957
Bob Bennett
 Bob Bennett
 Regina 1952
 Kamsack 1953
 Saskatoon 1954, 1959
Dave Biggers
 Dave Biggers
 Lethbridge 1959
Don Birkle
 Don Birkle
 Vulcan 1956
 Medicine Hat/Saskatoon 1958
Larry Bolger
 Larry Bolger
 California Mohawks 1950
 Medicine Hat 1951
 Regina 1952

Terry Buck
Terry Buck
Melville 1968-69-70
Swift Current 1972-73
Dick Bugg
 Dick Bugg
 Vulcan 1955
Jerry Burcher
 Jerry Burcher
 Vulcan 1955-1956
 MH/Picture Butte 1957
 Lethbridge 1961
 Unity 1963-1964
Stan Busch
 Stan Busch
 Lethbridge 1959-1960-1961
Mark Cameron
 Mark Cameron
 Regina 1956
Suge Carter
 Suge Carter
 Regina 1955
 Regina 1957
 Moose Jaw 1958
Bill Clevenger
 Bill Clevenger
 Regina 1952
Truman Clevenger
 Truman Clevenger
 Cal Mohawks 1950?
 Regina 1950, 1952
Chuck Dailey
 Chuck Dailey
 Vulcan 1957

Jerry Daniele
Lethbridge 1963
Dick Doepker
 Dick Doepker
 Moose Jaw 1956
 Saskatoon 1958
Bob Doig
 Bob Doig
 Saskatoon 1953-1954
Bert Dollar
 Bert Dollar
 Edmonton 1958
Bob Donkersley
Bob Donkersley
California Mohawks 1950
Pat Doyle
Edmonton 1964

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