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, 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 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 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 |
 Jake Abbott Cal Mohawks 1949-1950 |
 Dave Abel Moose Jaw 1955 |
 Jack Altman Vulcan 1954-1955 Granum 1955 |
 Ned Andreoni Moose Jaw 1967-1973 |
 Terry Banderas Lethbridge 1961 |
 Don Barnett Cal Mohawks 1949-1950 |
 Fred Bartels Cal Mohawks 1950 M-Hat Mohawks 1951 Regina 1952 |
 Mountie Bedford Regina 1955 Lethbridge 1959 |
 Pete Beiden Cal Mohawks 1949-1950 Medicine Hat 1951 Regina 1952 Saskatoon 1953 Regina 1955-1956-1957 |
 Bob Bennett Regina 1952 Kamsack 1953 Saskatoon 1954, 1959 |
 Dave Biggers Lethbridge 1959 |
 Don Birkle Vulcan 1956 Medicine Hat/Saskatoon 1958 |
 Larry Bolger California Mohawks 1950 Medicine Hat 1951 Regina 1952 |
 Terry Buck Melville 1968-69-70 Swift Current 1972-73 |
 Dick Bugg Vulcan 1955 |
 Jerry Burcher Vulcan 1955-1956 MH/Picture Butte 1957 Lethbridge 1961 Unity 1963-1964 |
 Stan Busch Lethbridge 1959-1960-1961 |
 Mark Cameron Regina 1956 |
 Suge Carter Regina 1955 Regina 1957 Moose Jaw 1958 |
 Bill Clevenger Regina 1952 |
 Truman Clevenger Cal Mohawks 1950? Regina 1950, 1952 |
 Chuck Dailey Vulcan 1957 |
Jerry Daniele Lethbridge 1963 |
 Dick Doepker Moose Jaw 1956 Saskatoon 1958 |
 Bob Doig Saskatoon 1953-1954 |
 Bert Dollar Edmonton 1958 |
 Bob Donkersley California Mohawks 1950 |
Pat Doyle Edmonton 1964 |
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