Ward 6 Indians - 1951 Little League Champions

Back Row L-R: Dan C. MacNeil, Mike Marmulak, Jim MacCormack, Michael Mombourquette, Paul Evans, Alan MacLeod, Jackie Pearson, Donnie Proctor, Buddy Gallivan

Front Row L-R: Dan Campbell, Paul Hartigan, Dinky Cameron, Jimmie Gillis, Russ Doyle, Junior Penny, Tony Gallagher. Batboy: Babe Peck

The year was 1951 and Sydney’s steel plant was in full operation. Canadians were celebrating the end of WW2, and the post-war Baby Boom was well underway. Families with 8 to 12 children were common. 

In those days, kids played outside constantly. There was no internet, and not even TV to occupy their time. Everyone played sports daily, and sandlot baseball was one of the favourites. 

Long time Whitney Pier resident Jackie Pearson grew up on Broadway, and he remembers those days well. 

Jackie Pearson

“Every street had a ball team or a soccer team or whatever,” said Jackie. “All you had to do was call some fella, or go up to a house and say 'Want a game at 3 o’clock?' And it was on. We would play three times a day sometimes.” 

“Everybody in our neighbourhood knew everybody. It was that compact. I still say it was the best place in the world to grow up.”

Although there were lots of great players in the Sydney area, the kids in Ward 6 had an edge according to Jim MacCormack, who grew up on Dominion Street.

Jim MacCormack

“Where we grew up, I think we had a leg up on everybody else," said Jim. "The Pier was a Mecca for baseball, and everybody played the game. All the Sydney teams from that era played at the Whitney Pier Stadium nearby.” 

“And in those days, there were imports that came in from the States to play senior ball. There were 5 or 6 guys, 19 to 21 year olds, and they didn’t work. They just played baseball. Every day they’d go to the Stadium to work out. We'd go there to watch these guys, and they'd let us shag balls and sometimes fill in positions. They were really good ball players, and they taught us a lot about the game."

Little League Baseball was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 1939 and quickly spread throughout the United States. Cape Bretoners visiting the 'Boston States' after the war were introduced to young boys playing organized baseball and wearing team uniforms, a concept that was unknown in Canada at that time. One of them, Mike McCormack, wrote to the US league to secure a charter, and founded the Sydney and District Little League in 1951. It was the first Little League charter in Canada.

That first year there were eight teams with names pulled from the American League - Ward 6 Indians, Ward 5 Senators, Ward 5 Athletics, Local 1064 Tigers, Colby Browns, Ward 1 Yankees, Shipyard Red Sox, and the Sydney River White Sox.  

Jim MacCormack played first base and was the Indians' Team Captain. He recalls the day they got their uniforms. 

“Phonse Jessome was our coach," said Jim. "We went down to his house one afternoon, and there was a huge box in the middle of the floor. I remember Jackie saying 'What’s in the box?' It was uniforms.”

“I mean, that was unheard of. You have to understand how big that was for us… to wear a uniform. Normally, we just wore a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt, and played ball.” 

“Within seconds, all you saw was 16 pairs of hands sticking into the box, and I want this number, and I want that number. Most people that day - I don’t know of any exceptions - went home, put the uniform on, and never took it off. Some went to bed in their uniform. It was such a magical thing.” 

Sydney and District Little League Opening Day Parade 1951

Photo Credit: Sydney Little League photographs, 1951-1957. MG 16.32. Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.

The League held an Opening Day Parade through downtown Sydney. The first game took place on July 16, 1951 in the Whitney Pier Stadium on Victoria Road. About 3,500 people attended to watch the Ward 6 Indians take on the Local 1064 Tigers.  

Jackie Pearson played third base for the Indians, and was the first batter up on Opening Day.

“Oh my god, there was a big crowd, and it was way above our expectations," said Jackie. "We didn’t know what we were getting into, and we didn’t until much later realize what an honour that was.” 

“I remember years later on Talkback (CJCB Radio), there was a question put to listeners - 'Who was the first batter in Little League baseball?' I don’t know who called in with the answer, but I never thought about it till then. And I said wow, that’s a record that can’t be beat.”

Jackie didn’t get a hit in his first at-bat, and eventually popped out to first base. The Ashby team went on to win the opener 3-1 in a hard-fought pitchers’ duel. 

“There weren't a lot of hits that day,” recalls Jim. “All the teams were used to playing sandlot with mounds set 60 feet from the plate, and Little League was only 44. The pitchers were right on top of us, and we couldn’t adjust. Merle Crowe who pitched for the Tigers threw something like 13 strikeouts.”

Although the Indians lost the opening game, they didn’t lose many that first year and eventually went on to capture the first Little League Championship. After the final game, which was broadcast live on CJCB Radio by Pat Connolly, Team Captain Jim MacCormack was presented with the game ball signed by the players and coaches. It remains one of his prized possessions to this day. 

In 2011, the Ward 6 Indians were inducted into the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame to celebrate their place in Canadian sports history.