1956 Plainview Ponies Roster
Team Record: 76-68
Finished 5th in the SL
Manager: Jodie Beeler (0-0), Frank Tornay (0-0)
Location: Plainview, Texas
Ballpark: Jaycee Park
Attendance: 43,892, Avg. 610
The Plainview Ponies of the Southwestern League ended the 1956 season with a record of 76 wins and 68 losses, finishing fifth in the SL.
The Ponies topped the circuit with 1159 runs, spearheaded by 238 home runs. Plainview surrendered 1073 runs. Frosty Kennedy crushed 60 homers for the team, while Robert Brown, Don Stokes, Rusty Burns and Frank Tornay each walloped 15 or more also. Frosty Kennedy accounted for 184 RBI. Don Stokes and Rusty Burns paced batters with significant playing time by hitting .365. Jack Cardey led the team with 16 wins, plus Willie Neal, too added 15 or more wins, too Jack Cardey recorded a 5.67 ERA, leading regular hurlers.
Jodie Beeler and Cliff Ross both played in Major League Baseball during their careers.
Jodie Beeler and Frank Tornay served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Anderson | R | R | March 30, 1926 | 6'2" | 200 | Nashua, NH US |
| Gene Armstrong | R | R | June 19, 1931 | 6'2" | 190 | Oakland, CA US |
| Jodie Beeler | R | R | November 26, 1920 | 6'0" | 170 | Dallas, TX US |
| Donald Blaha | ||||||
| Robert Brown | L | R | March 17, 1932 | 5'8" | 190 | |
| Rusty Burns | R | June 17, 1918 | 6'2" | 200 | Independence, KS US | |
| Van Butler | ||||||
| Tommy Cantrell | R | R | June 10, 1936 | 5'11" | 175 | Fort Worth, TX US |
| Jack Cardey | R | R | August 30, 1922 | 6'0" | 190 | |
| Mike Conovan | L | L | May 7, 1925 | 6'1" | 175 | |
| Charlie Davidson | R | R | November 24, 1932 | 6'0" | 170 | |
| Cecil Davis | R | R | February 26, 1932 | 6'3" | 195 | Amber, OK US |
| Verde Dickey | R | R | August 13, 1932 | 5'11" | 180 | Sherman, TX US |
| James DiTolla | ||||||
| Dean Franks | L | R | 6'4" | 200 | ||
| Roy Gilliam | R | R | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| Sam Goodsoozian | R | April 28, 1931 | 5'9" | 155 | ||
| Quinton Gray | S | October 18, 1934 | 5'10" | 165 | ||
| Donald Green | L | L | March 19, 1932 | 5'9" | 150 | Kansas City, MO US |
| Kenneth Harrington | R | R | 6'0" | 160 | ||
| Fred Hasselman | R | R | April 9, 1933 | 6'1" | 175 | |
| Richard Hutzler | R | 5'9" | 190 | |||
| Gideon Jarvis | L | 6'0" | 200 | |||
| Frosty Kennedy | R | R | March 20, 1926 | 5'10" | 190 | |
| Audie Malone | S | R | March 16, 1923 | 5'11" | 165 | Union County, MS US |
| John McMahon | L | 5'10" | 165 | |||
| Willie Neal | L | L | June 7, 1934 | 5'9" | 170 | Memphis, TN US |
| Dale Perry | R | 5'9" | 175 | |||
| Reuben Phillips | R | R | February 6, 1931 | 6'2" | 18 | |
| Jack Poppell | R | October 7, 1933 | 5'9" | 160 | ||
| Cliff Ross | L | L | August 3, 1928 | 6'4" | 195 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Edwin Schneider | R | R | 6'0" | 170 | ||
| John Smith | S | R | November 25, 1934 | 6'1" | 160 | Cocoa, FL US |
| Don Stokes | L | July 13, 1921 | 5'10" | 184 | ||
| Billy Thompson | R | R | 6'2" | 184 | ||
| Frank Tornay | R | August 8, 1926 | 5'9" | 160 | San Francisco, CA US | |
| George Zackey | R | R | 6'3" | 190 |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
