1959 Tulsa Oilers Roster
Team Record: 77-67
Finished 3rd in the TL
Manager: Vern Benson (77-67)
Affiliation: St. Louis Cardinals
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Ballpark: Texas League Park
Attendance: 118,409, Avg. 1,645
Playoffs - Austin Senators 2 games, Tulsa Oilers 1
The Tulsa Oilers of the Texas League ended the 1959 season with a record of 77 wins and 67 losses, finishing third in the TL.
The Oilers tallied 729 runs and surrendered 654 runs. Duke Carmel paced Tulsa with 23 home runs, while Julio Gotay, Jim Hickman and Harry Keister each walloped 15 or more, too. Jim Hickman drove in 81 runs. Jim McKnight led batters with significant playing time with a .332 average. Ted Thiem topped the squad with 13 wins, and Mel Nelson recorded a 3.02 ERA, leading regular hurlers.
Players from the 1959 Tulsa Oilers who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Ed Olivares, Jimmie Schaffer, Duke Carmel, Jim O'Rourke, Vern Benson, Bob Blaylock, Jim Beauchamp, Jim Hickman, Jim McKnight, Julio Gotay, Fred Whitfield, Tom Baker, Mel Nelson and Bob Sadowski.
Vern Benson served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Baker | L | L | May 6, 1934 | 6'0" | 195 | Port Townsend, WA US |
| Jim Beauchamp | R | R | August 21, 1939 | 6'2" | 190 | Vinita, OK US |
| Hoyt Benedict | R | R | July 12, 1929 | 5'11" | 170 | |
| Vern Benson | L | R | September 19, 1924 | 5'10" | 160 | Granite Quarry, NC US |
| Bob Blaylock | R | R | June 28, 1935 | 6'1" | 185 | Chattanooga, TN US |
| James Brown | R | October 26, 1934 | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Arthur Burnett | L | R | December 5, 1934 | 5'11" | 175 | |
| Duke Carmel | L | L | April 23, 1937 | 6'3" | 202 | New York, NY US |
| William Cooke | R | R | October 31, 1935 | 6'4" | 195 | Chicago, IL US |
| Edward Czerniakowski | R | R | November 10, 1936 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| George Doyle | L | L | 5'11" | 175 | ||
| Thomas Fassler | R | R | August 29, 1938 | 6'2" | 190 | |
| William Garcia | L | R | August 17, 1936 | 6'0" | 195 | |
| Julio Gotay | R | R | June 9, 1939 | 6'0" | 180 | Fajardo, PR |
| Charles Green | R | 6'0" | 175 | |||
| James Hemric | L | R | September 27, 1935 | 5'11" | 175 | |
| Jim Hickman | R | R | May 10, 1937 | 6'3" | 192 | Henning, TN US |
| Charlie Jennings | L | R | November 24, 1936 | 5'10" | 200 | |
| Ron Kabbes | R | R | December 29, 1938 | 5'11" | 175 | Effingham, IL US |
| Harry Keister | L | L | 6'2" | 188 | ||
| Fred Koenig | R | R | April 27, 1921 | 6'3" | 200 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Wally Lammers | R | R | October 31, 1926 | 5'11" | 180 | Buckley, IL US |
| Jerry Lock | R | R | 6'1" | 185 | ||
| Richard Maibauer | R | R | December 24, 1932 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Fred McAlister | R | R | March 1, 1928 | 6'1" | 185 | Lynchburg, VA US |
| Jim McKnight | R | R | June 1, 1936 | 6'1" | 185 | Bee Branch, AR US |
| Bill Morton | R | R | May 30, 1937 | 6'1" | 195 | |
| Mel Nelson | R | L | May 30, 1936 | 6'0" | 185 | San Diego, CA US |
| Jim O'Rourke | R | R | June 22, 1937 | 6'2" | 195 | Walla Walla, WA US |
| Ed Olivares | R | R | November 5, 1937 | 5'11" | 180 | Mayaguez, PR |
| Roland Passaro | R | R | 6'0" | 170 | ||
| Florencio Rivera | R | R | January 4, 1936 | 5'10" | 172 | , PR |
| Bob Sadowski | R | R | February 19, 1938 | 6'2" | 195 | Pittsburgh, PA US |
| Jim Saul | L | R | November 24, 1939 | 6'3" | 200 | Bristol, VA US |
| Roger Sawyer | L | L | October 31, 1934 | 6'1" | 180 | Warsaw, NY US |
| Jimmie Schaffer | R | R | April 5, 1936 | 5'9" | 170 | Limeport, PA US |
| Ted Thiem | L | R | October 2, 1935 | 5'11" | 175 | Oakdale, NE US |
| Billy Tolar | R | R | 6'3" | 200 | ||
| Fred Whitfield | L | L | January 7, 1938 | 6'1" | 190 | Vandiver, AL US |
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.
