The History of the Newark Bears

The 2008 season will be the tenth for the Newark Bears at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, though the history of baseball in the city of Newark dates back to 1902. Just three years into the 20th century, the Newark Indians became charter members of the Class-AAA International League. In 1931 the Indians were bought by legendary New York Yankees owner Colonel Jacob Ruppert, who renamed his new Class-AAA farm team the Newark Bears.

For the next 18 years top Yankees prospects played for the Bears at Ruppert Stadium in Newark, including future Hall-of-Fame catcher Yogi Berra, who starred for the Bears in 1946. The Bears won several pennants and Little World Series titles; and, in fact, the 1937 squad, which won the pennant by 25 ½ games, would later be dubbed the greatest minor league team ever by Baseball America.

While the Bears were enjoying their success, the Newark Eagles, the Bears co-tenant at Ruppert Stadium, were one of the top teams in the Negro Leagues. Future Hall-of-Famers Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, Ray Dandridge, Leon Day and Willie Wells helped lead the Eagles to the 1946 Black World Series Championship.

Despite the success of both the Bears and the Eagles, professional baseball deserted Newark following the 1950 season. One year after the Bears were sold to the Chicago Cubs organization and moved to Massachusetts, the Eagles, too, were sold and moved out of Newark . In 1967 Ruppert Stadium was demolished.

Almost fifty years after professional baseball left the city, the Newark Bears were reborn in 1998, playing in the brand-new independent Atlantic League. Former New York Yankees catcher Rick Cerone was the founder and owner of the modern Bears; and ex-major league infielder Tom O’Malley was the club’s first manager.

The state of the art Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium finally opened its gates to the public on July 16, 1999. Former Yankees greats Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto took part in an emotional pre-game ceremony; and then the Bears rallied for a 9-8 victory over the Lehigh Valley Black Diamonds in ten innings on a game-winning home run off of the bat of Doug Jennings. 

 The team grabbed the attention of media and fans alike in 2000 when Newark slugger Ozzie Canseco assaulted the Atlantic League record book, establishing single-season records with 48 home runs and 129 runs-batted-in. So dominant was Canseco’s performance during the 2000 campaign that not only did he earn Most Valuable Player honors, but his single-season home run and RBI records still stand today.

The 2001 Newark Bears loaded their roster with big-name former major league stars like Ozzie’s brother, Jose Canseco, former Yankees World Series hero Jim Leyritz, ex-Mets and Yankees centerfielder Lance Johnson and former big league pitchers Jaime Navarro and Jack Armstrong. On July 2nd of that year, O’Malley’s team clinched its first ever playoff berth, winning the first half North Division crown.  Before Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium could host any playoff games, however, the ballpark had to play host to the 2001 Atlantic League All Star Game on July 11th. In a game won by the North squad, 10-0, Newark’s Ric Johnson earned MVP honors by going 2-2 with 2 RBI and a run scored.

In the first playoff series in franchise history, the Bears swept the Nashua Pride to grab the North Division Championship. Newark then grabbed the first two games of the best-of-five Atlantic League Championship Series against the Somerset Patriots before dropping the final three games and falling to the Patriots, 3 games to 2.

Under the guidance of Marv Foley, the team's new manager, the Bears captured their first Atlantic League Championship in 2002.  After defeating the Atlantic City Surf, the Bears swept the Bridgeport Bluefish in three games. Newark posted a record of 69-55 and won the first half South Division title. The team was led by designated hitter Jimmy Hurst, who would win the league’s Triple Crown and Most Valuable Player honors that season by batting .335 with 35 home runs and 101 RBI. Hurst is the only player to have ever won the Triple Crown in Atlantic League history.
 

Prior to the start of the 2003 season Flemington Auto Mall owner Steve Kalafer purchased controlling interest of the Bears from Cerone. Kalafer would later be joined by Fidelco chairman Marc Berson and the two would be the sole owners of the Newark Bears.

Rickey Henderson, Major League Baseball’s all time leader in stolen bases, walks (since eclipsed by Barry Bonds), runs scored and leadoff home runs, spent half of the 2003 campaign playing for the Bears. The future Hall-of-Famer batted .339 with 8 home runs and 33 RBI in 56 games played and also earned all star game MVP honors before being signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in July of 2003. Henderson returned to the Bears in 2004 and, playing the full season in Newark , ranked 3rd in the Atlantic League with 37 stolen bases.

Joining Henderson in giving the Bears much notoriety was Jose Lima, a former 21-game winner in the big leagues, who starred for the Bears in 2003 before signing with the Kansas City Royals. At the time he signed with Kansas City Lima was dominating Atlantic League hitters, posting a 6-1 record and 2.33 ERA and leading the league in strikeouts with 52.