Cecil "Stud" Cantrell
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Stud Cantrell was a phenom drafted straight out of high school by the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He played minor league ball for the Cardinals for four years, and was expected to be called up to the majors, when war broke out. Before the draft could take him, Cantrell joined the Marines, where he received a leg injury (shrapnel) that effectively ended any hopes of a major league career.

After the war, Cantrell bounced among several minor league teams, eking out a living in the game he loved. He began his managing career as a player/manager for the Graceville Oilers. Although the Oilers were the poorest team in their league, Cantrell managed to build a team that began to thrive, and eventually won the pennant under his leadership. This brought him to the attention of the Buchmans, owners of the Tampico Stogies.

As had been the case with the Oilers, the Stogies began to thrive under his leadership but, just as the elusive championship seemed to be within reach, Cantrell got caught up in a game-fixing scandal that had been instigated by the ownership of the Cardinals. Although he initially agreed to go along with the fix, he ultimately balked at the prospect and was rewarded for his efforts by being blacklisted among the various owners.

During this period of temporary banishment, Cantrell filled the time by taking his star catcher and going on a barnstorming tour. It was while playing on tour in Bakersfield, CA that Cantrell met Sam Clemens and Rockwell Porter, whose anti-establishment attitudes appealed to him, and what proved to be an enduring friendship was born.

Following his reinstatement with the Stogies, Cantrell became the team General Manager, as well as the manager on the field, and once again began the process of building a team that could contend for a championship. However, his efforts were often thwarted by those owners who still resented him for upsetting their plans during the old championship fix scandal.

When contacted by Clemens and Porter with an offer to bring his entire team into a new league that they were in the process of forming, Cantrell was intrigued by the prospect and agreed to their offer.

The Stogies became a founding team in the WWBL, and once again, Cantrell has undertaken the task of building a team capable of winning the championship. The team which he assembled proved to be extraordinarily strong and during the league’s inaugural season, they were in first place from the first week to the last, winning both the regular season championship and the playoff title.

Home town: Durham, NC

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