1955 Little League World Series
The 1955 Little League World Series was held from August 23 to August 26 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.[1] Morrisville Little League of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, defeated Delaware Township Little League of Delaware Township, New Jersey, in the championship game of the 9th Little League World Series.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 23–August 26 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Morrisville Little LeagueMorrisville, Pennsylvania |
| Runners-up |  Delaware Township Little LeagueDelaware Township, New Jersey |
This was the first time that the Little League World Series title was won with a walk-off home run, hit by Rich Cominski in the bottom of the 7th inning.[2] Attendees at the final game included former General of the Army George Marshall and Governor of Pennsylvania George M. Leader.[2]
An all-black team from Charleston, South Carolina, which had won its state and regional tournaments by forfeit when their all-white opponents refused to play against them, was ruled ineligible to play in the tournament but invited by Little League to attend the event as guests.[3]
Teams
 Auburn, Alabama |
 San Diego, California |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Alexandria, Louisiana |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Winchester, Massachusetts |
 Hamtramck, Michigan |
| Delaware Township, New Jersey† |
 Glens Falls, New York |
| Morrisville, Pennsylvania |
†Delaware Township was renamed Cherry Hill in November 1961
Championship bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| August 23 | ||||||||||
| Massachusetts | 8 | |||||||||
| August 25 (F/8) | ||||||||||
| Michigan | 5 | |||||||||
| Massachusetts | 0 | |||||||||
| August 23 | ||||||||||
| Pennsylvania | 3 | |||||||||
| Pennsylvania | 4 | |||||||||
| August 26 (F/7) | ||||||||||
| New York | 3 | |||||||||
| Pennsylvania | 4 | |||||||||
| August 24 | ||||||||||
| New Jersey | 3 | |||||||||
| New Jersey | 4 | |||||||||
| August 25 | ||||||||||
| Louisiana | 2 | |||||||||
| New Jersey | 6 | |||||||||
| August 24 | ||||||||||
| Alabama | 4 | Third place | ||||||||
| Alabama | 4 | |||||||||
| August 26 (F/7) | ||||||||||
| California | 1 | |||||||||
| Massachusetts | 0 | |||||||||
| Alabama | 1 | |||||||||
| 1955 Little League World Series Champions |
|---|
Morrisville Little League Morrisville, Pennsylvania |
Notable players
- Billy Hunter of Delaware Township went on to play in the National Football League, and later served as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association; he was inducted to the Little League Hall of Excellence in 2000.[4]
- Dick Hart of Morrisville played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.
References
- "Eight Finalists Open Little League Series". The News-Herald. Franklin, Pennsylvania. UP. August 23, 1955. p. 14. Retrieved August 25, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- Lundquist, Carl (August 27, 1955). "Morrisville Tops Del. Twp. For Little League Title, 4-3". The Philadelphia Inquirer. UP. p. 16. Retrieved August 25, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- Lamb, Chris (August 16, 2022). "An all-Black Little League team made history without playing a game". Washington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- "Hall of Excellence". Little League Baseball. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
Further reading
- Horner, Mike (August 7, 1989). "Summers of '55 and '56: The times of our lives". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. p. 5C. Retrieved August 25, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- Horner, Mike (August 7, 1989). "Little League memories still burn". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. p. 6C. Retrieved August 25, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
External links
- 1955 Tournament Bracket via Wayback Machine
- 1955 Line Scores via Wayback Machine