1953 Oklahoma City Indians Roster
Team Record: 80-74
Finished 4th in the TL
Manager: Tommy Tatum (80-74)
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Ballpark: Texas League Park
Attendance: 133,064, Avg. 1,728
Playoffs - Dallas Eagles 4 games, Oklahoma City Indians 3
The Oklahoma City Indians of the Texas League ended the 1953 season with a record of 80 wins and 74 losses, finishing fourth in the TL.
The Indians scored 734 runs and yielded 715 runs. Rusty Burns led Oklahoma City with 29 home runs, while Joe Damato, Frank Kellert and Joe Frazier each walloped 15 or more, too. Rusty Burns drove in 124 runs. Joe Frazier paced hitters with significant playing time with a .332 average. Bill Greason and Alois Zilian topped the team with 16 wins each, and Angelo Nardella registered a 3.44 earned run average, tops among qualifying pitchers.
Members of the 1953 Oklahoma City Indians who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Bill Greason, Jay Van Noy, Cal Hogue, Al Gerheauser, Joe Frazier, Ernest Groth, Mickey Rutner, Pete Taylor, Lonnie Summers, Tommy Tatum, Vern Kennedy and Frank Kellert.
Tommy Tatum served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Atchley | R | R | August 8, 1923 | 6'2" | 170 | Battle Creek, MI US |
| Robert Best | ||||||
| Robert Brown | R | July 6, 1932 | 6'1" | 180 | ||
| Rusty Burns | R | June 17, 1918 | 6'2" | 200 | Independence, KS US | |
| Ray Cash | R | R | June 28, 1924 | 6'2" | 198 | Richmond, VA US |
| Allan Cross | L | R | November 26, 1923 | 6'0" | 175 | |
| Joe Damato | R | R | January 26, 1922 | 5'9" | 165 | Chicago, IL US |
| Bob Drilling | R | R | October 2, 1927 | 6'0" | 195 | Fonda, IA US |
| Joe Frazier | L | R | October 6, 1922 | 6'0" | 180 | Liberty, NC US |
| Michael Gazella | R | August 16, 1927 | 6'2" | 170 | ||
| Al Gerheauser | L | L | June 24, 1917 | 6'3" | 190 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Bill Greason | R | R | September 3, 1924 | 5'10" | 170 | Atlanta, GA US |
| Ernest Groth | R | R | May 3, 1922 | 5'9" | 185 | Beaver Falls, PA US |
| Jake Henson | R | R | December 17, 1922 | 6'2" | 212 | Pauls Valley, OK US |
| Cal Hogue | R | R | October 24, 1927 | 6'0" | 185 | Dayton, OH US |
| Frank Kellert | R | R | July 6, 1924 | 6'2" | 185 | Oklahoma City, OK US |
| Vern Kennedy | L | R | March 20, 1907 | 6'0" | 175 | Kansas City, MO US |
| Edward Krewall | R | 5'8" | 180 | |||
| Thomas Lind | R | R | November 14, 1926 | 6'1" | 185 | Baltimore, MD US |
| Troy Mitchell | R | February 2, 1923 | 6'1" | 195 | ||
| Angelo Nardella | R | R | September 24, 1928 | 5'11" | 180 | Bath, PA US |
| Al Olsen | L | L | March 30, 1921 | 5'11" | 175 | San Diego, CA US |
| Joe Reardon | R | R | November 23, 1927 | 5'10" | 170 | Boston, MA US |
| Mickey Rutner | R | R | March 18, 1919 | 5'11" | 190 | Hempstead, NY US |
| Lonnie Summers | R | R | August 2, 1915 | 6'0" | 210 | Davis, OK US |
| Teddy Tate | R | June 13, 1932 | 5'10" | 175 | ||
| Tommy Tatum | R | R | July 16, 1919 | 6'0" | 185 | Decatur, TX US |
| Pete Taylor | R | R | November 26, 1927 | 6'1" | 170 | Severn, MD US |
| Manuel Temes | R | 5'8" | 155 | |||
| Omer Tolson | R | July 25, 1926 | 6'1" | 215 | ||
| Pat Tomkinson | R | January 20, 1926 | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| Jay Van Noy | L | R | November 4, 1928 | 6'1" | 200 | Garland, UT US |
| Larry White | L | L | January 6, 1933 | |||
| Alois Zilian | R | R | November 12, 1923 | 6'2" | 180 | |
| Salvatore Zunno | L | L | 5'8" | 160 |
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.
