Rockets Baseball

The McAlester Rockets were a championship winning Class D minor league baseball team that competed in the Sooner State League from 1947 through 1956.  McAlester had hosted minor league baseball before, with earlier teams like the Miners and Diggers.

But the Rockets were different—they arrived just as postwar optimism and small-town baseball surged together. The Sooner State League was part of a broader national revival in minor league play, and McAlester was in it from the start. The league operated in Oklahoma and north Texas and featured franchises in towns such as Ada, Ardmore, Duncan, Lawton, Paris (TX), and McAlester.

The Rockets’ name drew inspiration from the nearby McAlester Naval Ammunition Depot, called the "rocket plant" by locals. It was a name that connected directly to the town’s identity.

Home games were played at Jeff Lee Stadium, a WPA-era ballpark built in 1937. It hosted everything from Rockets games to high school football and civic events.  

The team won three league championships in its 10-year run: 1947, 1950 and 1952. 

In 1951, the Rockets became a New York Yankees affiliate, posting an 88–52 record and making the playoffs. It was their only year tied to a major league club, but it added a layer of prestige to a team already competitive in its own right.

Though the Rockets remained strong into the early 1950s, their final seasons saw a steep drop-off. In 1956, they finished last, and the franchise was shut down at the end of the year. The league itself dissolved just one season later.

The Sooner State League was always fragile—teams came and went, travel was long, and profits thin. But McAlester held its ground for a full decade, fielding a team every year of the league’s existence.

A few players made it to the majors—a big jump from Class D—but for most, this was the pinnacle of their baseball careers. And for the town, the Rockets weren’t a stepping stone—they were the main attraction.

The McAlester Rockets are long gone, but their seasons, rosters, and championships are still part of Oklahoma’s baseball story.

Every Shirt Tells A Story. See the shirt here. 

Photos from Oklahoma Historical Society