This photograph of the Topeka Decker Oilers is believed to have been taken in August 1948 during the National Baseball Congress' national semi-pro baseball tournament in Wichita, Kansas. The Decker Oilers qualified for the national tournament by winning the state semi-pro baseball tournament the previous month. The occasion captured in the photo is unknown, as are the identities and roles of the individuals posing in the front row. The players in uniform are (l to r): unidentified, Paul Perry, Paul Jay, Junior Coffman, Ed Coffman, Sid Jamison, Hal Senne, Butch Nixon, Bill Heleker, Leonard Worthington, Vern Coffman (manager), and Don Kirkwood. The team's record in the national tournament was 2-2. Digital reproduction of the photograph was accomplished through a joint project sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.
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