One of the most successful military teams of the Twentieth Century was the Quantico Marines ballclub. Shortly after the Marine Corps Barracks was established at Quantico, Virginia during the first World War, the Marines began playing baseball. The Quantico Marines ball team was formed in 1918 with a handful of former professional players added to the roster including Yankees pitcher Mike Cantwell; Jay Clarke former Detroit, Cleveland and Browns backstop; infielder John Miller also of the Browns; minor league hurler Emmett “Red” Ormsby; “Dots” Miller, Cardinals infielder; Paul Cobb minor league outfielder and younger brother of Ty Cobb; and first baseman Mike Pasquella who would go on to play for the Phillies and Cardinals. The 1918 Quantico club competed heavily against other regional service clubs during the Great War.
In the years following WWI, the Quantico Marines predominantly competed against eastern seaboard collegiate ball teams from Maryland to Massachusetts as seen in our original 1925 and 1927 printed schedules.
During WWII as professional ballplayers once again joined the ranks, several passed through Quantico with time spent on the ball club including pitchers Ike Pearson of the Phillies and future Hall of Famer Ted Lyons of the White Sox. Another hurler, Ernie Ford who appeared in 19 games for the Greensboro Red Sox of the class “B” Piedmont League in 1942, played with Lyons and Pearson on the 1943 Quantico club. Ford was killed in a crash during flight training at Naval Air Training Center Corpus Christi in 1945.
Baseball at Quantico continued after the war and the Marines fielded one of the top teams in the Navy Department in the late 1940s as they competed against collegiate and service teams (see our 1948 and 1949 schedules) and captured back-to-back All-Navy championships in 1947 and 1948.
A handful of the post-war Quantico Marines signed professional contracts after completing their enlistments.
This Quantico Marines baseball team warmup jacket is made of heavy wool that features banded cuffs, collar and waistband with a snap-fastened front. The jacket’s Wilson Sporting Goods manufacturer’s label was in use from 1943 to 1946.
Jacket Features:
- Fasteners: Seven steel and brass snaps (manufactured by the Rau Fastener Company, Providence, RI) extending from the neck to the waistband. The outer face of the snaps are blue to match the blue wool material of the jacket shell.
- Material: The base material is heavy-weight navy wool.
- Trim: Surrounding the collar, cuffs and waist, the jacket features two-colore (white and red) elasticized bands .
- Lettering: Red twill script lettering, spelling out “Quantico,” extends across the chest and placket.
- Numerals: None.
- Sleeves: Full length, set-in, non-gussetted, non-vented with banded cuffs.
- Lining: Unlined
- Tag: Wilson Sporting Goods manufacturer’s label with size tag (“38”).
*This jacket was acquired March 2026.
Chevrons and Diamonds 