Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
Minor League Baseball team in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers are a Minor League Baseball team in the Carolina League, serving as the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, they host games at Atrium Health Ballpark. The franchise began in 1995 as the Piedmont Phillies. It was known as the Piedmont Boll Weevils from 1996 to 2000, then as the Kannapolis Intimidators from 2001 to 2019, before adopting its current name in 2019.
The team moved to Kannapolis in 1995 from Spartanburg, South Carolina, where it had been a Class A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies since 1963. A name-the-team contest in fall 1995 led to the Boll Weevils mascot, referencing Kannapolis’s textile mill history (locals are called “lintheads”). After the 2000 season, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt bought a stake in the team, prompting a name change to the Intimidators after his nickname. The logo was designed by Sam Bass, known for NASCAR, IndyCar, and NHRA paint schemes. That off-season, the parent club switched from the Phillies to the Chicago White Sox, making the Intimidators the third White Sox farm team in the Carolinas, after the Charlotte Knights and Winston-Salem Warthogs (now Dash).
Earnhardt, who drove car number 3, died in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500. After his death, the Intimidators avoided using the number 3 on uniforms. Manager Razor Shines, originally assigned the number, switched to 43. The team officially retired number 3 on May 15, 2002, in memory of Earnhardt, similar to the Los Angeles Angels retiring number 26 for former owner Gene Autry.
From 1995 to 2019, the team played at Intimidators Stadium (formerly Fieldcrest Cannon and CMC-NorthEast Stadium). The stadium was still under construction when the Piedmont Phillies started in 1995; it was completed later that winter, seating 4,700. The name changed on April 3, 2012, under a new naming rights deal, but reverted to Intimidators Stadium in 2016 when the deal ended.
Notable Major League players who passed through Kannapolis include Jimmy Rollins and Dave Coggin (Phillies), and Jack Egbert, Gordon Beckham, Chris Getz, Brent Morel, and Clayton Richard (White Sox). Marlon Byrd, Jorge Padilla, Ryan Madson, and Brett Myers played for the 2000 Boll Weevils. NFL running back Ricky Williams also played for the Boll Weevils in 1996 and 1997 while at the University of Texas.
On October 30, 2018, ground was
- League
- Carolina League
- Affiliation
- Chicago White Sox
- Established
- 1995 (as Piedmont Phillies)
- Home Stadium
- Atrium Health Ballpark
- Location
- Kannapolis, North Carolina
- Previous Names
- Piedmont Phillies, Piedmont Boll Weevils, Kannapolis Intimidators
Lore & Background
The franchise moved to Kannapolis in 1995 from Spartanburg, South Carolina, where it had been a Class A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies since 1963. A name-the-team contest in fall 1995 led to the Piedmont Boll Weevils, a mascot reflecting Kannapolis's textile mill history. After the 2000 season, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt purchased a share of the team, prompting a name change to the Kannapolis Intimidators in honor of his nickname. The team's logo was designed by Sam Bass, who has designed paint schemes for NASCAR, IndyCar, and NHRA race cars. The parent club also changed from the Phillies to the Chicago White Sox that off-season.
Following Earnhardt's death at the 2001 Daytona 500, the Intimidators avoided assigning the number 3 on uniforms. Manager Razor Shines changed his number to 43, and the team officially retired number 3 on May 15, 2002. The team played at Intimidators Stadium (formerly Fieldcrest Cannon and CMC-NorthEast Stadium) from 1995 to 2019. In October 2018, ground was broken on a new ballpark in downtown Kannapolis, which opened as a public park in early May 2020 after the Minor League season was canceled due to COVID-19. The team was renamed the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in October 2019, with a mascot named Boomer chosen by public vote.
Reader's Guide
The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers represent the latest iteration of a franchise that has been a fixture in Kannapolis since 1995. Their significance lies in their connection to the community's heritage—from the textile-mill-inspired Boll Weevils to the racing-themed Intimidators and Cannon Ballers—and their role as a development team for the Chicago White Sox. The franchise has produced notable Major League players such as Jimmy Rollins, Gordon Beckham, and Marlon Byrd, as well as NFL running back Ricky Williams, who played for the Boll Weevils while at the University of Texas. The team's history includes four league championship series appearances (1988, 1995, 2005, 2017, 2024) with two titles (1988 and 2005). The transition from the Intimidators to the Cannon Ballers in 2019 reflected trademark issues with the Earnhardt estate and a desire for a name that could be widely marketed. The team's legacy is also tied to the memory of Dale Earnhardt, whose number 3 was retired by the club. In 2021, the Cannon Ballers were reorganized into the Low-A East, which became the Carolina League again in 2022.
Did You Know?
- The team was originally the Piedmont Phillies in 1995 before becoming the Piedmont Boll Weevils from 1996 to 2000.
- Dale Earnhardt purchased a share of the team before the 2001 season, leading to the name Kannapolis Intimidators.
- The team retired the number 3 on May 15, 2002, in memory of former co-owner Dale Earnhardt.
- NFL running back Ricky Williams played for the Boll Weevils during the 1996 and 1997 seasons while playing college football for the University of Texas.
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