List of American Association (20th century) champions


The American Association of Minor League Baseball was a Triple-A baseball league that operated in the United States from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997. A league champion was determined at the end of each season. From 1902 to 1932 and in 1935 and 1969, champions were simply the regular season pennant winners. In 1932 and 1933, the winners of each of the league's two divisions competed in a postseason series to determine a champion. This arrangement was abandoned for 1935, but the league adopted the Shaughnessy playoff system in which the top four teams qualified for postseason play in 1936. These playoffs varied between being best-of-five and best-of-seven contests.
The inaugural 1902 pennant was won by the Indianapolis Indians with a 96–45 record, two games ahead of the Louisville Colonels. The first playoffs, held in 1932, were won by the Columbus Red Birds, who beat the Minneapolis Millers, four games to two. In 1936, the league's first multi-round Shaughnessy playoffs were won by the Milwaukee Brewers after they defeated Indianapolis, four games to one. The league's final championship was won by the Buffalo Bisons in 1997.
The Louisville Colonels won 15 American Association titles, the most in the league's history, followed by the Indianapolis Indians ; Columbus Senators/Red Birds ; Minneapolis Millers ; St. Paul Saints ; Denver Bears/Zephyrs ; Kansas City Blues ; Milwaukee Brewers ; Omaha Royals ; Evansville Triplets and Louisville Redbirds ; Oklahoma City 89ers and Tulsa Oilers ; and Buffalo Bisons, Iowa Cubs, Springfield Redbirds, and Toledo Mud Hens.
Indianapolis won four consecutive championships from 1986 to 1989, the most consecutive titles in the history of the league. Three teams won three titles consecutively: Columbus, Minneapolis, and Louisville Colonels. Ten teams won back-to-back championships: St. Paul, Milwaukee, Louisville Colonels, Columbus, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha, Tulsa, Denver, and Louisville Redbirds.

League champions

YearChampionScoreRunner-up
1902Indianapolis Indians——
1903St. Paul Saints——
1904St. Paul Saints——
1905Columbus Senators——
1906Columbus Senators——
1907Columbus Senators——
1908Indianapolis Indians——
1909Louisville Colonels——
1910Minneapolis Millers——
1911Minneapolis Millers——
1912Minneapolis Millers——
1913Milwaukee Brewers——
1914Milwaukee Brewers——
1915Minneapolis Millers——
1916Louisville Colonels——
1917Indianapolis Indians——
1918Kansas City Blues——
1919St. Paul Saints——
1920St. Paul Saints——
1921Louisville Colonels——
1922St. Paul Saints——
1923Kansas City Blues——
1924St. Paul Saints——
1925Louisville Colonels——
1926Louisville Colonels——
1927Toledo Mud Hens——
1928Indianapolis Indians——
1929Kansas City Blues——
1930Louisville Colonels——
1931St. Paul Saints——
1932Minneapolis Millers——
1933Columbus Red Birds4–2Minneapolis Millers
1934Columbus Red Birds5–2Minneapolis Millers
1935Minneapolis Millers——
1936Milwaukee Brewers4–1Indianapolis Indians
1937Columbus Red Birds4–2Milwaukee Brewers
1938Kansas City Blues4–3St. Paul Saints
1939Louisville Colonels4–1Indianapolis Indians
1940Louisville Colonels4–2Kansas City Blues
1941Columbus Red Birds4–1Louisville Colonels
1942Columbus Red Birds4–0Toledo Mud Hens
1943Columbus Red Birds3–0Indianapolis Indians
1944Louisville Colonels4–0St. Paul Saints
1945Louisville Colonels4–2St. Paul Saints
1946Louisville Colonels4–0Indianapolis Indians
1947Milwaukee Brewers4–3Louisville Colonels
1948St. Paul Saints4–3Columbus Red Birds
1949Indianapolis Indians4–3Milwaukee Brewers
1950Columbus Red Birds4–3Indianapolis Indians
1951Milwaukee Brewers4–2St. Paul Saints
1952Kansas City Blues4–3Milwaukee Brewers
1953Kansas City Blues4–3Toledo Sox
1954Louisville Colonels4–1Indianapolis Indians
1955Minneapolis Millers4–0Omaha Cardinals
1956Indianapolis Indians4–0Denver Bears
1957Denver Bears4–2St. Paul Saints
1958Minneapolis Millers4–0Denver Bears
1959Minneapolis Millers4–3Fort Worth Cats
1960Louisville Colonels4–2Denver Bears
1961Louisville Colonels4–2Houston Buffs
1962Louisville Colonels4–2Denver Bears
1969Omaha Royals——
1970Omaha Royals4–1Denver Bears
1971Denver Bears4–3Indianapolis Indians
1972Evansville Triplets3–0Wichita Aeros
1973Tulsa Oilers4–3Iowa Oaks
1974Tulsa Oilers4–3Indianapolis Indians
1975Evansville Triplets4–2Denver Bears
1976Denver Bears4–2Omaha Royals
1977Denver Bears4–2Omaha Royals
1978Omaha Royals4–1Indianapolis Indians
1979Evansville Triplets4–2Oklahoma City 89ers
1980Springfield Redbirds4–1Denver Bears
1981Denver Bears4–0Omaha Royals
1982Indianapolis Indians4–2Omaha Royals
1983Denver Bears4–0Louisville Redbirds
1984Louisville Redbirds4–1Denver Zephyrs
1985Louisville Redbirds4–1Oklahoma City 89ers
1986Indianapolis Indians4–3Denver Zephyrs
1987Indianapolis Indians4–1Denver Zephyrs
1988Indianapolis Indians3–1Omaha Royals
1989Indianapolis Indians3–2Omaha Royals
1990Omaha Royals3–2Nashville Sounds
1991Denver Zephyrs3–2Buffalo Bisons
1992Oklahoma City 89ers4–0Buffalo Bisons
1993Iowa Cubs4–3Nashville Sounds
1994Indianapolis Indians3–1Nashville Sounds
1995Louisville Redbirds3–2Buffalo Bisons
1996Oklahoma City 89ers3–1Indianapolis Indians
1997Buffalo Bisons3–0Iowa Cubs

Championship wins by club