This set of 16 photos was made in late March 1951 to record the Panama Canal Zone visit by the Houston Buffaloes (or Buffs) minor league baseball team. The team traveled to the Canal Zone to play four exhibition games with U.S. military teams. Two of the games were contested between the Buffs and the Albrook Flyers, a team representing Albrook Air Force Base, where the team stayed during its visit. The Buffs also played one game versus the Army All-Stars, and one game versus the All-Service Stars. The Houston team won three of the four games. Some of the photographs were made during the two games against the Albrook Flyers; the remainder were made during sightseeing excursions or other aspects of the visit. The photos were produced and released by Albrook Air Force Base, and most carry captions. Among the Houston team members making the trip was Topekan Harland Coffman. A right-handed pitcher, Coffman was on the Houston roster only briefly in 1951; he spent most of the 1951 season in Omaha. Coffman's minor league pitching record between 1948 and 1952 was 62-46 and an ERA of 3.19 in 158 games. Digital reproduction of the photographs was accomplished through a joint project sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Houston Buffaloes trip to the Panama Canal Zone - 11