Fortney Gators - 1921-1937, 1951-1974

Donald Mahley (1943-2014)

Ambassador Don Mahley passed away on March 1, 2014 after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.  Husband of Julianna Stephenson Mahley for 45 years, he had a career in the U.S. Army for 27 years with work at the National Security Council and Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.  Later he was confirmed as the State Department Ambassador serving as Special Negotiator for Nonproliferation.  His work on the protocol for the Biological Weapons Treaty, establishing the Office for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and negotiating the recently signed Arms Trade Treaty are notable.

He was also known for his love of animals, fantasy baseball, the theater world where he served on the board of directors of Synetic Theater, Chicago Cubs, and coaching the speech and debate teams at USMA, single malt scotch, vintage port and pinot noir, and above all the many friends and colleagues he knew over the years. 

Don received full military honors at a ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery on November 3, 2014.

History Brief: After beginning TCBA life as the Fortney Gators in 1921, the Don Mahley-led Franchise #2 team played at Gator Field until 1937. With war on the horizon, Mahley enlisted in the US Army and would ultimately rise to the rank of Colonel. Mahley entrusted the control of his franchise to young James MacEachern, who guided the team until 1942. In 1943, war industrialist Steve Lyon used his stash of war bucks to buy out MacEachern’s control of Franchise #2, until Mahley returned. While teaching at the Army War College in the midst of the Korean Conflict, Mahley realized that the close proximity to a TCBA team would allow him to live out his alter-life as a TCBA manager once again. He reacquired the Franchise #2 team in 1951 and victoriously returned to the Fortney area. In the early 1970’s, deeply involved in courting his future wife, Julianna Mahley, Don sold his rights to Franchise #2 to Illinois high school principal John Gatto following the 1974 season. After nine seasons in the Chicago area, the franchise was reacquired by the now-married Don Mahley, who moved the team to Annandale in 1984. He sold the franchise a second time in 1997 to speculator John Carter. After Carter was exposed as a fraud, the franchise was obtained by Mike Kane's Innisfree group in 1998, providing Mahley with the funds necessary to purchase Expansion Franchise #23 in 1999, which he located in Woebegone. The world was saddened in 2014 upon the death of Ambassador Mahley, a true TCBA friend, always.

Don Mahley - A Friend, Always

League Champion

1926 1936 1952 1953 1970

Division Champion

1921 1922 1923 1926 1933 1936

1952 1953 1954 1960 1966 1968

1970 1971 1973

All-Time Record

W	L
3489	2917

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Team Season Records

Year	Won	Lost	Place	Division	Playoffs
1974	82	80	2	Gorney
1973	99	63	1	Gorney		DC
1972	79	82	4	Gorney
1971	90	71	1	Brown		DC
1970	102	60	1	Brown		DC	LC
1969	100	63	2	Brown
1968	102	60	1	Brown		DC
1967	81	81	3	Brown
1966	100	62	1	Brown		DC
1965	78	84	3	Brown
1964	85	76	2	Brown
1963	94	68	2	Brown
1962	81	80	2	Brown
1961	77	71	3	Brown
1960	95	59	1	Brown		DC
1959	85	66	2	Brown
1958	70	84	2	Brown
1957	82	72	3	Brown
1956	70	82	4	Brown
1955	75	79	3	Brown
1954	83	71	1	Brown		DC
1953	99	55	1	Brown		DC	LC
1952	96	57	1	Brown		DC	LC
1951	80	74	2	Brown
1938	56	98	4	Brown
1937	81	73	2	Brown
1936	96	58	1	Brown		DC	LC
1935	81	69	2	Brown
1934	88	66	2	Brown
1933	84	70	1	Brown		DC
1932	76	78	3	Brown
1931	64	89	4	Brown
1930	71	83	4	Brown
1929	73	80	3	Brown
1928	64	90	3	Brown
1927	73	81	3	Brown
1926	92	62	1	Brown		DC	LC
1925	66	89	3	Brown
1924	94	60	2	Brown
1923	101	53	1	Brown		DC
1922	98	56	1	Brown		DC
1921	99	55	1	Brown		DC