The Waterloo Microbes were a minor league baseball team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The team played as members of the Class D level Iowa State League from 1904 to 1906, and the nickname "Microbes" was used for three seasons before the franchise changed its name to the Waterloo Cubs in 1907.
History
Waterloo resumed minor league play in 1904 after a nine-season hiatus, when the Waterloo Microbes were formed as charter members of the newly established eight-team Iowa State League (formally named the "Iowa League of Professional Baseball Clubs"). The Microbes joined alongside the Boone Coal Miners, Burlington River Rats, Fort Dodge Gypsum Eaters, Keokuk Indians, Marshalltown Grays, Oskaloosa Quakers, and Ottumwa Snappers.
In their debut 1904 season, the Microbes finished as league runners-up with a record of 64–43, finishing 6.5 games behind the first-place Ottumwa Snappers. The team was managed by James Myers (50–36) and later Charles Cole (14–7). In 1905, the Microbes finished seventh with a 56–69 record, and in 1906 they again placed seventh with a 48–76 record, playing under managers Charlie Frisbee and Ernest Anklam.
The unique "Microbes" nickname is notable for its rarity in baseball history. The Chicago Cubs franchise was also referred to by the "Microbes" nickname in select newspapers during the same era.
Notable Alumni
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Rube Marquard – Baseball Hall of Fame inductee (1971) who pitched for the Waterloo Microbes in his first professional seasons (1906–1907). Marquard famously stowed away on a freight train to reach Waterloo for his tryout, as he had no money to travel. In 1907, he compiled a 23–13 record with a 2.01 ERA and led the league in victories. He went on to an 18-season major league career with the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Braves.
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Ward Miller – Made his professional debut with Waterloo in 1906, later playing eight major league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Terriers, and St. Louis Browns.
Franchise Continuation
After using the Microbes name from 1904 to 1906, the franchise changed its nickname to the Waterloo Cubs in 1907 and won the Iowa State League championship that year. The Waterloo minor league franchise continued under various names—Waterloo Lulus (1908–1909), Waterloo Boosters (1910–1911), Waterloo Jays (1913–1915), Waterloo Shamrocks (1916), and Waterloo Lions (1917)—before the Central Association folded on August 7, 1917. The franchise won league championships in 1907, 1908, and 1914.
