We Would Have Played Forever

With dozens of interviews and painstaking research, Robert Gaunt produced what is perhaps the greatest book on minor league history ever published. He captured the spirit of baseball in the towns of Eastern North Carolina and the important role the game played in the lives of fans there. This book covers the league history from its inception in 1934 as a semi-pro league for college players, to its entry into true professional baseball in 1937. The league quickly became one of the most respected Class D leagues in the entire country for its high level of play. The Coastal Plain League shut down for the duration of World War II but returned in 1946 and achieved even greater glory over the following few seasons. The author covers all aspects of the league from the great players and teams, to the colorful stories and legendary characters, to the reasons for the eventual demise of the league following the 1952 season. This second edition includes new photographs and an index.

The late Robert H. Gaunt, EdD, was a college professor and U.S. Coast Guard officer. A native of Michigan, he was a life-long lover of baseball and its history.
Chris Holaday teaches full-time at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research, he is the author of several other books on baseball history.

Robert Gaunt and Chris Holaday
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 20 photos, appendix, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9658-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5501-7
Imprint: McFarland