Long before the Los Angeles Angels became a Major League franchise in 1961, they were the darlings of the Pacific Coast League. One of the PCL’s charter members, the “Looloos” or “Seraphs” – as they were often called – won 12 pennants from 1903 to 1957. From the 1930s to the mid-50s, the PCL (AA and AAA) was widely regarded as the “third” major league (after the AL and NL), providing a high level of play garnished by the blaze of Tinseltown celebrities in the stands when the Angels or Hollywood Stars hosted their games at Wrigley Field in South L.A. Presented here is an exceptional 1949 Los Angeles Angels full road uniform worn by outfielder Clarence Maddern.
Maddern came up through the Cubs organization and missed three seasons of baseball while serving in World War II where he fought at the Battle of the Bulge. After leading the Texas League in hitting with a .322 average in 1946, he was called up to the big leagues briefly before spending the entire ’47 campaign with the Angels, Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate at the time. Batting .332 in the PCL with 15 homers and 83 RBI got him promoted for one full season in the majors in ‘48 when he saw action in 80 games for the Cubbies, hitting .252 with 54 hits, four homers and 27 RBI. It was not enough to stick, so Maddern settled in as a standout minor league player beginning in 1949. The year he wore this road uni, he batted .307 with 14 HR and 83 RBI, for the last-place Seraphs. Maddern is best remembered for his clutch grand slam in a one-game playoff against the S.F. Seals to win the 1947 PCL pennant for the Angels.
The gray, heavy wool jersey has “LOS ANGELES” across the chest and Maddern’s uniform No. “18” sewn on the back in blue felt. The sleeves of the button-up garment have six intended holes (as tailored) under each arm to facilitate ventilation. Wilson size “44” manufacturer’s tagging is found inside the rear collar. Inside the left front tail is a “49” strip tag to denote the season issued. The all-original jersey displays solid and consistent wear throughout, yet it remains super clean and incredibly well-preserved. Only the back numbers, with a few holes on the perimeter of the blue felt, show signs of aging. The matching pair of gray flannel pants are properly tagged by Wilson inside the rear waistband with a size “40” flag tag. A number resembling “18” [or “13”] and another number scratched out in black marker appear inside the front waistband. On the left rear is a two square-inch team repair, but the rest of the pants are nicely preserved, showing moderate and even wear. Completing this extraordinarily rare 1949 Angels road uniform set is a pair of navy stirrup socks with red stripes, showing lighter wear. The set was sourced from the esteemed Dick Dobbins Collection (the "mother" of all PCL collections) over two decades ago and has remained with the same owner ever since.