Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks

The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks are a collegiate summer baseball team which was founded in 1960 as an independent barnstorming team. The Goldpanners were charter members of the Alaska Baseball League at the league's inception in 1974. The Goldpanners play their home games at Growden Memorial Park in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. They also host the annual Midnight Sun Game at their home venue.

Like other amateur collegiate summer baseball teams, the Goldpanners operate in a similar manner to professional minor league organizations: playing a nightly schedule, using wooden bats, and with road trips of up to nine hours facing league competition.

History

Fairbanks' first national achievement came when the Pan-Alaska Gold Panners appeared in the 1962 NBC national championship game. Following a business re-organization led by W.G. Stroekcer in 1963, the team changed its name to the "Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks".

In 2008, former Goldpanner Bill "Spaceman" Lee returned to Fairbanks as an alumnus of the Midnight Sun Game. During his time with the club, which included a win for Lee in the Midnight Sun Game, Bill declared that the Goldpanners were "the number one amateur baseball organization in history."

Championships and honors

Notable alumni

Midnight Sun game

The players line up before the first pitch of the 2011 Midnight Sun Game.

First held in 1906, the annual Midnight Sun Game is held yearly in Fairbanks, hosted by the Goldpanners. The game, which begins at 10:30 PM on the night of the summer solstice, has gained the attention of international media.

Baseball America declared the game one of the "10 Must-See Baseball Events." In 2005, ESPN spotlighted the game during "50 States in 50 Days." ESPN The Magazine called the event the "#8 Ultimate Baseball Experience." The Sporting News declared that on the 21st of June, "Fairbanks is the Baseball Capitol of America". In 2012, Yankees Magazine declared the game "Baseball's Most Natural Promotion".

Quotes

"I've been lucky enough to attend many World Series, All-Star Games and Opening Days but the Midnight Sun Game is in a league of its own." – Greg Harris, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

"Everybody should have an opportunity to come to Alaska and see the Midnight Sun Game." – Bobby Doerr, Boston Red Sox alumnus and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer

2015 on-field staff

• Manager: Jeff Stephens
• Pitching Coach:
• Assistant Coach:

External links

• Official website
• Alaska Baseball League

Sports teams based in Alaska
Baseball	ABL: Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks Anchorage Bucs Anchorage Glacier Pilots Mat-Su Miners Peninsula Oilers Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks
Hockey	ECHL: Alaska Aces NAHL: Fairbanks Ice Dogs Kenai River Brown Bears
College athletics	NCAA Division II Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks