HISTORY OF THE OAKLAND A's BOOSTER CLUB

The Athletics’ Oakland years started when they moved from Kansas City and played their first game on April 17, 1968, in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum against the Baltimore Orioles. The A’s powerhouse years were about to begin...

Besides the new partnership with Oakland, the A’s also began a partnership with Bay Area fans and, in the same year, the Oakland A’s Booster Club was formed, with an official bond to the baseball club, beginning a relationship with fans that has lasted decades. We are proud to say that the A’s partnership with our club will celebrate its 50th year in 2018!

There are some Booster members who were part of the inception of the club attending Booster functions today. Both Don Murphy and Don Barreau are original Booster members and served on the Board of Directors. You may see Don Murphy at a luncheon or at a Sunday game in the Booster section. And, of course, several of our former board presidents from past decades are often present at Booster functions as well.

During the A’s glory years in the ‘70’s into the ‘80’s, the Club membership at one point topped more than 1,000 members.   These members enjoyed out-of-state Booster trips to other ballparks and baseball museums, spring training trips, as well as Oakland luncheons where they could meet Oakland A’s coaches and players.

In another partnership with the A’s Booster Club, Francesco’s Restaurant was home for over 35 years to the Booster Club Luncheons until the retirement of owner Theresa Erwin in 2016. Theresa was committed to the club and made every effort to make the luncheons a success, going out of her way to accommodate changes to the luncheon schedule. At each luncheon, the A’s would send a guest speaker as they do today in the form of a player or staff member to talk to the fans, and players would sign autographs.   Today, because of time constraints, players still provide autographs but it is on a baseball (instead of signing specialty items provided by members) and these autographed baseballs are raffled off during the luncheons.   The raffle, as it does today, features only A’s memorabilia items.

The format of the luncheons has changed a bit, but much of the tradition still remains with the same partnership with the A’s. The Booster Club luncheons are now held at the Home of the A’s – the East Side Club in the Oakland Coliseum. Currently, A’s announcer Dick Callahan serves as permanent emcee, and players, manager/coaches or other Oakland A’s staff participate at each luncheon, answering emcee questions and questions from the luncheon guests.

The Booster Club is proud to support the Bill King Scholarship Fund, which is part of the Oakland Athletics Community Fund. We solely fund a scholarship to a promising Bay Area broadcasting or journalism student in the name of Bill King, the winner of the 2017 Ford C. Frick Broadcasting Award. Bill King was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2017.

Other activities that the Booster Club has sponsored and are continuing today are:   (1) Sunday Ticket Packages - Tickets in the Booster section are priced at a generously discounted rate; (2) Spring Training trips to Arizona; (3) group road trips to watch the A’s on the road or with their minor league affiliate teams; (4) discounted merchandise and tickets in cooperation with the Oakland A’s. (5) And, of course, our luncheons with players/managers/A’s staff.

As an A’s fan, you should consider joining the Oakland A’s Booster Club to help us celebrate the next 50 years of Oakland A’s Baseball – ROOTED IN OAKLAND -- and our efforts to continue Bill King’s legacy by supporting the Bill King Scholarship Fund.

by Linda Burnett - 2018