A Ty Cobb/Brooklyn Connection?

[64Cards]

Question: In the mid-70's there was a sit-com called "Welcome Back Kotter" starring Gabe Kaplan as a high school teacher in Brooklyn. [Some guy named Travolta played one of his students,aka "The Sweathogs] At the end of the show, when they rolled the credits, they showed people in a real-life street scene in what I presume is Brooklyn. A girl was walking and wearing an athletic jacket and on the back, written in script was "Ty Cobbs Cheerleaders" I just happened to catch the end of a rerun today, so I'm wondering,is there a high school named after Cobb in Brooklyn or NYC? If there is, why? And if not, any idea what this refers to?

[Flatbush Flock]

Originally Posted by 64Cards

Question: In the mid-70's there was a sit-com called "Welcome Back Kotter" starring Gabe Kaplan as a high school teacher in Brooklyn. [Some guy named Travolta played one of his students,aka "The Sweathogs] At the end of the show, when they rolled the credits, they showed people in a real-life street scene in what I presume is Brooklyn. A girl was walking and wearing an athletic jacket and on the back, written in script was "Ty Cobbs Cheerleaders" I just happened to catch the end of a rerun today, so I'm wondering,is there a high school named after Cobb in Brooklyn or NYC? If there is, why? And if not, any idea what this refers to?

The only Ty Cobb/Brooklyn connection that I know of was that ace Brooklyn pitcher, Nap Rucker was Cobb's roomate in the minors.
There is no Ty Cobb school in Brooklyn. Welcome Back Kotter was supposed to be James Buchanan High School (It actually was New Utrecht). It's possible that there was a Ty Cobb League in Brooklyn like the Babe Ruth League, but I doubt it.

[bobw357]

I believe they were a youth baseball organization that fielded teams in different age groups. I think they played at the Parade Grounds.

[roastbaby]

There was and may still be a sandlot baseball organization that used the Ty Cobb name. I played agaist their teams in the 70's and 80's and they were, along with the Gil Hodges organization, one of the two best teams in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. I am also a graduate of New Utrecht High School whose appearance in Welcome Back Kotter spured your inquiry about Ty Cobb. They played at Bay 8th street fields in the shadow of the Verazano Bridge. And very likey at the Parade Grounds.

[FormerCobb]

Originally Posted by roastbaby

There was and may still be a sandlot baseball organization that used the Ty Cobb name. I played agaist their teams in the 70's and 80's and they were, along with the Gil Hodges organization, one of the two best teams in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. I am also a graduate of New Utrecht High School whose appearance in Welcome Back Kotter spured your inquiry about Ty Cobb. They played at Bay 8th street fields in the shadow of the Verazano Bridge. And very likey at the Parade Grounds.

Exactly..
Ty Cobb Athletic Association was a Bensonhurst based youth sports organization. The primary activity was Baseball, they also had a basketball program which is where the cheerleaders come from. I'm not sure if the organization is still in existence.

Basically all of their baseball teams played at Bay 8th, many also played in the Parade Ground League (PGL) and Marine Park (MPL) among some other fields/leagues. The Cobbs were among the elite of Brooklyn (In fact all of NYC) in sandlot ball along with the Bonnies, Cadets, Youth Service, and a handful of others. Over the years many AABC/NABF regional and national championship teams have come from those organizations, along with a number of Professional ballplayers. The competitive and skill levels were awesome among these teams thorugh the 70's and 80's, and I don't think that level really exists today.

Yes I'm a former Cobb from the early 80's

[tommy1221]

The Ty Cobb AA was a baseball youth organization started in started in the early 1940's by the late Jimmy (the Barber) Cercionne. He loved the way Cobb played and wrote a letter to him asking permission to use his name. The Cobb teams dominated Brooklyn NY sandlot baseball for over 40 years and also started a basketball program in the early 60's that was also one of the best in Brooklyn. The reason for the success of both the baseball and basketball programs was the knowledge and dedication of the coaches and the time they put into their teams. They also shared their knowledge with each other and that is how their basketball program became so dominant. The girls you saw were a couple of the cheerleaders we had for our basketball program. Our games for the most part were played in New Utrecht H.S. The organization folded in the late 80's due to lack of funds and not enough volunteers.