The South Atlantic League, nicknamed the SALLY League, was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the Southern United States intermittently from 1904 to 1963. Initially Class C league, it was elevated to Class B in 1921, Class A in 1946, and Double-A in 1963. The circuit was renamed the Southern League in 1964, and the league elected to maintain a new set of records from that season onward.
The original South Atlantic League was founded in 1904 by Charles W. Boyer and J.B. Lucy as a Class C league.[1] After a year of dormancy in 1918, it continued at that classification from 1919 to 1920 before being elevated to Class B in 1921.[2] The Great Depression caused the league to shut down from 1931 to 1935,[1] but it returned at Class B from 1936 to 1942.[2] Three more years of dormancy occurred during World War II, but the SALLY League was revived as a Class A circuit from 1946 to 1962.[2]
In 1963, it was reclassified as a Double-A league.[2] The circuit reorganized as the Southern League in 1964. To distance itself from its history at lower classifications, the newly-named league elected to start with a clean slate and not maintain records prior to the 1964 season. Thusly, the 51-year history of the league was retired with the South Atlantic League name.[1]
In 1980, the Western Carolinas League resurrected the name as it became the current South Atlantic League.[1][2]
League champions were determined by different means throughout the league's history.[3] Playoffs were held in most seasons, while in others the champions were simply the regular season pennant winners.[3]