The Lutheran Dart League


The Lutheran Dart League was formed in 1932 to provide an opportunity for inexpensive Lutheran fellowship during the time of the “Great Depression.” Dart baseball was played with many of the same rules as baseball and so was understood by essentially all of the men who participated. Obviously, the game of dartball predated the Lutheran Dart League since the boards and darts were available and the first teams appeared to have knowledge of the game. The schedule for the first season, 1932-1933, referred to the league as the “Western Division” implying some level of organized darts was being played before 1932.

There were twelve teams that participated in the first season for the Lutheran Dart League. They were:

Ebenezer, Chicago   Concordia, Berwyn
Grace (OBC), Chicago   Immanuel, Elmhurst
Christ, Oak Park   Zion, Hinsdale
St. Paul, Oak Park   St. Paul, Brookfield
St. John, Forest Park   St. Marks, Chicago
Redeemer, Cicero   Nazareth, Chicago

Only two of the original 12 teams have fielded teams over the entire 75 years the league has operated: St. John Forest Park and Immanuel Elmhurst. The league grew rapidly, and reached its maximum in the 1950 - 1951 season with 45 teams. Since that time there has been a slow decline in the number of teams, to the present number of 14 teams.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the last few weeks of the 2019-20 season, along with that season's Championship Tournament. The 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons were canceled due to the pandemic. Since resuming after the pandemic, the League has been restuctured into two Divisions, A and B, each containing seven teams. The season runs from September through April, features an All-Star Game and concludes with a Championship Tournament featuring the best 12 teams. Trophies for each of the top four teams are presented at the Annual Awards Night Banquet, following the end of the season.



Portions excerpted from "Lutheran Dart League: 75 Years 1932 - 2007"