Long before the Fayetteville Woodpeckers first took to the field in 2019, the town of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was home to another team. The Cape Fear Crocs, Class A affiliate of the Montreal Expos, played for four seasons from 1997 to 2000.
Just as every man has to go through hell to reach paradise, the Cape Fear Crocs had to go through nearly two decades in the abyss before seeing the bright lights of the ballfield again. The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, Single A affiliate of the Houston Astros, will revive the classic brand when they play one game as the Crocs on “Baseball Heritage Night” this season.
The Crocs brand was definitely fun, but the reasoning for it was a bit suspect. While alligators are native to North Carolina, crocodiles are not—the northernmost extent of their range is in southern Florida. (As any naturalist will tell you, you can tell the difference because alligators will see you later, and crocodiles will see you in a while.) Also, Cape Fear is located roughly 90 miles from Fayetteville on the Atlantic Coast. (The setting of the movie Cape Fear in southern Georgia is even farther away.)
The Crocs were sold and moved to New Jersey, where they became the Lakewood Blue Claws in 2001.
