The original South Atlantic League was founded in 1904 and changed names after the 1963 season to the Southern League, at which time the Western Carolinas League became the modern South Atlantic League. The league was realigned by MLB in 2021, along with all of MiLB, and temporarily renamed the Double-A South. The Southern league name was restored ahead of the 2022 season.

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Sam C. Smith, Jr., 1964-1971

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Billy Hitchcock, 1971-1980

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Jimmy Bragan, 1981-1994

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Arnold D. Fielkow, 1994-2000

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Don Mincher, 2000-2011

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Lori M. Webb, 2012-2020

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