The Nebraska State League was resurrected in 1956 as a class "D" rookie league. The league was owned by Major League Baseball and Grand Island was a farm club of the Kansas City A's. The league was structured so that the first game was played on July 1st and ended after 63 games on Labor Day.

Grand Island was the largest city in the league with a reported population of 22,500 in 1956. They managed to sell 656 season tickets for the first season of play.

Manager Art Mazmanian greeted the Grand Island Athletics as they prepared for the 1956 season. The Grand Island A's for 1956 wound up tied for second place at the end of the season. The 1957 Grand Island team won the league with a 33-22 record, 1/2 game ahead of Holdrege and Lexington. Future major league star Lou Klimchock held down the keystone sack for the A's. The 1958 season saw the Grand Island franchise fall to third place. Ron Debus did lead the league in batting average with a .393 average. The league contracted to six teams in 1959. The Grand Island team in 1959 still had Art Mazmanian at the helm and finished the season in third place. Jose Santiago was a 19 year old rookie pitcher for the A's in 1959.

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