Parks in football configuration

[tonypug]

Today most cities are building seperate stadiums for their baseball and football teams. Years ago that wasn't the case. I know all the NewYork ballparks, Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, Old Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium all had football games there. How about some of the other parks. I am especially curious as to whether Wrigley Field and Fenway park had football played there.

[Dizzy]

Busch Stadium used to host both the football and baseball cardinals. It also was the home of the Rams for a half of a season, until the Edward Jones (formally TWA) Dome was completed.

[west coast orange and black]

pac bell hosted an xfl team (yikes!) during that sole season.

[tonypug]

pac bell hosted an xfl team (yikes!) during that sole season.
The NFL must have been shaking in it's boots.

[Elvis]

Today most cities are building seperate stadiums for their baseball and football teams. Years ago that wasn't the case. I know all the NewYork ballparks, Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, Old Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium all had football games there. How about some of the other parks. I am especially curious as to whether Wrigley Field and Fenway park had football played there.
Wrigley Field was the home of the Chicago Bears from 1921-70. Fenway Park was home of the Patriots (1963-67) and the Redskins (1933-36).

http://www.BallparkTour.com is an excellent source for these things -- They list not only the baseball tenants of all ballparks, but football and negro league tenants as well.

Comiskey hosted the CChicago ardinals of the NFL, and Tiger Stadium was the Lions home for many years as well -- Just to name a few.

[Bluesteve32]

Anaheim was a great baseball park :clapping , then the Rams ruined it by enclosing the stadium. :grouchy

After Georgia :evil left So Cal :waving , the mouse :rolleyes: did manage a major renovation to the Big A and it is a fantastic baseball venue again. :dance :gt

Keep football out of baseball parks and loose the astroturf.

Oh yeah, the LA Coliseum was a baseball park, too that has a little football played there. :rolleyes:

[tonypug]

Wrigley Field was the home of the Chicago Bears from 1921-70. Fenway Park was home of the Patriots (1963-67) and the Redskins (1933-36).

http://www.BallparkTour.com is an excellent source for these things -- They list not only the baseball tenants of all ballparks, but football and negro league tenants as well.

Comiskey hosted the CChicago ardinals of the NFL, and Tiger Stadium was the Lions home for many years as well -- Just to name a few.
Thanks for the information.

[tonypug]

Some great baseball parks were torn down, just so football teams could bring in more fans. It seems the whole purpose of the cookie cutter stadiums was to appease the football teams, and oh by the way you can still plat baseball there.

[Bob Hannah]

Some great baseball parks were torn down, just so football teams could bring in more fans. It seems the whole purpose of the cookie cutter stadiums was to appease the football teams, and oh by the way you can still plat baseball there.
As is the case of RFK stadium.

The Washington Redskins played at both Griffith Stadium and at D.C./RFK Stadium. The Nationals will share RFK for the next three years with the D.C. United of Major League Soccer.

[tonypug]

As is the case of RFK stadium.

The Washington Redskins played at both Griffith Stadium and at D.C./RFK Stadium. The Nationals will share RFK for the next three years with the D.C. United of Major League Soccer.
Griffith Stadium had character, as I hope the new ballpark will have. RFK was just a place to play football and they can play baseball there too.

[JACKIE42]

http://www.bpl.org/store/IMGs/STMedium/tm_st10559.jpg

Action at Fenway Park.
October 12, 1934

[Ontarioguy]

Olympic Stadium was used for many sporting events, including football. The Montreal Allouettes played their from 1976 until 1997. The Allouettes have since moved to a smaller cosier downtown stadium. They now sell out every game.

Here's are some pictures and facts (http://www.ballparktour.com/Former_Montreal.html) about Olympic Stadium and its many uses.

[tonypug]

http://www.bpl.org/store/IMGs/STMedium/tm_st10559.jpg

Action at Fenway Park.
October 12, 1934
Always very timely, thanks Jackie. Gem Razor Blades, and Lifebuoy Soap signs seemed to be in a lot of ballparks in the 40's and 50's.

[tonypug]

Olympic Stadium was used for many sporting events, including football. The Montreal Allouettes played their from 1976 until 1997. The Allouettes have since moved to a smaller cosier downtown stadium. They now sell out every game.

Here's are some pictures and facts (http://www.ballparktour.com/Former_Montreal.html) about Olympic Stadium and its many uses.
Any idea where the Alouettes played before Olympic Stadium was opened?

[The Dude]

About half of the Packers home games from 1953-1993 were played in County Stadium.

[Ontarioguy]

Any idea where the Alouettes played before Olympic Stadium was opened?

For a good portion of their history they played at the stadium they play at today (http://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Montreal/veryoldindex.htm) . It's an old Stadium owned by Mcgill university. It was built in 1916. I've been there only once but it has the best athmosphere for football in Canada. If you sit in one grandstant you see the view of the Downtown skyline, if your on the other side you face a beautiful old building, the Royal Victoria hospital. They spent a brief time at the autostade (http://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Montreal/oldindex.htm)

Be sure to check out the 'pictures' link...they add to my description of the stadium.

[Aa3rt]

IIRC-the expansion Toronto Blue Jays moved into Exhibition Stadium in 1977 to share the the park with the Toronto Argonauts. The stadium was built for the CFL team (with it's wider field, as opposed to the NFL) and there was a separate, detached section of seats in left field and the centerfield wall was a moveable section of chain link fencing. I'm going by memory here folks, it's been over 25 years, so if I've forgotten or distorted my facts, don't crucify me. ;)

[Elvis]

IIRC-the expansion Toronto Blue Jays moved into Exhibition Stadium in 1977 to share the the park with the Toronto Argonauts. The stadium was built for the CFL team (with it's wider field, as opposed to the NFL) and there was a separate, detached section of seats in left field and the centerfield wall was a moveable section of chain link fencing. I'm going by memory here folks, it's been over 25 years, so if I've forgotten or distorted my facts, don't crucify me. ;)

Here's a photo of Exhibition Stadium's "North Grandstand" as it used to be. These stands were rebuilt in 1948.

For more see: http://www.ballparktour.com/Former_Toronto.html

[tonypug]

For a good portion of their history they played at the stadium they play at today (http://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Montreal/veryoldindex.htm) . It's an old Stadium owned by Mcgill university. It was built in 1916. I've been there only once but it has the best athmosphere for football in Canada. If you sit in one grandstant you see the view of the Downtown skyline, if your on the other side you face a beautiful old building, the Royal Victoria hospital. They spent a brief time at the autostade (http://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Montreal/oldindex.htm)

Be sure to check out the 'pictures' link...they add to my description of the stadium.
Great stuff, thanks.

[Chisox73]

When Candlestick Park opened in 1960,it was solely a baseball stadium.It became enclosed around 1972 to accomodate the 49ers who had played at Kezar Stadium since the teams inception in the late 40s.

[Chisox73]

Here are a couple of pics of The Stick,since renamed Monster Park(!)
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/candleold.jpg
This is Candlestick in the 1960s.

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/candlesitck.jpg
Here's Candlestick in it's football configuration.

[Augustin_"Gus"]

I enjoy reading about all those football teams who use to play in baseball stadiums. It reminds us of a not so distant past when baseball was the dominant sport in North America and football clubs were satisfied with sharing the names and the parks of the baseball team of their city. Watching a game between the NY Giants and the Boston Braves in december... Must have been something.

With Olympic stadium, Qualcomm in SD and a few others being vacated by baseball and/or football, theyre are only a handful of dual purpose stadiums left.

Dolphins stadium in Miami.
Oakland coliseum.
Rogers center (formerly known as Skydome)
H.H.H. Metrodome

I believe that's it as far as regular use is concern.

Pac Bell hosts the SF Bowl and the East-West Shrine classic.
The Insight Bowl is played at Bank one Ballpark.
There was a Seattle bowl for I believe two years, played at Safeco.

Worth mentionning that what is considered one of the greatest football games in NFL history, 1958 NFL championship between Baltimore and the Giants was played at Yankee stadium.

BTW Tonypug, the first home of the Montréal Alouettes in 1946 was le Stade Delorimier (Delorimier Downs if you prefer), home to the AAA affiliate of a certain national league BBall team (darn, can't remember wich one...)

[wamby]

http://www.bpl.org/store/IMGs/STMedium/tm_st10559.jpg

Action at Fenway Park.
October 12, 1934

Were the Redskins still playing in Boston in 1934?

[Elvis]

Were the Redskins still playing in Boston in 1934?

Boston Braves 1932 (Braves Field)
Boston Redskins 1933-1936 (Fenway Park)
Washington Redskins 1937-Present (Griffith, RFK, Redskins Stadium)

1936: After playing mediocre football most of the season, the Redskins win their final 3 games to capture the Eastern Division Championship with a 7-5 record. The stars of the 3-game Division winning streak is the Defense who allows only 6 points while the Skins out score their opponents 74-6. However, a big disappointment comes in their 30-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the next to last game of the season, when only 4,813 fans show up to watch them at Fenway Park. Owner George Preston Marshall is so enraged he gives up home field for the NFC Championship Game, choosing to face the Packers at New York's Polo Grounds. The Redskins were never really in the game as the Packers won the Championship with a 21-6 victory. The Redskins would go on to move to Washington following the season, due to lack of interest in Boston. After the Redskins departure the NFL would return unsuccessfully to Boston with a team called the Yanks that played from 1944-1948, as the city did not find a successful pro football team until the formation of the rival AFL and the Patriots in 1960.

[tonypug]

I enjoy reading about all those football teams who use to play in baseball stadiums. It reminds us of a not so distant past when baseball was the dominant sport in North America and football clubs were satisfied with sharing the names and the parks of the baseball team of their city. Watching a game between the NY Giants and the Boston Braves in december... Must have been something.

With Olympic stadium, Qualcomm in SD and a few others being vacated by baseball and/or football, theyre are only a handful of dual purpose stadiums left.

Dolphins stadium in Miami.
Oakland coliseum.
Rogers center (formerly known as Skydome)
H.H.H. Metrodome

I believe that's it as far as regular use is concern.

Pac Bell hosts the SF Bowl and the East-West Shrine classic.
The Insight Bowl is played at Bank one Ballpark.
There was a Seattle bowl for I believe two years, played at Safeco.

Worth mentionning that what is considered one of the greatest football games in NFL history, 1958 NFL championship between Baltimore and the Giants was played at Yankee stadium.

BTW Tonypug, the first home of the Montréal Alouettes in 1946 was le Stade Delorimier (Delorimier Downs if you prefer), home to the AAA affiliate of a certain national league BBall team (darn, can't remember wich one...)
Could you be referring to a team that played in a city that lost two teams in 1957? A team that was owned by some fat guy whose name makes me start cursing?

[west coast orange and black]

Here are a couple of pics of The Stick,since renamed Monster Park(!)
yeah. the "monster" in "monster park" is for "monster cables", the electronics supply company that had the highest bid for the naming rights.

network coliseum (forever "oakland coliseum" and "the house of thrills" to us locals) on the other side of the bay hosts the oakland athletics and the oakland raiders.

[tonypug]

As someone said earlier, when baseball was king football teams were happy to be tennants. As football became more of a focus municipalities built larger dual purpose stadiums to accomodate football teams and their larger crowds. Now as football has overtaken baseball( not in my mind) football teams have demanded their own stadiums. One of the by products of all this is we get more stadiums to talk about, and thats a good thing.

[trosmok]

Wrigley Field was the home of the Chicago Bears from 1921-70. Fenway Park was home of the Patriots (1963-67) and the Redskins (1933-36).

http://www.BallparkTour.com is an excellent source for these things -- They list not only the baseball tenants of all ballparks, but football and negro league tenants as well.

Comiskey hosted the CChicago ardinals of the NFL, and Tiger Stadium was the Lions home for many years as well -- Just to name a few.

As hard as it is to believe, Chicago's Soldier Field, even in it's current crazy configuration hasn't always been home to duh Bears. I remember watching Dick Butkus, Jack Concannon, Brian Piccolo. and Gale Sayers play at Wrigley Field. In those days, #40 returned kickoffs, punts, and was both the leading rusher and often the leading receiver. Small wonder his knees gave out before the rest of his body. Wrigley is far better suited for baseball, and I wonder if the advent of night football, and the lack of lights at Wrigley contributed to the monsters of the midway securing a new stadium. Any Chicago fans know?

[Chisox73]

I may be a little too young to remember this,but by 1970,the Bears' final season at Wrigley,the NFL was gaining populrity by leaps and bounds,also in the 1960s,the Bears were the only football game in town,after the Cardinals moved to St.Louis in 1960.

Wrigley Field was the smallest NFL venue by the time the 70s rolled around,holding roughly 35,000 for football.Soldier Field when it was biult in 1924 seated 120,000.But by the late 60s,it was just sitting on the lakefront,crumbling.It hosted the annual College Football All-Star Game.Thats' where the best college players took on the reigning NFL champions every August.

George Halas wanted to put more fannies in the seats,and he couldn't do it at Wrigley.So by moving to Soldier Field,he got an added 30,000 seats instantly.

[Chisox73]

http://images.auctionworks.com/hi/56/55554/wrigleyfieldfootball.jpg
Here's a picture of Wrigley Field in it's football configuration.Note the temporary football bleachers in right field.

[tonypug]

I never realized they had temporary bleachers for football at Wrigley. Thanks for the picture and info. I went to a New York Titans game at the Polo Grounds in the first year of the AFL. It was on a Saturday night, and just a few hundred fans were there, although they announced the crowd as 15,000. They must have counted everybody that drove by. It was a very strange feeling,sitting in an almost empty stadium. I never thought the AFL would last.

[Chisox73]

Glad I can help out there. I've always wondered myself how they did those football bleachers at Wrigley.They weren't moveable seats.They had to go somewhere when they weren't used.

[Luke E]

I am especially curious as to whether Wrigley Field and Fenway park had football played there.

The Bears' record at Wrigley Field is 221-89-22, which adds up to 322 games, which is the most by one team ever played in any stadium.

[Seattle1]

Safeco Field hosted a college football Bowl game once!

[efin98]

In addition to the Patriots Fenway Park also housed Boston's two Division 1 football programs for decades: Boston College Eagles until 1956 and Boston University Terriers until 1953.

[steveironcity]

Forbes Field was home of the Steelers from 1933- the early 60s

[soberdennis]

Anaheim was a great baseball park :clapping , then the Rams ruined it by enclosing the stadium. :grouchy

After Georgia :evil left So Cal :waving , the mouse :rolleyes: did manage a major renovation to the Big A and it is a fantastic baseball venue again. :dance :gt

Keep football out of baseball parks and loose the astroturf.

Oh yeah, the LA Coliseum was a baseball park, too that has a little football played there. :rolleyes:
I agree that stadiums are best used for a single purpose.
The LA Coleseum was a football stadium used for baseball. The only positive about that was the attenance records set in the 59 WS, which are untouchable.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Rockies played their first year in Mile High.
Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego is a perfect example of what can happen when a stadium is used for two sports. When the city wanted the Super Bowl, they expanded the stadium and made it less baseball friendly, eventually forcing tohe Padres to seek a new stadium.
KC had the right idea when they built seperate stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals in the 70's. It just took other cities a while to realize their folly in having dual purpose stadiums.

[Seattle1]

KC had the right idea when they built seperate stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals in the 70's. It just took other cities a while to realize their folly in having dual purpose stadiums.

Plus I never did like watching the early season football games where the teams are playing on infield dirt on part of the field. What a pain that must be for the ground crews to switch fields back and forth all September. Plus I bet there's been plenty a fielder who had to take an error because the ball took a bad hop on a divot from Sunday's football game. :laugh

[redbuck]

Of current parks, we've seen football in:

Turner Field (actually it was field events in 96 olympics but park has been reconfigured)
Shea Stadium
RFK Stadium
Dolphins Stadium
Wrigley Field
AT&T Park (San Francisco bowl, Cfb all star game)
Petco Park (Bowl game)
Chase Field (Insight bowl)
Yankee Stadium
Rogers Centre
Metrodome
Safeco Field (Seattle Bowl)
McAfee Coliseum
Angels Field (before reconfiguration)

And Tropicana hosted the 1999 Final Four and endured several years as a hockey arena

[Centreville82]

Busch Stadium used to host both the football and baseball cardinals. It also was the home of the Rams for a half of a season, until the Edward Jones (formally TWA) Dome was completed.
Yep, and

Sportsman's Park/Busch I- Cardinals (NFL) 1960-65

[Elvis]

Of current parks, we've seen football in:

Turner Field (actually it was field events in 96 olympics but park has been reconfigured)
Shea Stadium
RFK Stadium
Dolphins Stadium
Wrigley Field
AT&T Park (San Francisco bowl, Cfb all star game)
Petco Park (Bowl game)
Chase Field (Insight bowl)
Yankee Stadium
Rogers Centre
Metrodome
Safeco Field (Seattle Bowl)
McAfee Coliseum
Angels Field (before reconfiguration)

And Tropicana hosted the 1999 Final Four and endured several years as a hockey arena

You forgot Fenway, home of the Redskins and Patriots. Also, Angel Stadium is still used for big amateur football games from time to time.

[Alibi Ike]

The NFL Films Super Bowl Collection DVD box sets (stay with me here...) have each year's season recap films as extras. One of the things I enjoy about the seasons in the 60s and early 70s are football games at Yankee Stadium, Wrigley, Fenway, Cleveland, and even some more obvious ones like Metropolitan Stadium.

[Alibi Ike]

Forbes Field was home of the Steelers from 1933- the early 60s

Where did they play in between the early 60's and when 3 Rivers was built? Pitt?

[Elvis]

Where did they play in between the early 60's and when 3 Rivers was built? Pitt?

Pitt Stadium 1964-69.

[CAV]

I know Walt Garrison and he played fullback for the Dallas Cowboys from '66-'74 and one day I asked him if he ever played at Wrigley vs. the Bears and George Halas. Yes, he said. Early in his career the Cowboys played a few games at Wrigley. The one thing he remembered the most playing there was you had to be careful in the back corner of the end zone near the first base dugout. The first base, visitors’ dugout at Wrigley makes a 22 or so degree turn towards right field and because of this it was only a few short feet from the corner of the end zone. He said if you weren't careful you could fall several feet into the dugout and get hurt! I don't know if this ever happened, but I'm sure that eliminated the jump pass to that side of the field when a team was near the goal line.

[W_Marone]

The Vet hosted both Phillies and Eagles games. However, Pac Bell, or whatever its called now, SBC or AT&T has hosted numerous Futbol (soccer) games.

[wamby]

League Park hosted the Cleveland Rams until the end of the war, I think, when the Rams played at Cleveland Stadium. The Rams were such a lousy draw in Cleveland, that they played some games at a Cleveland high school field.

[Alibi Ike]

The Vet hosted both Phillies and Eagles games. However, Pac Bell, or whatever its called now, SBC or AT&T has hosted numerous Futbol (soccer) games.

I think someone mentioned it already, but Pac Bell/SBC/ATT hosts a college football bowl game.

[1995hoo]

Griffith Stadium had character, as I hope the new ballpark will have. RFK was just a place to play football and they can play baseball there too.
RFK was built primarily for baseball, and the seating arrangement reflects this—look at a seating chart or, better yet, a Google Maps or Google Earth satellite image, and you'll see that the upper level of the stadium is not circular like in most other dual-purpose stadiums, but is shaped for baseball. (The Google satellite views are good because they were taken before RFK was renovated for the Nationals, so the lower level stands are in football/soccer configuration and you get a good idea of why the upper level stands work for baseball but not so well for other sports.) While the stadium is old and lacks much character, the sight lines at RFK for baseball are in general as good as anyone's, except from the outfield seats, which are all upper-level and thus have an obstructed view of the deepest parts of the outfield.

[Brian McKenna]

baltimore's memorial stadium hosted:

baseball
ml orioles
international league orioles
bowie baysox

football
nfl colts
nfl ravens
usfl stars
cfl stallions

[Brownie31]

For many years the annual Army-Notre Dame game was at
Yankee Stadium. Also, in their early years the New York
Football Giants played at the Polo Grounds and later at
Yankee Stadium.

In the 1920s and 1930s Fordham and NYU were football
powers and Fordham played big games at the Polo Grounds
and NYU at Yankee Stadium.

In 1923, when Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds were
tied in for the World Series, the Army-Notr Dame game was
held at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

Birmingham's Rickwood Field hosted college games until
1927 when Legion Field opened.

Brownie31

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

For many years the annual Army-Notre Dame game was at
Yankee Stadium. Also, in their early years the New York
Football Giants played at the Polo Grounds and later at
Yankee Stadium.

In the 1920s and 1930s Fordham and NYU were football
powers and Fordham played big games at the Polo Grounds
and NYU at Yankee Stadium.

In 1923, when Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds were
tied in for the World Series, the Army-Notr Dame game was
held at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

Birmingham's Rickwood Field hosted college games until
1927 when Legion Field opened.

Brownie31
Besides the football giants the new york titans(JETS) used the polo grounds from 1960 until 1963 as there home field in the old AFL.

[Brownie31]

Besides the football giants the new york titans(JETS) used the polo grounds from 1960 until 1963 as there home field in the old AFL.

Also, St. Louis University and Washington University played
football games at Sportsman's Park, while Georgetown, George
Washington and Catholic University played at Griffith Stadium.

Before Pitt Stadium opened in 1925, Pitt played at Forbes Field,
as did Carnegie Tech and Duquesne.

The Detroit Lions played many years at Briggs/Tiger Stadium. The
University of Detroit opened it's own stadium in 1927, but
may have played prior to that at Navin Field, but I am not
sure of that.

Brownie31

[Brian McKenna]

griffith stadium was lent/rented to many colleges for both football and baseball - being in d.c. navy, army and the marines were big draws

the yankees stupidly scheduled (thinking it wouldn't matter) a football game between Columbia University and Williams College on the October 8, 1904 at Hilltop Park - they were forced to relocate a doubleheader to boston where they dumped both and effectively lost the pennant as boston was up by 1.5 with two to play

[efin98]

A scene that hasn't occured in decades: Fenway Park in "football" configuration...

Boston University vs. Fordham University

[efin98]

Ther other football sport was played at Fenway Park as well, for only one year though...

[efin98]

For quite a while Fenway has housed football, going back well before the current configuration was laid out...

[bluezebra]

Wrigley Field was the home of the Chicago Bears from 1921-70. Fenway Park was home of the Patriots (1963-67) and the Redskins (1933-36).

http://www.BallparkTour.com is an excellent source for these things -- They list not only the baseball tenants of all ballparks, but football and negro league tenants as well.

Comiskey hosted the CChicago ardinals of the NFL, and Tiger Stadium was the Lions home for many years as well -- Just to name a few.

When the Bears played at Wrigley Field, temporary, moveable stands were set up in front of the right field bleachers. The field was laid out from the first base stands to the left field bleacher wall. The end zones were flush with the walls, and it was said that they weren't a true 10 yards.

When George Blanda quarterbacked, and place-kicked for the Bears, I remember him kicking off over the bleachers into Waveland Ave.

Bob

[soberdennis]

Were the Redskins still playing in Boston in 1934?
the Redskins moved to Washington in time for Sammy Baugh's debut in 1937.

[soberdennis]

I never realized they had temporary bleachers for football at Wrigley. Thanks for the picture and info. I went to a New York Titans game at the Polo Grounds in the first year of the AFL. It was on a Saturday night, and just a few hundred fans were there, although they announced the crowd as 15,000. They must have counted everybody that drove by. It was a very strange feeling,sitting in an almost empty stadium. I never thought the AFL would last.
The Titans had fans in the stands during their games? How much did Harry Wismer pay you?

[soberdennis]

Plus I never did like watching the early season football games where the teams are playing on infield dirt on part of the field. What a pain that must be for the ground crews to switch fields back and forth all September. Plus I bet there's been plenty a fielder who had to take an error because the ball took a bad hop on a divot from Sunday's football game. :laugh
I remember that until they took residence in New Jersey, the Jets had possibly the worst deal a football team could have. They played their haome games in Shea, but had to wait until the Mets' season was over. In 1969 adn1973, they had to reschedule home games til after the WS. Would you like to be forced to begin the season with a month-long road trip every year? At least the Saints' roadtrip was only temporary.

[tonypug]

The Titans had fans in the stands during their games? How much did Harry Wismer pay you?
It was a good place to go for a little quiet time. Each one of us was counted as 1,000.

[ACrank]

Fenway Park was home of the following NFL teams:

Boston Redskins (1932-37) (known as Boston Braves 1932; now Washington Redskins)
Boston Yanks (1944-48) (now Indianapolis Colts)
Boston (now New England) Patriots (1963-68)

(Great thread, btw) the part about the Boston Yanks becoming the Indianapolis Colts didn't sit right with me - i know the Colts were the original Dallas Texans franchise, but i didn't see the connection between the Yanks and the Colts.

Found this article:

http://www.footballresearch.com/articles/frpage.cfm?topic=day-ind

2. Boston Yanks (1944), Yanks (Merger with Brooklyn, 1945), Boston Yanks (1946-48). End of NFL franchise.

6. Dallas Texans (1952). End NFL franchise. Team played out of Hershey, Pa., for final five games.

7. Baltimore Colts II (1953-1983), Indianapolis Colts (1984- on). Franchise still active.

and pro football reference lists this:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/bykindex.htm

I apologize for this - anal retentiveness is an issue with me (lol).

[Brian McKenna]

i agree with your franchise lineage

i believe the Texans became the Colts II in 1953

but that web site is full of tons of errors - only the published encyclopedias are to be trusted - i think one come out soon - on the plus side i think sean lahman has a new football stat site coming out

[CAV]

bump bump bump!

[CanadianKid]

Don't know if this was posted but Toronto Blue Jays share the Rogers Centre(Skydome) with the CFL team the Toronto Argonauts.

And don't the Dolphins share with the Marlins and same with the Raiders sharing with the A's? I might be wrong.

[fox]

I know 2 years ago in the Metrodome a Twins game actually had to be "postponed" due to a Minnesota Gophers game. They were in the race for the division tittle too. The game went into extra innings on Saturday afternoon and it ended abruptly with a tie that day to be continued Sunday before the game scheduled for that day. Man was the Twins coach furious! As well as the local cranks!:grouchy The Metrodome needed the game over at a certain time to set up the feild for the football game. I'm so glad we are getting a new baseball only stadium.:clapping

[wamby]

i agree with your franchise lineage

i believe the Texans became the Colts II in 1953

but that web site is full of tons of errors - only the published encyclopedias are to be trusted - i think one come out soon - on the plus side i think sean lahman has a new football stat site coming out

The Colts I were part of the AAFC, and joined the NFL in 1950, along with the Browns and 49ers. I believe the Colts I went out of business after the 1951 season.

[The Old Ballgame]

See, teams sharing a stadium is a tough situation for everyone. But would it really be fair to the college kids, who have to go back to school the next day, and play 13 games a year, to cancel their game?

[Dodger Dante]

yeah. the "monster" in "monster park" is for "monster cables", the electronics supply company that had the highest bid for the naming rights.

network coliseum (forever "oakland coliseum" and "the house of thrills" to us locals) on the other side of the bay hosts the oakland athletics and the oakland raiders.

Is it the only stadium that had the football field running directly from 1B to 3B instead of up the middle or up one of the foul lines? The foul territory is huge there to accommodate the 120 or so yards needed.

Tear down Mt. Davis!

[jrh31584]

Is it the only stadium that had the football field running directly from 1B to 3B instead of up the middle or up one of the foul lines? The foul territory is huge there to accommodate the 120 or so yards needed.

Tear down Mt. Davis!

In Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium, the football field was laid out in a similar fashion, but further out in the outfield.

[1995hoo]

baltimore's memorial stadium hosted:

baseball
ml orioles
international league orioles
bowie baysox

football
nfl colts
nfl ravens
usfl stars
cfl stallions
The Stars never actually played in Memorial Stadium. They played in Byrd Stadium at the University of Maryland in College Park the one year they were the Baltimore Stars, prompting Sports Illustrated to joke that they should be called the I-95 Stars because the team's offices were still in Philadelphia. Had the league survived into 1986 they might have played in Baltimore, but we'll never know.

[Big Whiskey]

The Detroit Lions played many years at Briggs/Tiger Stadium. The
University of Detroit opened it's own stadium in 1927, but
may have played prior to that at Navin Field, but I am not
sure of that.

Brownie31

They played at Tiger Stadium from 1938 to 1974. (The Silverdome opened in 1975) Prior to that, they played in the aforementioned U of D stadium for four years after moving to Detroit from the Ohio town of Portsmouth

[Paulmcall]

Norte Dame introduced the four horsemen in their backfield for the first time in the 1923 game at Ebbets Field.

[nymdan]

Here are some really interesting pictures I found of AT&T Park set up for a football game.

Use this thread to post pictures of other baseball stadiums in football configuration... either parks designed for baseball with football stadiums squeezed in, or cookie cutters designed for both.

http://www.emeraldbowl.org/images/EWSGfield.jpg

http://images.buildingthedam.com/images/admin/SernaShank.jpg

http://www.emeraldbowl.org/images/game_2006_sidebar.jpg

http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2160/2147784120_8d5a69e260.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2152609117_24eb47d803.jpg

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/19/74/e0/caption.jpg

[marlins739]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Dolphin_Stadium_baseball_diamond.jpg/800px-Dolphin_Stadium_baseball_diamond.jpg

Dolphin Stadium in football configuration. The Dolphins' former kicker Olindo Mare used to complain about having to kick on the dirt, but now he's on the rug in New Orleans and he's not doing much better. The seats down the first base line and the Marlins' bullpen stay for football games, but the end zone cuts into the same seats on the third-base line so these come out for football. All Marlins paraphernalia is covered up for football, unlike for baseball, when the Ring of Fame is open for all to see. The left field seats retract, and the infield dirt is covered up after baseball season ends.

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/5/58/300px-Dolphinstadiumvikes.jpg

After baseball season, the infield dirt is covered up, they paint the field all fancy for the Dolphins and they cut the grass to match. Notice though how much dead space is left behind the benches in football configuration - the stadium is much wider than it needs to be, which Joe Robbie did on purpose with the thought of a future baseball team in mind.

[Kentucky Bomber]

From the 1964 encyclopedia of Football: how to squeeze a football field into baseball parks.

[PeteU]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Dolphin_Stadium_baseball_diamond.jpg/800px-Dolphin_Stadium_baseball_diamond.jpg

.

This photo is actually pretty much representative of what the baseball layout of Dolphin/Joe Robbie Stadium was in exhibition games in 1988-90. The stands didn't retract before 1991, so left field was I believe 273 feet away. They added a 25 foot mesh wire screen in left to make it a little easier, but nonetheless it didn't take much to knock it out.

[PeteU]

How about this for one....Baltimore Memorial Stadium....with a Canadian football field on it!:

http://www.geocities.com/cfl_historical/US-CFL/Baltimore-MemorialStadium.JPG

Not only was the distance from endzone to endzone 10 yards longer, but the endzones themselves were about 5 yards deeper, and the goalposts were on the goal line as opposed to being at the end of the endzone (as it used to be in the old days of the NFL).

[StanTheMan]

The Polo Grounds haters are lurking..... but I will make sure their tax return is audited by the IRS if the bash too much......

[efin98]

Fenway Park in football configuration for the Boston Patriots

http://sportstemples.bpl.org/IMGs/STMedium/tm_st10786.jpg

[efin98]

Hard to find shots of Braves Field in football configuration but here was their primary football tenant, Boston College(30s and 40s, longer than Boston Redskins and Boston University)

http://sportstemples.bpl.org/IMGs/STMedium/tm_st10558.jpg

The only shot that I could find showing the gridiron, taken after the Braves moved out and shortly before they tore down the bulk of the stadium.

http://sportstemples.bpl.org/IMGs/STMedium/tm_st10394.jpg

[PeteU]

Sort of blurry, but here's one of the BOB when it hosted a college football game:

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/bd/180px-Chasemain.jpg

[zxasqw12]

This is a great thread idea. An excellent site for pix like these is Stadiums of the NFL at http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past.htm

Here's one of Shea Stadium in configuration for the NY Jets that I had on hand- not sure of the source for this...

[zxasqw12]

From the 1964 encyclopedia of Football: how to squeeze a football field into baseball parks.

Interesting- thanks very much for posting this. Whenever I see Bears footage shot in Wrigley during the 50's and 60's, I'm always struck at how dangerously close the LF wall seemed be to the north end zone. But after looking at the diagram of Wrigley that you provided, it appears the that south end zone practically intersects with the stands along the first base line.

Must have been great seats if a TD was coming right at you

[nymdan]

Sort of blurry, but here's one of the BOB when it hosted a college football game:

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/bd/180px-Chasemain.jpg

Here are a few more:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1286/1287403489_4a6926d79c.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/83185269_51ec562e4b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/128449669_c73255791a_o.jpg

[nymdan]

Milwaukee County Stadium:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Countystadium_football.jpg

[J.R.]

Interesting- thanks very much for posting this. Whenever I see Bears footage shot in Wrigley during the 50's and 60's, I'm always struck at how dangerously close the LF wall seemed be to the north end zone. But after looking at the diagram of Wrigley that you provided, it appears the that south end zone practically intersects with the stands along the first base line.

Must have been great seats if a TD was coming right at you

Part of the end zone was suspended over the first base dugout.

[Seattle1]

The 2001 "Seattle Bowl" between Georgia Tech and Stanford was played at Safeco Field. Can't find any photos online of the field configuration at the moment though. The following year the Seattle Bowl moved across the street to the newly opened Qwest Field (then Seahawks Stadium).

[Seattle1]

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/geot/galleries/seattle-bowl/a-team-122701-lg.jpg

Here's the best I can find so far.

[Steven Tyler]

Part of the end zone was suspended over the first base dugout.

I could be wrong, but I think that end zone was only nine yards deep, not ten.

[TJH1923]

I don't think I've ever seen Ebbets Field in a football configuration. Here are YS and PG.

[hofflalu]

Of course, Metropolitan Stadium:

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/minvik.jpg

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/metro365.jpg

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/metromain.jpg

And, if you can find them, there are photos of the original Met Stadium football configuration in the early 60's, when the old movable single-deck left-field bleachers were moved in so the sidelines were next to the stands on both sides.

[PeteU]

Memorial Stadium when it was the home of the Colts...

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/mem31.jpg

...and the Ravens...

http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=256&size=550x550_mb&ptp_photo_id=305951

I noticed the field for the Colts was pushed back further towards the home plate area, whereas for the Ravens it was a bit more forward. The Colts version had the smaller endzone bleachers, which remained during baseball season, although they were not used for baseball. When the Ravens came, a larger endzone bleacher section was built.

[hofflalu]

After baseball season, the infield dirt is covered up, they paint the field all fancy for the Dolphins and they cut the grass to match. Notice though how much dead space is left behind the benches in football configuration - the stadium is much wider than it needs to be, which Joe Robbie did on purpose with the thought of a future baseball team in mind.

I believe during those weeks where the baseball layout is still on the field, they cover up the exposed warning track in the corner of the SW end zone with artificial turf. Or, at least they used to. Which means that, technically speaking, for a few weeks the Dolphins play on grass and turf. :)

[Kentucky Bomber]

Wrigley...

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/wrigmain.jpg

[stumpmerrill]

Another Jets pic at Shea:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1137/1434886631_5f5ed998ec.jpg

Atlanta Fulton Country Stadium:

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/atlmain.jpg

Bears at Wrigley Field:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1083/642401302_b0051e97c4.jpg

[PeteU]

One of the most fascinating baseball/football configurations used to be the Oakland Coliseum, pre-Mount Davis. Why? Because there was not just one, but rather two football configurations.

For most of the football season after October, the Oakland Coliseum looked like this, with the football field being laid out across the baseball field from left field to right field:

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/afc/net101.jpg

However, from August to October, when baseball was still being played, the temporary sideline grandstand across the baseball outfield was too difficult to take down quickly for a baseball conversion. So, instead, they had the football field going from home plate to center field. I couldn't find any pictures of this layout, but I'm sure if I did deeper, I'll find them.

Of course, upon Mount Davis being built, the sideline grandstands were made easily retractable into the center field grandstands, so a much quicker football to baseball conversion was possible and the football field is now always from left field to right field.

I am curious though as to how it used to work for Raiders season ticket holders. Were the fans who paid for 50 yard line seats relocated for the August to October games? Or did fans purchase tickets for the same seats year round and thus got endzone seats the first few games and then 50 yard seats for the rest of the season?

[Guinnypint]

Heres a pic of Tiger Stadium home of the Lions in 1938-39 then from 1941-74

[stlfan]

Heres a pic of Tiger Stadium home of the Lions in 1938-39 then from 1941-74

Where did the Lions play in 1940?

[Guinnypint]

The Lions played there home games at University of Detroit Stadium from 1934-37 and again in 1940. I have no info as to why the Lions went back to U of D for the 1940 season

[EdTarbusz]

The Lions played there home games at University of Detroit Stadium from 1934-37 and again in 1940. I have no info as to why the Lions went back to U of D for the 1940 season

Maybe the rent was better at U of D that year. The Tigers may have thought they could make a serious run in 1940 and wnated the park available if they reached the World Series.

The Lions sound similar to the Cleveland Rams who bounced around from League Park to Shaw High School to Municipal Stadium.

[hofflalu]

And, lo and behold, here's a photo of Met Stadium in its original football configuration from the early 1960s. I was reminded of this by accident today when I was looking for something else and saw my "Purple Hearts & Golden Memories" book -- which just so happens to have a photo of that football configuration on the front. Thankfully I found the cover image on the net; here's the cover of the book:

http://vh1-content.vcommerce.com/products/fullsize/803/1474803.jpg

Actually, it looks like a football-only set of bleachers, since in this photo, the original early '60s left field bleachers were much smaller than the football bleachers:

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/photo/2002_history/met_night580x222.jpg

Then came the 1964 construction of the fixed double-decked left field grandstand, which resulted in the super-wide sideline space around the football field.

[Chevy114]

Although most of these look horrible for views, some work. My least fav. is pac bell in san fran because both teams have to share a sideline. I can't imgaine only being aloud to go to the 50 to talk to your team that could be on the one year line.

[Guinnypint]

Although most of these look horrible for views, some work. My least fav. is pac bell in san fran because both teams have to share a sideline. I can't imgaine only being aloud to go to the 50 to talk to your team that could be on the one year line.

I believe that both teams shared the same sideline at County Stadium in Milwaukee when the Packers played a couple home games a year there

[Chevy114]

Oh God, its bad enough for a meaningless college bowl game, but for a real nfl, I would smack someone!

[Chevy114]

My fav. is probably the polo grounds, with that long outfield, it looks like a decent place to watch a football game!

[stlfan]

Hey hofflalu, looking at the cover photo of what you posted, it looks like the photo is before they put in the double decked grandstand in left field. But it also looks like that they took the temporary bleachers that ran down the 3rd baseline and moved them out to left field for the football configuration. Notice the lack of bleachers down the 3rd baseline in the photo. Can anyone who went to games there around that time confirm this?

[MattD1972]

Interesting- thanks very much for posting this. Whenever I see Bears footage shot in Wrigley during the 50's and 60's, I'm always struck at how dangerously close the LF wall seemed be to the north end zone. But after looking at the diagram of Wrigley that you provided, it appears the that south end zone practically intersects with the stands along the first base line.

Must have been great seats if a TD was coming right at you
Apparently, you had to be really, really careful when you were near that corner of the end zone, as it fell right away into the dugout.
I know the NFL wasn't as popular as ut is now, but why would George Halas play in such an ill-suited stadium when you had an ideal-looking football stadium (Soldier Field) sitting vacant on the lakefront for most of the year? The Bears only moved when the NFL forced all teams into bigger stadium after the merger.

[bleacherbum73]

Here is a picture of Busch Stadium II. This pic was taken right before the first home game for the St.Louis Rams in 1995. Note the exposed basepits. About an hour before kickoff officials noticed that the astoturf coverings on the pits had a wide exposed gap all around. As NFL football at that point had not been played at Busch on a regular basis since 1988, only highschool and sparadic college, it went unnoticed. So they had to pull up the "carpeting" and play. Also note the addition of temporary stands in the corners next to where the dugouts would have been. When the stands were moved they filled these in and added 5,000 to the stadium capacity. This was never done in the years the St.Louis Football Cardinals played there (1966-1987). I believe capacity for Rams games was nearly 62,000. The Rams played the first half(4games) of their home schedule there before moving into their current dome stadium. After football Busch Stadium underwent remodeling which included removal of athe artificial turf and replaced with grass, adding bullpens beyond the right and left field wall, manual scoreboard in the upper deck, and repainting , replacing the blue with dark green, and reangling the field seats to face the infield down the right and left field lines, eliminating the stands from moving. This was the way it remained for the last 10 years of it's existance.

[EdTarbusz]

Apparently, you had to be really, really careful when you were near that corner of the end zone, as it fell right away into the dugout.
I know the NFL wasn't as popular as ut is now, but why would George Halas play in such an ill-suited stadium when you had an ideal-looking football stadium (Soldier Field) sitting vacant on the lakefront for most of the year? The Bears only moved when the NFL forced all teams into bigger stadium after the merger.

Did the Chicago Cardinals play at Soldier Field?

[stlfan]

bleacherbum73, I was on the field doing camerawork at that game at Busch II. I used to have the poster of that image and would say,"See that dot right there, that's me." Because I knew right where I was when they released the baloons and the players came out onto the field. Looking back I wish I would have brought my own still camera to take neat photos.

[bleacherbum73]

Stlfan, football at Busch II was much better than the dome we have now. The dome gets loud, but when we had exciting football at Busch that place would be rocking. ( Of course, we didn't have too many good football seasons at Busch) Football was meant to be played outdoors. I really wish we could add a retractable roof to the dome here in St.L.

[Twins91871977]

Here's a pic of the Then Chicago Cardinals hosting Green Bay at the old Comisky.
http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/gallery/data/2/medium/PackersCardinalsComiskey11-12-46.jpg

[stlfan]

Stlfan, football at Busch II was much better than the dome we have now. The dome gets loud, but when we had exciting football at Busch that place would be rocking. ( Of course, we didn't have too many good football seasons at Busch) Football was meant to be played outdoors. I really wish we could add a retractable roof to the dome here in St.L.

I agree, the dome is lifeless. 13 years later and the place isn't impressive, though they say they will make it nicer and spruce it up. Football is meant to be played outdoors and St. Louisans were able to brave the elements at Sportmans Park/Busch I and Busch II. Take the roof off!

The problem is when they planned and built it we didn't have a team. Part of the selling point was that it would be added convention space for the America's Center in which it is connected to. I guess we are stuck with it. I think it would be fun if they held an exhibition game or something at Busch III. It sure would be interesting to see what kind of layout they would come up with. I wish i was home right now because I want to do a little photoshopping and come up with some renderings. I don't see why the powers that be at Busch III would oppose the notion, considering that they are planning on having concerts.

[bleacherbum73]

I agree, the dome is lifeless. 13 years later and the place isn't impressive, though they say they will make it nicer and spruce it up. Football is meant to be played outdoors and St. Louisans were able to brave the elements at Sportmans Park/Busch I and Busch II. Take the roof off!

The problem is when they planned and built it we didn't have a team. Part of the selling point was that it would be added convention space for the America's Center in which it is connected to. I guess we are stuck with it. I think it would be fun if they held an exhibition game or something at Busch III. It sure would be interesting to see what kind of layout they would come up with. I wish i was home right now because I want to do a little photoshopping and come up with some renderings. I don't see why the powers that be at Busch III would oppose the notion, considering that they are planning on having concerts.

I doubt the Cards would have a problem letting them use it for 1 football game. As long as they get their rental fee for using the stadium and the football team pays for any resodding. I have heard that they plan on hosting at least 2-3 concerts a year, with this years Dave Matthews concert the first, and still rumors of a Sammy Hagar concert in July.

[stlfan]

Hey bleacherbum73, here is my concept of Busch Stadium III in football configuration. Of course any left field seating could not be used. I put temporary bleachers closer to the football field in left field. I think it would be really interesting to have a football game at Busch III.

[nymdan]

Is there any way a football field could fit onto the field at Shea with the baseball seating configuration?

A blogger at Newsday suggested the Jets should play there one last time.
http://blogs.trb.com/sports/football/jets/blog/2008/03/jets_at_shea.html

[HollandsComet]

Oh God, its bad enough for a meaningless college bowl game, but for a real nfl, I would smack someone!

Amen to that! And it's not like there aren't any other football stadiums in the Bay Area--Candlestick, Oakland Coliseum, Stanford, Cal-Berkeley, San Jose State--what on earth are they doing playing in a baseball stadium? Heck, I say resurrect Kezar Stadium, if worse comes to worse! :noidea

[HollandsComet]

Apparently, you had to be really, really careful when you were near that corner of the end zone, as it fell right away into the dugout.
I know the NFL wasn't as popular as ut is now, but why would George Halas play in such an ill-suited stadium when you had an ideal-looking football stadium (Soldier Field) sitting vacant on the lakefront for most of the year? The Bears only moved when the NFL forced all teams into bigger stadium after the merger.

I wondered the same thing for the longest time, but a guy who runs a Bears history website shed some light on it, if this helps:

My understanding is Soldier Field was never built to be a football stadium, its early intention was for track & field, boxing, car races, a ski jump, Papal visits, etc. As bad as the sitelines were from 1971-2001, they were way worse before the north end zone stands were built.

The baseball stadiums had better views and the arrangement worked for Halas until 1970, when the NFL required teams to play in stadiums seating at least 50,000. The Bears even tried Dyche Stadium first, but Evanston quickly passed an ordinance to keep them out, so Soldier Field was the only option.

[HollandsComet]

Stlfan, football at Busch II was much better than the dome we have now. The dome gets loud, but when we had exciting football at Busch that place would be rocking. ( Of course, we didn't have too many good football seasons at Busch) Football was meant to be played outdoors. I really wish we could add a retractable roof to the dome here in St.L.

I remember thinking the same thing when I attended a game at the Dome on a beautiful November afternoon--wouldn't it be sweet if we were outside for this? St. Louis should do like the group Parliament once advocated and "Tear Da Roof Off Da Sucker!" Same goes for the Metrodome too...

[HollandsComet]

I believe that both teams shared the same sideline at County Stadium in Milwaukee when the Packers played a couple home games a year there

Ditto for old Municipal Stadium here in Kansas City, a pic of which I'm attaching. The temporary bleachers in left and left-center field were the reason the Chiefs always had to begin their seasons with 3-4 road games every year (except in '68 after the A's bolted for Oakland and before the arrival of the Royals). I always wondered where those bleachers were stored the rest of the year...

[efin98]

Is there any way a football field could fit onto the field at Shea with the baseball seating configuration?

A blogger at Newsday suggested the Jets should play there one last time.
http://blogs.trb.com/sports/football/jets/blog/2008/03/jets_at_shea.html

There should be enough space to fit in the field, only problem would be a loss of capacity...even with temporary end zone bleachers they would stand to lose a good 10,000-18,000 or so seats.

[Hank 755]

Oh God, its bad enough for a meaningless college bowl game, but for a real nfl, I would smack someone!

If you said that in Milwaukee you would be killed. Many people in Milwaukee were devastated when the Packers left, granted two games were set aside each year to be sold exclusively to Milwaukee residents, but there was something special about the Green Bay Packers playing in Milwaukee County Stadium. It was like a playoff game or something special. Not just the normal regular season game.

I wish they would find a way to get the Packers to play in Miller Park. even if it's a pre-season game. You have no idea how hard it is to get a freaking pre-season game in Wisconsin, let alone a regular season game. (20 year waiting list

[efin98]

If you said that in Milwaukee you would be killed. Many people in Milwaukee were devastated when the Packers left, granted two games were set aside each year to be sold exclusively to Milwaukee residents, but there was something special about the Green Bay Packers playing in Milwaukee County Stadium. It was like a playoff game or something special. Not just the normal regular season game.

I wish they would find a way to get the Packers to play in Miller Park. even if it's a pre-season game. You have no idea how hard it is to get a freaking pre-season game in Wisconsin, let alone a regular season game. (20 year waiting list

There's enough space in the stadium to house a field, problem may be if they could orient the field enough to allow temporary bleachers to be installed on either the rightfield or leftfield side.

[Twins91871977]

I've been looking hard for picture of Griffith Stadium in Redskins Configuration, can't seem to find any. All I do know is, that's the ballpark where an announcement over the PA called for all of the generals and higher-ups to report to the pentagon during Pearl Harbor.

[tdinan]

The Lions played there home games at University of Detroit Stadium from 1934-37 and again in 1940. I have no info as to why the Lions went back to U of D for the 1940 season

Dinan Field was the name of the stadium.

[Seattle1]

Ok I found another shot from the 2001 Seattle Bowl, but still can't find anything that really shows the field configuration. Sorry everybody! :(

[64Cards]

I agree, the dome is lifeless. 13 years later and the place isn't impressive, though they say they will make it nicer and spruce it up. Football is meant to be played outdoors and St. Louisans were able to brave the elements at Sportmans Park/Busch I and Busch II. Take the roof off!
.

Agreed!!! I just hate going downtown on a nice autumn day, tailgating and then going to sit inside that ugly, dark warehouse and listen to commercials blare during all the timeouts.

I'd be willing to bet they will probably put a retractable out by Earth City in 10-15 years, the Ed Dome only seats about 65K, plus if they put out west they can have it surrounded by parking, the Rams get little of that revenue downtown. But in 10 years they can probably get $40 per car to park X 25K spaces= $$$$$$$, and parking has very little overhead. Probably another reason O'Malley found the Chavez Ravine setup so appealing.

BTW, great thread, I loved when the NFL mostly played in bb parks.

[machpost]

I remember reading sometime last year that the District of Columbia is thinking about hosting a college football bowl game this year, to be called the Congressional Bowl. It would feature one of the service academies, probably Navy, and would most likely be held at Nationals Park. I'm not sure how well its field dimensions would support a regulation gridiron, but I guess it would have a similar configuration as the Emerald Bowl at AT&T Park.

EDIT: Here's the article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802377.html) from the Washington Post.

[HollandsComet]

Here are a few football in baseball stadium pics from my collection. Top to bottom: Rams at Anaheim Stadium; Falcons at Fulton-County; Vikings at The Met; Jets at Shea. Enjoy...

[efin98]

I remember reading sometime last year that the District of Columbia is thinking about hosting a college football bowl game this year, to be called the Congressional Bowl. It would feature one of the service academies, probably Navy, and would most likely be held at Nationals Park. I'm not sure how well its field dimensions would support a regulation gridiron, but I guess it would have a similar configuration as the Emerald Bowl at AT&T Park.

EDIT: Here's the article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802377.html) from the Washington Post.

Looks like the only way possible to fit in the gridiron would be to have it directly on top of the diamond with one end zone near the backstop and the other near centerfield...

[stlfan]

Here are a few football in baseball stadium pics from my collection. Top to bottom: Rams at Anaheim Stadium; Falcons at Fulton-County; Vikings at The Met; Jets at Shea. Enjoy...

Sorry, but the one of Shea is a TERRIBLE photoshop job. Take a look at it closer. The same person that did that one did one that I have seen of Yankee Stadium as well.

[Milwaukee T]

1) Thank you all for posting those photos. It is a treat to see all those once again.

2) What! No Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, or Houston? Please no Seattle though. And where is Montreal?

3) Miller Park: there was talk of bringing a bowl goame to the park. They had the same group that worked with the set up in SF, Pho, and Sea. It was more than feasable as far the field. The problem is when and how do you attract fans to Wisconsin in the middle of winter to watch a bowl game in a stadium with no heat. Opening Day comes in April and it is still warmer at most hockey games than it is for those openers.

4) Old County Stadium was going to be used for the CFL during the expansion south. It was going to be one of the first choices along with Baltimore. The NFL was watching that closely as that was coming close to breaking a deal the two leagues had of not invaiding the other's territory. It all went by the wayside though after it was discovered that the movable bleachers had been cemented in by some geneous in the late 80s.

[Astros]

Here are some photos of the Astrodome in football configuration.

The first is the first football game played in the Dome on 9/11/65 between the University of Houston and Tulsa. There is real grass on the field.

The second photo is from around 1968 or 1969 with Astroturf.

The third on shows an Oilers game from around 1992.

The field level seats in the Astrodome would move to parallel for the football field. The gaps on either end of the field would be filled in with temporary seating. Early on the temporary bleacher seating on the east end was the same bleachers used at Colt Stadium before the Astrodome was completed.

[NightHawks2007]

This past September Grand Valley State University played a football game at Fifth Third Park, home of the Tigers A affiliate West Michigan Whitecaps.

[Yankees73]

From the 1964 encyclopedia of Football: how to squeeze a football field into baseball parks. I have a couple football pics of Yankee Stadium with the Giants practicing. I will try to scan it and get it on the site. Pics are from 1970

[PeteU]

Here's a picture of Montreal Olympic Stadium with the CFL field on it:

http://www.punchstock.com/image/dynamic/6669015/comp/010309_0800_3557.jpg


Veterans Stadium
http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/PhiladelphiaEagles/aerial.jpg

Three Rivers Stadium

http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/PittsburghSteelers/interior.jpg

The Kingdome

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/kingmain.jpg

[PeteU]

4) Old County Stadium was going to be used for the CFL during the expansion south. It was going to be one of the first choices along with Baltimore. The NFL was watching that closely as that was coming close to breaking a deal the two leagues had of not invaiding the other's territory. It all went by the wayside though after it was discovered that the movable bleachers had been cemented in by some geneous in the late 80s.


I didn't know Milwaukee was being considered for a CFL team, or that the NFL and CFL had a non-compete agreement. I'm surprised that the NFL didn't raise a stink about the CFL in Baltimore with the Redskins just 40 miles south, although to be fair barely anybody in Baltimore rooted for the Redskins between 1984-1996, so I wouldn't see much of a detriment to the Skins. I do know the NFL fought tooth and nail when the Baltimore CFL franchise wanted to call itself the "CFL Colts" thanks to Bob Irsay's insistance to call the Indianpolis NFL Franchise by that name; the Baltimore CFL franchise eventually relented and called itself the Stallions.

[PeteU]

A satellite image of RFK Stadium in its soccer configuration, which was the same configuration as its football configuration:

http://cicorp.com/client/NASA/WorldWind/76.97185W_38.88982N_DCRFKStadium.jpg

A later satelitte image of RFK Stadium as a baseball venue after the Nationals moved in, same orientation:

http://www.terraserver.com/images/samples/baseball_rfkstadium.jpg

[Milwaukee T]

The CFL and NFL has had the agreement since the the merger of the AFL and CFL. In the early 80s the CFL was talking of bringing a team to New York at which time the NFL "reminded" the CFL how mand Bills fans were in Toronto.

Supposedly the NFL didn't squak about Baltimore because they didn't think it would take. It was only after the Stallions boomed two seasons in a row that it became an issue. Why else would the Browns be able to move and not a word from the league. Despite what many think; Baltimore and DC fans do not root for the other city.

Milwaukee was being considered by the CFL because the Packers had just pulled out and the NHL announced that the Whalers nor an expansion team could come to Milwaukee because it was a Chicago fan base. HA!!! The ideas was that the CFL team would be an instant hit because of that.

[nymdan]

HollandsCommet... I've seen that Shea picture around before... I think it's Photoshoppped. Look, the stands are in in their diagonal baseball position with other seats added on, and the Keyspan sign is there, which certainly wasn't there when the Jets played there.

[hofflalu]

Hey hofflalu, looking at the cover photo of what you posted, it looks like the photo is before they put in the double decked grandstand in left field. But it also looks like that they took the temporary bleachers that ran down the 3rd baseline and moved them out to left field for the football configuration. Notice the lack of bleachers down the 3rd baseline in the photo. Can anyone who went to games there around that time confirm this?

Yeah, I've always wondered how they changed the bleacher set-up. Not being a bleacher assembly expert, I don't know if it's possible to assemble different bleacher segments into something with more height. Anyone else know what they did in those early years of the Met?

[efin98]

HollandsCommet... I've seen that Shea picture around before... I think it's Photoshoppped. Look, the stands are in in their diagonal baseball position with other seats added on, and the Keyspan sign is there, which certainly wasn't there when the Jets played there.

The field level seats are the dead giveaway that it's a fake, simply added on some additional seats but forgot that there were western end zone seats all the way around the outfield...not to mention that there are no orange or blue tiles(removed after the Jets left apparently!)

[machpost]

A satellite image of RFK Stadium in its soccer configuration, which was the same configuration as its football configuration:

http://cicorp.com/client/NASA/WorldWind/76.97185W_38.88982N_DCRFKStadium.jpg

A later satelitte image of RFK Stadium as a baseball venue after the Nationals moved in, same orientation:

http://www.terraserver.com/images/samples/baseball_rfkstadium.jpg

Considering its relatively intimate dimensions and the fact that it is completely enclosed, I bet it must have been an incredible experience to watch the Redskins play inside a packed RFK Stadium. That had to be one of the loudest, if not the loudest place to see an NFL game. And unlike a lot of the cookie cutters, there wasn't a lot of "foul territory" in the football configuration, so almost everybody was close to the action.
http://www.portfolio.com/images/feeds/blogs/rfk-large.jpg
While I've attended dozens of Nationals games there over the past three years, only a handful of those were ever close to selling out. And football seating capacity was about 10,000 more than for baseball.

[stlfan]

machpost, that last picture appears to be flipped.

[MattD1972]

I have a Griffith stadium pic, but it's not the best, as you can see below. It looks for all the world that the field was oriented so that the big wall in right field faced the 50-yard line. I have no idea if they had bleachhers against the wall as they did at Fenway.

[MattD1972]

Considering its relatively intimate dimensions and the fact that it is completely enclosed, I bet it must have been an incredible experience to watch the Redskins play inside a packed RFK Stadium. That had to be one of the loudest, if not the loudest place to see an NFL game. And unlike a lot of the cookie cutters, there wasn't a lot of "foul territory" in the football configuration, so almost everybody was close to the action.
http://www.portfolio.com/images/feeds/blogs/rfk-large.jpg
While I've attended dozens of Nationals games there over the past three years, only a handful of those were ever close to selling out. And football seating capacity was about 10,000 more than for baseball.
When they showed close-ups of the moveable sections during football games (especially after Redskin touchdowns), they were bouncing from fans jumping up and down on them. It was a very memorable sight.

[stlfan]

When they showed close-ups of the moveable sections during football games (especially after Redskin touchdowns), they were bouncing from fans jumping up and down on them. It was a very memorable sight.

I went to a DC United game back in 2002. My friend and I sat in the movable seats and with the fans jumping up and down all the time (soccer fans go crazy the whole game) the stands rocked up and down. It was a great experience, and I am not even a big fan of soccer.

[PeteU]

Despite what many think; Baltimore and DC fans do not root for the other city.




Something that neither Jack Kent Cooke nor Peter Angelos never really wanted to admit to. :)

[Milwaukee T]

BALTIMORE: No offense intended to the fans of the Orioles, but Angelos is the Anti-Christ. Not that any of the fans there would argue with me I don't think. The way he has such a gift in that park and that team and has made a complete mockery of it all.

DC: I never had an opportunity to see the Redskins there. I saw the Nationals and loved the way it felt like the game was being played in a backyard with that wall in the outfield. Not too booming though. When we saw the United in there though. WOW!!! I f the Skins matched that at all; that must have been magical as a fan.

[PeteU]

BALTIMORE: No offense intended to the fans of the Orioles, but Angelos is the Anti-Christ. Not that any of the fans there would argue with me I don't think. The way he has such a gift in that park and that team and has made a complete mockery of it all.



As an O's fan, I wouldn't call him the Anti-Christ--that label gets resolved for the late, not-so-great Bob Irsay. Although I can personally attest Wayne Huzienga gives him a good run for the money.

I'd probably best describe Angelos as ineptitude in human form. Whatever you can do, he can inevitably do worse. However you may manage to screw things up, he will manage to screw things up worse. I don't think it's intentional or malicious, as was the case with Irsay, but it's just pathological on his part. In other words, he just can't get right.

But whatever...I root for the team, and not the owner. Although a change in ownership wouldn't be a bad thing at all at this point.

[aqib]

As an O's fan, I wouldn't call him the Anti-Christ--that label gets resolved for the late, not-so-great Bob Irsay.

Yeah but Modell was ok?

[PeteU]

Yeah but Modell was ok?

As an owner of the Ravens, he was fine--he built the team up well, hired Brian Billick (who I still think shouldn't have been fired), and did what he promised--create an "elite" team, which it was, at least for one season, with arguably the best defense in NFL history ever.

As a NFL pioneer, he was also fine.

For most of the years as owner of the Browns, he was actually fine. The last couple of years is where it gets murky. You could argue that he took away a team from a rabid, loyal fanbase. You could also argue that he was just playing by the NFL economics of the day and that the City of Cleveland was trying to give him a bum deal by keeping the Browns in delapidated Municipal Stadium while the Indians and Cavaliers both got new digs.

But what you can't say about Art Modell that you can certainly say about Robert Irsay is that he didn't continue to screw his old city after he moved the team. Within three months of the announced move, the NFL had agreed to give Cleveland an expansion team and Modell was more than willing to part with the Browns moniker and team history. Modell voted in favor of the deal to give Cleveland the new Browns.

Contrast that to Irsay, who left Baltimore in the middle of the night without any formal announcement of the move, kept the team's name and history (so that we have to hear about Payton Manning and company breaking "team records" set by Baltimore Colts). Not only that, but when Baltimore was up for NFL expansion in 1993 (almost 10 years after the Colts were moved), Irsay voted against his old city getting a new team, something that Modell never did.

If the souls of sports owners were judged solely on how they treated their teams and their fans, Robert Irsay would probably be burning in hell, while Art Modell would probably just be sitting around a while in purgatory.

[Chevy114]

speaking of modell and the move, did anyone see that show on espn, the five reasons you can't blame art modell? That was so interesting, it made me so pissed at cleveland after watching it though.

[Milwaukee T]

Modell: The man who shafted Cleveland. The story was a one sided story that was intended to say thank you to the family as they have been phased out and not in a positive way.

Cleveland is not without some blame, but you don't start secret meetings with other cities so that a move can be in place before you make your demands and then make demands that he knows would never be met.

The league is just as musch to blame for letting it all happen just in hopes of moving the CFL out of Baltimore whick was a giant black eye to the league with that kind of sucess.

If this was a clean deal by those two parties; why would Cleveland have another franchise that fast and be given everything Brown? If Cleveland was all to bleme; how would they be able to build a new stadium that fast?

Angelos: Anti-Christ might have been a touch strong. Satan's Spawn sound better? His lack of baseball ability is painful to watch. Then there is the whole Cuba issue.

Cleveland: That was a great place to watch football. I would love to a see a photo of that place after the last Brown's game. That was a scary night.

[Twins91871977]

Modell: The man who shafted Cleveland. The story was a one sided story that was intended to say thank you to the family as they have been phased out and not in a positive way.

Cleveland is not without some blame, but you don't start secret meetings with other cities so that a move can be in place before you make your demands and then make demands that he knows would never be met.

The league is just as musch to blame for letting it all happen just in hopes of moving the CFL out of Baltimore whick was a giant black eye to the league with that kind of sucess.

If this was a clean deal by those two parties; why would Cleveland have another franchise that fast and be given everything Brown? If Cleveland was all to bleme; how would they be able to build a new stadium that fast?

Angelos: Anti-Christ might have been a touch strong. Satan's Spawn sound better? His lack of baseball ability is painful to watch. Then there is the whole Cuba issue.

Cleveland: That was a great place to watch football. I would love to a see a photo of that place after the last Brown's game. That was a scary night.

Speaking of which, here's The Mistake in football form:
http://www.myteamprints.com/images/football/lrg/3042.jpg

[Twins91871977]

I could see a football field layout at Nationals park the same way it was done at the Mistake in Cleveland, and Memorial stadium in Baltimore. A goal post at home plate, and the other in outfield.

[Seattle1]

The "Dog Pound."

[Chevy114]

The cleveland story seems like the oilers story, where a team seemed ready to move before they made demands.

So is the NFL to blame for not stepping in and demanding that baltimore build the colts a stadium? Because that seemed to start a chain reaction and an easy out for teams.

Also playing devils advocate, they did have jacobs field maped out a year before the browns moved, and since the browns constantly produced a winner and the indians became recent winnters that seems unfair.

[placount]

The cleveland story seems like the oilers story, where a team seemed ready to move before they made demands.

So is the NFL to blame for not stepping in and demanding that baltimore build the colts a stadium? Because that seemed to start a chain reaction and an easy out for teams.

Also playing devils advocate, they did have jacobs field maped out a year before the browns moved, and since the browns constantly produced a winner and the indians became recent winnters that seems unfair.

how often is business fair?

[PeteU]

This isn't really a football configuration, but here's Turner Field/Atlanta Olympic Stadium in its track configuration for the 1996 games:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44222000/jpg/_44222953_atlanta416.jpg

[PeteU]

Modell: The man who shafted Cleveland. The story was a one sided story that was intended to say thank you to the family as they have been phased out and not in a positive way.

Cleveland is not without some blame, but you don't start secret meetings with other cities so that a move can be in place before you make your demands and then make demands that he knows would never be met.

The league is just as musch to blame for letting it all happen just in hopes of moving the CFL out of Baltimore whick was a giant black eye to the league with that kind of sucess.

If this was a clean deal by those two parties; why would Cleveland have another franchise that fast and be given everything Brown? If Cleveland was all to bleme; how would they be able to build a new stadium that fast?

Angelos: Anti-Christ might have been a touch strong. Satan's Spawn sound better? His lack of baseball ability is painful to watch. Then there is the whole Cuba issue.

Cleveland: That was a great place to watch football. I would love to a see a photo of that place after the last Brown's game. That was a scary night.

I'm not saying that Modell is blameless in the whole situation. I'm just saying compared to some of the other owners who have moved their teams out of cities, Modell's offenses are suprisingly mild. Cleveland Browns football fans have nothing--nothing--to complain about anymore.

As for Angelos, loyal O's fans such as myself know that one day the franchise will return to its glory days, whether that be through Angelos coming more to his senses or through a change in ownership (the latter is more likely.) But trust us, we Orioles fans are fine. No need to fret or cry about us.

As for Cuba, I've always hated the annoying expression "It is what it is", but nonetheless that seems to sum it up. Note that Major League Baseball just held an exhibition series in China, a country with just as bad, if not worse, human rights record as Cuba. So it's not just an Orioles thing.

[Reds41]

This isn't really a football configuration, but here's Turner Field/Atlanta Olympic Stadium in its track configuration for the 1996 games:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44222000/jpg/_44222953_atlanta416.jpg

Thank you for posting this. I have been looking for a pic like that for a while now.

[machpost]

I could see a football field layout at Nationals park the same way it was done at the Mistake in Cleveland, and Memorial stadium in Baltimore. A goal post at home plate, and the other in outfield.

Here's an image of the dimensions at Nationals Park that I found on the ESPN Web site:

http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/clubhouses/stadiums/was.gif

From the looks of it, a gridiron would be a pretty tight fit, no matter which way you lay it out. It looks like the best way to do it might be to put one goal post at first base, and the other in left field.

[efin98]

Here's an image of the dimensions at Nationals Park that I found on the ESPN Web site:

http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/clubhouses/stadiums/was.gif

From the looks of it, a gridiron would be a pretty tight fit, no matter which way you lay it out. It looks like the best way to do it might be to put one goal post at first base, and the other in left field.

They need a field of at least 360 feet by 160 feet, angling it towards right-center looks it would have more room to fit in with a wee bit to spare...

[Sean Ryan]

Skydome, I mean Roger Centre

http://www.fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca/images/argos1.jpg

http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/TAE1328.jpg

http://www.johnnyjet.com/images/PicForNewsletterToronto10282004SKYDOMETOURINSEATS. JPG

[Milwaukee T]

I still think that would be a great place to see a football game. It is a goal of mine to rent one of the rooms to go see a baseball game there some day.

How about a football photo of the old place?

[stlfan]

Here are a few photos of Busch II in football configuration. The photos are from "Busch Stadium Moments."

The first is from a 1966 exhibition game.

The second is a view from the stadium club in 1967.

The third is either from the late 70's or early 80's. The caption reads,"Despite mediocre football, the Cardinals draw well in the 1980's. It is only at the very end, in 1987, that attendance dwindles."

The fourth is from the first Rams game played at Busch II. Notice the additional temporary bleachers that they put near the foreground endzone.

[OBomb]

Here are a few of Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The Q is the only stadium in the country to host both a Super Bowl and a World Series in the same year (1998). The first two were taken sometime between the 1970s and 1980s before the first expansion while the next two were taken in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2366031028_705b2e8ee8.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2365201701_7d0f890f75.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2238/2366031008_9cf723ffc1.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2127/2365198977_e3d1b7337f.jpg?v=0

[JT7]

Here are some really interesting pictures I found of AT&T Park set up for a football game.

Use this thread to post pictures of other baseball stadiums in football configuration... either parks designed for baseball with football stadiums squeezed in, or cookie cutters designed for both.

http://www.emeraldbowl.org/images/EWSGfield.jpg

http://images.buildingthedam.com/images/admin/SernaShank.jpg

http://www.emeraldbowl.org/images/game_2006_sidebar.jpg

http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2160/2147784120_8d5a69e260.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2152609117_24eb47d803.jpg

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/19/74/e0/caption.jpg

I think it's ironic that AT&T Park and Safeco Field (not pictured here) are being used in a football capacity when both teams left a facility that was a multipurpose facility, mainly baseball and football.

[stlfan]

I think it's ironic that AT&T Park and Safeco Field (not pictured here) are being used in a football capacity when both teams left a facility that was a multipurpose facility, mainly baseball and football.

And it's also ironic that in Seattle you have a 1st class and probably the best football stadium in the country 2 blocks from Safeco. Also in San Francisco, just down the bay, you still have the multipurpose stadium that the Giants left in permanent football configuration.

[JT7]

And it's also ironic that in Seattle you have a 1st class and probably the best football stadium in the country 2 blocks from Safeco. Also in San Francisco, just down the bay, you still have the multipurpose stadium that the Giants left in permanent football configuration.

Also, when the XFL was created and disbanded in the same year, they were using AT&T Park. I thought the whole reason for getting a baseball only stadium was so that Baseball only would be played. Money talks????? On that note...Does anybody know if Dodger Stadium was ever chalked out or ever considered for a football game?

[PeteU]

Also, when the XFL was created and disbanded in the same year, they were using AT&T Park. I thought the whole reason for getting a baseball only stadium was so that Baseball only would be played. Money talks????? On that note...Does anybody know if Dodger Stadium was ever chalked out or ever considered for a football game?

I think the XFL thought that the cache of having a team play in a brand new venue with modern amenities outweighed the fact that it was a built as baseball-only stadium. And actually, it worked to a certain extent--the San Francisco XFL team was far and away the attendance leader in the otherwise dreadful league, thanks to the fact it was the only team with a new stadium. Had the XFL team played in Candlestick, I doubt it would have gotten half the attendance it got at "Mays Field".

I don't think Dodger Stadium has ever hosted a college or pro football team. I do remember vaguely after the 1994 earthquake it was briefly mentioned that Dodger Stadium could temporarily host the Raiders after the Coliseum recieved some structural damage, but obviously nothing ever came of that talk. (However, I do believe that Dodger Stadium hosted the Media Day for the 1993 Super Bowl, although no game or practice was held there.)

[PeteU]

From a February 3, 1994 New York Times story:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E1DF1039F930A35751C0A9629582 60

Quake May Leave the Coliseum Shut Next Fall
By SETH MYDANS,
Published: February 3, 1994
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home to two big time football teams, was so badly damaged in the earthquake last month that it will cost millions to repair and may not reopen for the fall season, officials said today.

* * * *
Representatives of the Oakland Coliseum, which was home to the Raiders until they moved to Los Angeles in 1982, offered today to provide the team a temporary field while repairs are under way.

Other options include the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Anaheim Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams football team and even Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

[hofflalu]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2365201701_7d0f890f75.jpg?v=0

That is almost certainly 1983: the first year the Seahawks had that uni design featuring the logo on the sleeves, and the last season the Chargers had the yellow pants with the white bolt (they added a thick blue stripe under the bolt in 1984 before dumping the yellow pants for 1985). Yes, I'm a uni geek as well.

[HollandsComet]

What I love about that 1983 Seahawks-Chargers photo is (apart from the Budweiser sign), the "Murph" was more or less unchanged from when they took those photos for my instructional ViewMaster reels featuring Hall of Famer Don Maynard of the Jets as he played against the Chargers circa. 1970...

[Seattle1]

And it's also ironic that in Seattle you have a 1st class and probably the best football stadium in the country 2 blocks from Safeco.

The Seattle Bowl was only played at Safeco prior to Seahawks Stadium (now Qwest Field) being completed in 2002.

[OBomb]

That is almost certainly 1983: the first year the Seahawks had that uni design featuring the logo on the sleeves, and the last season the Chargers had the yellow pants with the white bolt (they added a thick blue stripe under the bolt in 1984 before dumping the yellow pants for 1985). Yes, I'm a uni geek as well.

If that's the case, then that would be the last year that Jack Murphy Stadium looked like it did in that photo before the first expansion of 1983/1984. I wish I had a photo of what the Murph looked like after that first expansion in football configuration, but I haven't been able to find any.

[J.R.]

The Murph was a much more attractive facility before the expansion.

[Chevy114]

The Murph was a much more attractive facility before the expansion.

I agree and I also think most converted stadiums are like that; the A's, the astrodome, and the old angles stadium!

[OBomb]

The Murph was a very attractive place to watch baseball before the expansion, especially in 1995 and 1996 when palm trees were added along the outfield wall. It was nice to have a view of the mountains in East County and it was often difficult to believe that the stadium also housed football. That all changed when The Q was expanded and the place definitely feels more like a football stadium now.

Here's a before and after, albeit both pictures show the place in baseball configuration (both found on Flickr). The third is a picture of construction taking place in the winter of 1997 when the stadium was being expanded, and the third is another picture of the facility in football configuration. That one was taken on October 28, 2007 - the first game played after the firestorm ripped through the county that week.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2094/2235328497_673e3f41a2.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2364029876_46fb419a4e.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/2378770101_93868d3c38.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2383681988_101dfcaf5f.jpg?v=0

[Hank 755]

It's kind of funny how they expanded Qualcomm like that and then all of a sudden all the new NFL stadiums started reducing seats at the end-zones in favor of sight line seats.

[Chevy114]

So why didn't the rams play at the coliseum instead of tearing up the angels stadium?

[placount]

or the rose bowl

[jweidt]

The Metrodome had the World Series in 1991 and the Superbowl in Jan 1992 (for the 1991 season). I think there was also a Final Four in 1991 there as well. Does that count?

[PeteU]

So why didn't the rams play at the coliseum instead of tearing up the angels stadium?

The Rams actually did play at the Coliseum, but I'm guessing they found it too old and antiquated for their taste, thus the move to Anaheim. Plus, I think they wanted to tap into the Orange County market.

[BeatEmBucs]

The Metrodome had the World Series in 1991 and the Superbowl in Jan 1992 (for the 1991 season). I think there was also a Final Four in 1991 there as well. Does that count?

The final 4 was played there in April of 92. The only thing was it was kind of anti-climatic after that Elite 8 game that year many still talk about (Duke over KY on Laettners buzzer-beater) But still I can't think of any venue that had those 3 events within the same calendar year.

[efin98]

The final 4 was played there in April of 92. The only thing was it was kind of anti-climatic after that Elite 8 game that year many still talk about (Duke over KY on Laettners buzzer-beater) But still I can't think of any venue that had those 3 events within the same calendar year.

It's the only place that can do it since it's the only place left that has an MLB team and an NFL teams in a domed stadium together...Rogers Centre/Sky Dome could theoretically hold all three but unless there's a huge push to expand viewership up north by bringing the Super Bowl out of the country and a major catastrophe that renders all the domes unavailable to the NCAA it's out as a venue.

[wrigleybum]

Here is a picture of Busch Stadium II. This pic was taken right before the first home game for the St.Louis Rams in 1995. Note the exposed basepits. About an hour before kickoff officials noticed that the astoturf coverings on the pits had a wide exposed gap all around. As NFL football at that point had not been played at Busch on a regular basis since 1988, only highschool and sparadic college, it went unnoticed. So they had to pull up the "carpeting" and play. Also note the addition of temporary stands in the corners next to where the dugouts would have been. When the stands were moved they filled these in and added 5,000 to the stadium capacity. This was never done in the years the St.Louis Football Cardinals played there (1966-1987). I believe capacity for Rams games was nearly 62,000. The Rams played the first half(4games) of their home schedule there before moving into their current dome stadium. After football Busch Stadium underwent remodeling which included removal of athe artificial turf and replaced with grass, adding bullpens beyond the right and left field wall, manual scoreboard in the upper deck, and repainting , replacing the blue with dark green, and reangling the field seats to face the infield down the right and left field lines, eliminating the stands from moving. This was the way it remained for the last 10 years of it's existance.

I went to the first Rams game at Busch Stadium II...it was a lot of fun, but the Dome they play in now is much better for football, obviously.

[bluejaysfan]

I still think that would be a great place to see a football game. It is a goal of mine to rent one of the rooms to go see a baseball game there some day.

How about a football photo of the old place?

Slightly harder to find--I can tell you, however, that the configuration