Shea Stadium facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium

Shea Stadium Shea
Shea Stadium in 2007
Shea Stadium Location in New York City Show map of New York City Shea Stadium Location in New York Show map of New York Shea Stadium Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Full name	William A. Shea Municipal Stadium
Former names	Flushing Meadow Park Municipal Stadium (1961–1962)
Address	123–01 Roosevelt Avenue
Location	Flushing, Queens, New York
Coordinates	40°45′20″N 73°50′53″W / 40.75556°N 73.84806°W / 40.75556; -73.84806
Owner	City of New York New York Mets
Operator	New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (1964–1981) New York Mets (1964–2008)
Capacity	Baseball: 57,333 Football:  60,372
Field size	Left Field 338 ft (103 m) Left Field ('64–'77) 341 (104) Medium Left-Center 358 (109) Left-Center 371 (113) Left-Center (deep) 396 (121) Center 410 (125) Right-Center (deep) 396 (121) Right-Center 371 (113) Medium Right-Center 358 (109) Right Field 338 (103) Right Field ('64–'77) 341 (104)
Surface	Kentucky Bluegrass
Construction
Broke ground	October 28, 1961
Opened	April 17, 1964 (1964-04-17)
Closed	September 28, 2008 (2008-09-28) (Final game)
Demolished	October 14, 2008 – February 18, 2009
Construction cost	$28.5 million ($269 million in 2022 dollars )
Architect	Praeger-Kavanagh-Waterbury
General contractor	Carlin–Crimmins J.V.
Tenants
New York Mets (MLB) 1964–2008 New York Jets (AFL / NFL) 1964–1983 New York Yankees (MLB) 1974–1975 New York Giants (NFL) 1975 St. John's Red Storm (NCAA) 2000

Shea Stadium was a famous sports stadium in Queens, New York City. It opened in 1964 and was home to the New York Mets baseball team from 1964 to 2008. The New York Jets football team also played there from 1964 to 1983.

The stadium was named after William Shea. He was a lawyer who helped bring National League baseball back to New York. This happened after the Brooklyn Dodgers and Giants baseball teams moved to California in 1957.

Shea Stadium was taken down in 2009. A new ballpark, Citi Field, was built next to it. Citi Field is now the home of the Mets. The area where Shea Stadium once stood is now part of Citi Field's parking lots.

History of Shea Stadium

Building the Stadium

Shea Stadium was built because New York City lost its two National League baseball teams in 1957. City officials wanted a new stadium to bring a team back.

At first, there were disagreements about where to build it and who would own it. Eventually, in 1960, the National League agreed to create a new team for New York if a stadium was built. The new team became the Mets.

The Mets' owners wanted their stadium in Queens. They hoped this location would attract fans from all over New York City. It would not seem like a team just for Manhattan or Brooklyn.

Building the stadium faced challenges. New York state law made it hard for the city to borrow money for a stadium. William Shea and city officials found a way to finance it by having the new team pay rent.

Construction was delayed by a harsh winter, money problems with builders, and labor issues. Both the Mets and the Jets had to play an extra year at the Polo Grounds.

The stadium was first called "Flushing Meadow Park Municipal Stadium." But people wanted to honor William Shea, so it was named Shea Stadium.

Shea Stadium during its first season in 1964.

Opening Day

Shea Stadium opened on April 17, 1964. It took 29 months to build and cost $28.5 million. The first game was between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Mets. The Pirates won 4–3.

The stadium was barely finished in time. Some wiring for phones and telegraphs was not ready. Shea Stadium opened just five days before the 1964 New York World's Fair. Its outside walls were blue and orange, matching the colors of the World's Fair and the Mets. These panels were removed in 1980.

Taking Down the Stadium

Shea Stadium was taken apart, not blown up, in 2009. This followed New York City law. After the last game, a company had two weeks to remove seats, signs, and other items to sell as souvenirs.

Demolition started on October 14, 2008. The scoreboard was taken down first. By November 10, the field and lower seats were gone.

On January 31, 2009, Mets fans visited the site for a final goodbye. The last part of the stadium was torn down on February 18.

A plaque at Citi Field's parking lot shows where Shea Stadium's home plate used to be.

Today, the spots where Shea's home plate, pitcher's mound, and bases were are marked in Citi Field's parking lot. These markers have pictures of the neon baseball players that were on Shea Stadium's outside.

Future Plans for the Area

As of 2025, Mets owner Steve Cohen wants to build a new park, casino, and entertainment area. It would be called Metropolitan Park. This plan needs approval from New York State.

What Happened at Shea Stadium

Baseball Games

Shea Stadium was the home of the New York Mets for 45 years. It hosted its only All-Star Game in its first year, 1964.

Some baseball fans thought the stadium had problems. The upper deck seats were very high. The lower seats were far from the field. This was because the stadium was also designed for football. However, Shea Stadium always had real grass, unlike some other stadiums built at that time.

Shea Stadium saw many exciting baseball moments. The "Miracle Mets" of 1969 won the World Series there. Fans famously rushed the field to celebrate. The Mets also won the World Series in 1986 at Shea.

A Mets game in 1969 at Shea Stadium.

Many famous players hit important home runs at Shea. Tommie Agee hit a ball into the upper deck in 1969, a very rare feat. The Mets' theme song, "Meet the Mets", played before every home game.

The last game at Shea Stadium was on September 28, 2008. The Mets lost to the Florida Marlins. After the game, there was a "Shea Goodbye" ceremony. Many former Mets players came back to say farewell. The ceremony ended with Tom Seaver throwing a final pitch to Mike Piazza.

A wide view of Shea Stadium in 2008, with Citi Field being built in the background.

The New York Yankees also played their home games at Shea Stadium in 1974 and 1975. This was while Yankee Stadium was being fixed up. The Yankees even played one home game there in 1998 after a problem at their own stadium.

Football Games

The New York Jets football team played at Shea Stadium for 20 seasons. This was from 1964 to 1983. The stadium hosted three Jets playoff games.

For many years, the Jets had to wait for the Mets' baseball season to end before playing their first home game. This meant long road trips for the Jets. The stadium was also not kept up very well in the 1970s. The Jets moved to Giants Stadium in 1984 for more seats and a better facility.

O.J. Simpson breaking a rushing record at Shea Stadium in 1973.

In 1973, O. J. Simpson became the first football player to run for 2,000 yards in one season at Shea Stadium. The New York Giants football team also played their 1975 season at Shea while their new stadium was being built.

Concerts and Other Events

Shea Stadium was famous for hosting concerts. On August 15, 1965, The Beatles played there to a record crowd of 55,600 fans. It was one of their biggest concerts. The crowd was so loud that the band could barely hear themselves play! This concert showed that large outdoor stadium concerts could be very successful. The Beatles returned for another show in 1966.

Shea Stadium in 1981, with the Manhattan skyline far away.

Many other famous musicians played at Shea. These included Janis Joplin, Paul Simon, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Eric Clapton, and Bruce Springsteen.

The very last concert at Shea Stadium was a two-night event by Billy Joel in July 2008. It was called The Last Play at Shea. Many special guests joined him, including Paul McCartney from The Beatles.

Other events at Shea Stadium included a large meeting for Jehovah's Witnesses in 1978. Pope John Paul II visited the stadium in 1979. Even though it rained heavily, the rain stopped when the Pope arrived.

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Shea Stadium became a place for rescue workers to gather supplies. Ten days later, the Mets played their first game after the attacks, which was a very emotional event for New York.

Shea Stadium in Movies and TV

Shea Stadium appeared in several movies and TV shows. It was used for filming the 1973 movie Bang The Drum Slowly. In the 1978 movie The Wiz, motorcycle chase scenes were filmed on the stadium's outside ramps.

In the movie Men in Black, a Mets game at Shea was shown. An alien spacecraft distracted an outfielder. Shea was also in Men in Black 3. The stadium was also featured in two episodes of The King of Queens.

Four Teams, One Stadium (1975)

In 1975, Shea Stadium had a unique year. It was home to four professional sports teams: the Mets, Yankees, Jets, and Giants. This is the only time in sports history that two baseball teams and two football teams shared the same stadium in one year.

This happened because Yankee Stadium was being fixed, and Giants Stadium was still being built. There were many scheduling challenges. The football teams could not play home games until the baseball season ended. Fans in New York had a home football game almost every weekend from October to December that year.

Stadium Design and Features

How Shea Stadium Looked

Shea Stadium was a round stadium. The main seating area formed about two-thirds of a circle around the field. The rest of the area beyond the outfield fences was open. This space held the bullpens and scoreboards.

The stadium had many restrooms, escalators, and seats for over 57,000 fans. Instead of tall light towers, Shea had lights along its upper edges.

One of the neon baseball players that decorated Shea Stadium's exterior.

The stadium was close to LaGuardia Airport. This meant that planes flying overhead often caused loud noise. Games would sometimes pause because of the airplane sounds.

Shea Stadium was designed so that parts of the field-level seats could move. This allowed the stadium to change between a baseball and a football setup. In 1984, after the Jets left, the Mets took over the stadium. They changed it to be only for baseball.

As part of these changes, the outside of Shea Stadium was painted blue. Neon signs of baseball players were added to the windscreens in 1988. The old scoreboard was replaced with a new one. Padding was added to the outfield wall to protect players.

Shea's exterior in 1964, with its original blue and orange panels.

Ramps on the outside of the stadium led to the upper levels. These ramps were open and visible. They were originally covered with blue and orange panels, matching the Mets' colors. These panels were removed in 1980.

The stadium was also designed to be able to add more seats or even a dome later. However, the idea of a dome was dropped because the stadium's foundation could not hold the weight.

Originally, all the seats were made of wood and were different colors for each level. Before the 1980 season, they were replaced with plastic seats in red, green, blue, and orange.

Before it closed, Shea Stadium was the only major league stadium with orange foul poles. This tradition continues at Citi Field.

The skyline from Shea's scoreboard, now at Citi Field.

In 1988, a model of the New York Skyline was added to the top of the scoreboard. This skyline was a key part of the Mets' logo. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Twin Towers on the skyline model were kept unlit. The scoreboard was taken down in 2008, but the skyline model was saved. It is now on top of the Shake Shack at Citi Field.

The Home Run Apple

Shea Stadium's famous Home Run Apple.

The Home Run Apple was a fun feature at Shea Stadium. After every Mets home run, a giant apple would pop out of a magic hat. It was first put in place in 1980. A larger apple is now at Citi Field. The original Shea apple is located outside Citi Field, near the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.

Seating Capacity

Shea Stadium's seating capacity changed a few times over the years.

Honoring Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium was so special that some people named their children after it.

• Chipper Jones, a baseball player, named his son Shea. He hit many home runs at Shea Stadium.
• Barry Larkin, another baseball player, named his daughter Brielle D'Shea.
• David Wright, a Mets player, named his daughter Olivia Shea. He played his whole career for the Mets.
• Actor Kevin James, a big Mets fan, named his youngest daughter Shea Joelle.

See also

In Spanish: Shea Stadium para niños