Sportsman's Park facts for kids
circa 1961
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| Former names |
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| Location | Sullivan Ave. 3623 Dodier St. (Cardinals) & 2911 N Grand Blvd (Browns). St Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°39′29″N 90°13′12″W / 38.658°N 90.220°W |
| Owner | St. Louis Cardinals (1953–1966) St. Louis Browns (1902–1953) |
| Operator | St. Louis Cardinals (1953–1966) St. Louis Browns (1902–1953) |
| Capacity |
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| Field size | Left Field: 351 ft (107 m) Left-Center: 379 ft (116 m) Deepest corner (just left of dead center): 426 ft (130 m) Deepest corner (just right of dead center): 422 ft (129 m) Right-Center: 354 ft (108 m) Right Field: 310 ft (94 m) Backstop: 68 ft (21 m) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1880 |
| Opened | April 23, 1902 |
| Renovated | 1909 |
| Expanded | 1909 1922 1926 |
| Closed | May 8, 1966 |
| Demolished | 1966 |
| Construction cost | US$300,000 ($10.1 million in 2022 dollars ) $500,000 (1925 refurbishment) |
| Architect | Osborn Engineering Company |
| Tenants | |
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Park
Sportsman's Park was a famous baseball stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. It was home to several professional sports teams over many years. Most of the different versions of Sportsman's Park were built on the same piece of land in the northern part of the city.
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A Look Back at Sportsman's Park
From 1920 to 1953, Sportsman's Park was a very busy place. It was the home field for two different Major League Baseball teams at the same time: the St. Louis Browns of the American League and the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League. After 1953, the Browns moved away and became the Baltimore Orioles.
The stadium, later known as Busch Stadium, also hosted football. The St. Louis Cardinals NFL team played there from 1960 to 1965. Before that, in 1923, St. Louis's first NFL team, the St. Louis All-Stars, also played at this historic park.
Early Days of the Park
People started playing baseball at the Sportsman's Park site as early as 1867. A man named August Solari bought the land in 1866 and began hosting games. It was the home of the St. Louis Brown Stockings from 1875 to 1877. The field was first called the Grand Avenue Ball Grounds.
In 1881, the first grandstand was built. The baseball diamond and seating were on the southeast side of the block. This was easy for fans coming from Grand Avenue. The St. Louis "Brown Stockings" (also called the "Browns") played there. They were a very strong team in the 1880s.
Later, the Browns moved to a new ballpark a few blocks away, which they called New Sportsman's Park (later named Robison Field). They also changed their team colors to red and became the Cardinals.
When the Cardinals' new park burned down in 1901, they played some games at the old Sportsman's Park. This old park was then called "Athletic Park" and didn't have much seating. It was clear the old park wouldn't work, so the team played away games while their own park was rebuilt.
New Stadiums and Big Moments
When the American League Browns moved from Milwaukee in 1902, they built a new version of Sportsman's Park. They first put the baseball diamond and main stands on the northwest side of the block.
This new Sportsman's Park saw some amazing football history. It became the practice and home field for Saint Louis University football teams. Their coach, Eddie Cochems, was a pioneer of the forward pass in football.
Even though the first legal forward pass was thrown in a game away from home, Sportsman's Park was where Coach Cochems' "air attack" really shined. In 1906, his team won games with huge scores, like 39–0 against Iowa and 34–2 against Kansas. A player named Bradbury Robinson threw a very long pass in the Kansas game, which was reported to be up to 87 yards in the air! Experts say this was an incredible achievement, especially with the rugby-style ball used back then. St. Louis finished that year with a perfect 11–0 record.
In 1909, the Browns moved the diamond to its final spot, on the southwest side. They built a new grandstand made of steel and concrete. This was only the third stadium of its kind in Major League Baseball. The old wooden grandstand was used for a while as bleachers. The Cardinals returned to Sportsman's Park in 1920, sharing the stadium with the Browns.
After almost winning the American League Pennant in 1922, Browns owner Phil Ball thought his team would play in the World Series by 1926. He made the stadium bigger, from 18,000 to 30,000 seats. There was a 1926 World Series at Sportsman's Park in 1926, but it was the Cardinals, not the Browns, who played in it! The Cardinals surprised everyone by beating the Yankees in a thrilling seventh game.
Even though the Browns were a strong team for many years, they never won a championship. After the Cardinals moved in, the Cardinals became more popular. The Cardinals' 1926 World Series win made them the favorite team in St. Louis.
The 1944 World Series was special because it was played entirely at Sportsman's Park. Both the Cardinals and the Browns played in it, with the Cardinals winning. This was the only World Series where both teams called the same stadium their home.
Besides baseball and football, Sportsman's Park also hosted soccer games. This included games for the St. Louis Soccer League and the 1948 National Challenge Cup.
New Ownership and a New Name
By the early 1950s, it was clear that St. Louis could not support two baseball teams. Bill Veeck, the owner of the Browns, tried to make his team more popular than the Cardinals. But then, the Cardinals' owner, Fred Saigh, had to sell his team due to legal issues. He sold the Cardinals to Anheuser-Busch in 1953.
Veeck soon realized that Anheuser-Busch had much more money and power than he did. So, he decided to move the Browns out of St. Louis. First, he sold Sportsman's Park to the Cardinals for $800,000. Anheuser-Busch immediately fixed up the stadium, which hadn't been well cared for. The next year, the Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles.
The Anheuser-Busch company wanted to name the stadium Budweiser Stadium. But the Commissioner of Baseball, Ford Frick, said no because he didn't want a stadium named after a beer brand. However, the company's president, August Busch, Jr., was able to rename it Busch Stadium after himself. Many fans still called it Sportsman's Park, though. A cool feature was the Anheuser Busch "eagle" model on the scoreboard that flapped its wings after a Cardinals home run!
Sportsman's Park / Busch Stadium hosted many exciting World Series games. The 1964 Series was especially memorable because it was the park's last World Series. It featured brothers playing against each other: Ken Boyer of the Cardinals and Clete Boyer of the Yankees. The Cardinals won in seven games. The stadium also hosted Major League Baseball All-Star Games in 1940, 1948, and 1957.
The End of an Era
Sportsman's Park / Busch Stadium was replaced in 1966 by a new stadium called Busch Memorial Stadium. After the final game at Sportsman's Park on May 8, 1966, a helicopter carried home plate to the new stadium. The 1966 stadium was later replaced by the current Busch Stadium in 2006.
Today, the site of Sportsman's Park is home to the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club. The old grandstand was torn down in 1966, but the baseball diamond area is still used for other sports.
Field Dimensions
Sportsman's Park had many markers showing the distances to the outfield walls. The last big changes to the field were made in 1926. Here are some of the distances:
| Area | Distance |
|---|---|
| Left Field Line | 351 ft (107 m) |
| True Left Center | 379 ft (116 m) |
| Deep Left Center Field Corner | 426 ft (130 m) |
| True Center Field | 422 ft (129 m) |
| Right Field Line | 310 ft (94 m) |
| Backstop | 68 ft (21 m) |
The baseball diamond faced east-northeast, meaning home plate faced that direction towards center field. The field was about 500 feet (150 m) above sea level.
Images for kids
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New stands for 1909; previous main stand has become left field seating
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Sanborn map showing new stands.jpg
