Tiger Stadium
Detroit, MI
Perhaps one of the
most popular stadiums in baseball, Tiger Stadium was the home of
the Detroit Tigers for nearly a century. However, many people may
not know that this historic baseball stadium was the home of the
Detroit Lions for 35 years.
The history of professional baseball
in Detroit dates back to 1881 when the Detroit Wolverines played at
Recreation Park and were part of the National League until 1888. The
team joined the International League then the Western League and
became known as the Detroit Tigers in 1895. Owner Arthur Van Der
Beck bought the club and built a ballpark for the team at Michigan
and Trumbull in 1896. Named after Tigers catcher Charlie Bennett,
the Tigers first game at Bennett Park was on April 28, 1896. In
1901, the Tigers became a charter member of the American League and
the ballpark's capacity was increased to 8,500 from 6,000.
The grandstand was
in the shape of a L. A covered grandstand extended from behind third
base to home and attached to a bleacher section along the first base
side. Located in the outfield were trees, the Tigers clubhouse and
the groundskeepers shed.
By the 1908 season, the
playing field was reduced as the main grandstand was extended into
the field by 40 feet. A new bleacher section along the third base
side was added increasing the capacity to 10,000. Bennett Park’s
capacity again increased in 1911 to 18,000 when bleachers were added
in right and left field. Because the stadium was built of wood, the
threat of fire was great. This led to the entire ballpark being
demolished after the 1911 season. A new ballpark of steel and concrete was
constructed on the same site. Homeplate was moved from right field
to where it was until Tiger Stadium closed. The new ballpark was
named Navin Field and the Tigers played their first game at the
ballpark on April 20, 1912. It could seat 23,000 spectators as a covered grandstand
extended down the first and third base lines with bleachers in
right field. In centerfield was the first baseball hitters backdrop
in baseball. The first major addition to Navin Field occurred
before the 1923 season when a second deck was added between the first and
third base and a press box was added on top of the roof. This
addition increased the
capacity at Navin Field rose to 30,000.
The 1930s gave Tiger Stadium its look that it
retained for 70 years. In 1935, Navin Field was renamed Briggs
Stadium after owner Walter O. Briggs. A series of expansions began
prior to the 1936 season. The single deck pavilion that extended down
the first base line and around into right field was double decked.
Before the addition could be built in right field, a problem had
to be solved. Trumbull Avenue was located behind the right field fence
therefore
the grandstands could not be expanded out. To solve the problem, the right field line was
shortened to 325 feet and the upper deck extended over the lower deck
and over the playing field 10 feet. Construction was completed by
April 1937 and Briggs Stadium could seat 36,000 fans. After the 1937 season
an additional expansion was completed at Briggs Stadium. The single deck
pavilion that extended down the third base line and around into left
field was double decked. A gap between the double decks in right
and left field was filled with two decks of bleachers with the
scoreboard placed on top. With this expansion, Briggs Stadium was now enclosed and
had a capacity of 54,500, making it one of baseballs largest
stadiums. Dimensions were 340 ft. (left), 440 ft. (center), and 325
ft. (right).
Professional football
made its debut at Tiger Stadium in 1938. Between 1934 and 1937 the
Detroit Lions played at the University of Detroit Stadium, a 25,000
seat facility. After the 1937 season the Lions decided to move to
Tiger Stadium. The team played their first game here on September 9,
1938 when they beat Pittsburgh. Other than laying out the gridiron
on the field, little had to be done for football to be played at
Tiger Stadium. The football gridiron ran parallel to the third base
line for baseball.
Both teams shared the same sideline that was in
the outfield. The Lions played at Tiger Stadium between 1938 until
1939 and 1941 until 1974. By the 1970s the Lions wanted their own
stadium. A new dome stadium was built in Pontiac, the Silverdome,
where the Lions moved to in 1975. On November 28, 1974 the Lions
played their last game ever outside in Detroit losing to Denver at
Tiger Stadium.
Tiger Stadium was
the home to many other events other than the Lions and Tigers
including boxing matches and concerts. Fire broke out at Tiger
Stadium in 1977 and destroyed the press box. The city of Detroit
bought the stadium from the Tigers for $1 and decided to renovate
Tiger Stadium. All of the original green wooden seats were replaced
by new orange and blue plastic seats, a new video scoreboard
replaced the old hand operated one in centerfield, and a new press
box with two luxury suites were hung from the second deck. In 1993,
$8 million in expansions were completed at Tiger Stadium, including
building a food court called the Tiger Plaza, where the players once
parked. By the early 1990s the owner of the Tigers wanted
a new luxurious ballpark for team. A new ballpark for the Tigers was built in downtown
Detroit, and the club moved to
Comerica Park after the 1999 season. The last game at Tiger
Stadium was on September 27, 1999. Many fans were saddened when the
last game was played at "The Corner". For nearly a decade Tiger
Stadium sat abandoned as several attempts were made by preservation
groups to save and renovate a portion of the facility for a variety
of uses. The City of Detroit was uninterested in saving any part of
the stadium and in July 2007 announced plans to demolish Tiger
Stadium. Seats and other items were removed from the stadium in
October 2007. Partial demolition of the stadium was completed by
September 2008. Another attempt to save the remainder of Tiger
Stadium was unsuccessful and the final sections of the stadium were
demolished in September 2009.
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FACTS & FIGURES |
-Tenant: Detroit Lions
-Capacity: 52,400
-Surface: Grss
-Opened: September 9, 1938 (NFL)
-Closed: November 28, 1974 (NFL)
-Other Names: Briggs Stadium
-Cost:
$8 Million (renovations)
-Architect:
Osborn Engineering
-Demolished: 2008-2009
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Lions
Tickets |
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Tiger Stadium Poster
Sizes Vary, Framed or Unframedd |
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