Ballparks in Configuration for Football, Hockey, Boxing, etc.

[marlins739]

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.



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]

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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!:



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

[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)



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.

[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:

Here are a few more:

[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]

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]

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.

[stumpmerrill]

Another Jets pic at Shea:



Atlanta Fulton Country Stadium:



Bears at Wrigley Field:

[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:



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:



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:



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