Clark Field (Austin, Texas)
Encyclopedia
Clark Field was a baseball park in Austin, Texas
, used primarily by the University of Texas Longhorns. The field was used from 1928 until 1974. It is considered one of the most novel ballparks ever conceived thanks to its location. There was a limestone cliff in the outfield that created havoc for outfielders and made baseball games exciting. It was replaced by UFCU Disch-Falk Field
in 1975.
, Fenway Park
, and Tiger Stadium.
Once when the Texas A&M Aggies
visited Clark Field, the crowd overflowed into right field and rowdiness ensued, which happened regularly when other visiting teams played there as well. In the late 1960s, the Sam Houston State
Bearkats regularly opened with weekend doubleheader
s in Austin.
hit a towering 550 feet (167.6 m) home run over "Billy Goat Hill" and the 40 feet (12.2 m) high fence in center field during a 1930 exhibition game. The dimensions of Clark Field were 350 feet (106.7 m) to the left field wall, 401 feet (122.2 m) to deepest center, and 300 feet (91.4 m) to right field. Six no-hitters were thrown at Clark Field all by the Longhorns during its tenure.
The Longhorns
won an astonishing 37 Southwest Conference baseball championships as well as two College World Series
championships (1949-1950), being runner-up in 1953
and College World Series appearances in 1952, 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, and 1974 while calling Clark Field home.
The first Clark Field
, at the southeast corner of 24th Street and Speedway,http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ut_austin/university_of_texas-1926.jpg operated from 1887 through 1927, then was closed for the construction of the Mechanical Engineering Building a.k.a. Taylor Hall. The field was located a couple of blocks northwest of Memoral Stadium.
For 1928 the second and best-known Clark Field was inaugurated, north of Memorial Stadium, on the northwest corner of 23rd Street and Red River Street.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ut_austin/university_of_texas-1928.jpg That corner was the location of center field, as the diamond was in the northwest corner of the lot. Red River was later renamed Campus Drive, and the current thoroughfare designated as Red River Street is a block farther east, on the other side of the LBJ Library. That building is visible in the background of some of the later photos of Clark Field.
That same year, 1928, a recreation area called Freshman Field was opened, just southwest of Memorial Stadium, at a location given by the UT writeup as "east of Waller Creek between 19th and 21st Streets", although it appears that it was actually west of Waller Creek.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ut_austin/university_of_texas-1975.jpg
For 1975 the baseball team moved to their new ballpark, and Clark Field was closed to allow construction of the College of Fine Arts and the Performing Arts Center. Freshman Field was soon renamed as the third Clark Field. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Clark Field property underwest significant redevelopment, but a portion of the field was retained as Clark Field, a roughly oval-shaped field surrounded by a track. The current field is bounded by the creek and San Jacinto Boulevard to the northeast, east and southeast; and touched by Jester Circle to the west. The rest of the field is bounded by campus buildings.
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, used primarily by the University of Texas Longhorns. The field was used from 1928 until 1974. It is considered one of the most novel ballparks ever conceived thanks to its location. There was a limestone cliff in the outfield that created havoc for outfielders and made baseball games exciting. It was replaced by UFCU Disch-Falk Field
UFCU Disch-Falk Field
UFCU Disch–Falk Field is the baseball stadium of the University of Texas at Austin. It's been home to Texas Longhorns baseball since it opened February 17, 1975. On that day, the eventual NCAA national champion Longhorns swept a doubleheader from St. Mary's by scores of 4-0 and 11-0...
in 1975.
Cliff
Clark Field was unusual because there was a 12- to 30 feet (9.1 m) limestone cliff that ran from left-center to center field that made playing the outfield adventurous. The cliff could only be accessed via a goat path in the left-center field. Center field was nicknamed "Billy Goat Hill." There was a scoreboard on top of the hill in the field in front of the fence that could cause even more weird bounces for outfielders. Clearly, this gave the Longhorns a home field advantage over visiting teams. For example, the Longhorns could easily get an inside-the-park home run when a ball was hit in the direction of the cliff because the opposing outfielders were perplexed by its caroms and how to make plays by using the cliff. Longhorn outfielders could typically hold batters to a double or triple because of their familiarity with the cliff. Half of the team's outfielders purportedly chose to play on top while the other half chose to play in front of the cliff.Atmosphere
While the ballpark had an irregular outfield, the stadium only sat 2,000. The stadium had an intimate yet palatial feeling that mirrored other jewel box ballparks such as Wrigley FieldWrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
, Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, and Tiger Stadium.
Once when the Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
visited Clark Field, the crowd overflowed into right field and rowdiness ensued, which happened regularly when other visiting teams played there as well. In the late 1960s, the Sam Houston State
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
Bearkats regularly opened with weekend doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
s in Austin.
Miscellaneous
According to legend, Lou GehrigLou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
hit a towering 550 feet (167.6 m) home run over "Billy Goat Hill" and the 40 feet (12.2 m) high fence in center field during a 1930 exhibition game. The dimensions of Clark Field were 350 feet (106.7 m) to the left field wall, 401 feet (122.2 m) to deepest center, and 300 feet (91.4 m) to right field. Six no-hitters were thrown at Clark Field all by the Longhorns during its tenure.
The Longhorns
Texas Longhorns baseball
The Texas Longhorns baseball team represents The University of Texas at Austin and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.The Texas Longhorns are the winningest program in college baseball history in terms of win percentage with .740 and ranks second all-time in total wins to the...
won an astonishing 37 Southwest Conference baseball championships as well as two College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
championships (1949-1950), being runner-up in 1953
1953 College World Series
The 1953 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 11 to June 16. The seventh tournament's champion was Michigan, coached by Ray Fisher. The Most Outstanding Player was J.L. Smith of Texas....
and College World Series appearances in 1952, 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, and 1974 while calling Clark Field home.
Clark Fields
There have been three athletic facilities on the campus named for the university's influential early leader James Benjamin Clark.The first Clark Field
Clark Field (1887)
Clark Field, originally known as Varsity Athletic Field, was a stadium in Austin, Texas. It hosted the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns football and track teams until they moved to Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in 1924...
, at the southeast corner of 24th Street and Speedway,http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ut_austin/university_of_texas-1926.jpg operated from 1887 through 1927, then was closed for the construction of the Mechanical Engineering Building a.k.a. Taylor Hall. The field was located a couple of blocks northwest of Memoral Stadium.
For 1928 the second and best-known Clark Field was inaugurated, north of Memorial Stadium, on the northwest corner of 23rd Street and Red River Street.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ut_austin/university_of_texas-1928.jpg That corner was the location of center field, as the diamond was in the northwest corner of the lot. Red River was later renamed Campus Drive, and the current thoroughfare designated as Red River Street is a block farther east, on the other side of the LBJ Library. That building is visible in the background of some of the later photos of Clark Field.
That same year, 1928, a recreation area called Freshman Field was opened, just southwest of Memorial Stadium, at a location given by the UT writeup as "east of Waller Creek between 19th and 21st Streets", although it appears that it was actually west of Waller Creek.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ut_austin/university_of_texas-1975.jpg
For 1975 the baseball team moved to their new ballpark, and Clark Field was closed to allow construction of the College of Fine Arts and the Performing Arts Center. Freshman Field was soon renamed as the third Clark Field. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Clark Field property underwest significant redevelopment, but a portion of the field was retained as Clark Field, a roughly oval-shaped field surrounded by a track. The current field is bounded by the creek and San Jacinto Boulevard to the northeast, east and southeast; and touched by Jester Circle to the west. The rest of the field is bounded by campus buildings.
See also
- Field With Baseball Terraces
- Texas Longhorns baseballTexas Longhorns baseballThe Texas Longhorns baseball team represents The University of Texas at Austin and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.The Texas Longhorns are the winningest program in college baseball history in terms of win percentage with .740 and ranks second all-time in total wins to the...
- Austin, TexasAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
- University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
- BevoBevo (mascot)Bevo is the name of the mascot of the sports teams at the University of Texas at Austin, a Texas longhorn steer with burnt orange coloring. The shape of the Longhorn's head and horns gives rise to the school's hand symbol and saying, Hook 'em Horns...
- Hook 'em HornsHook 'em HornsHook 'em Horns is the slogan and hand signal of The University of Texas at Austin. Students and alumni of the university employ a greeting consisting of the phrase "Hook 'em" or "Hook 'em Horns" and also use the phrase as a parting good-bye or as the closing line in a letter or story.The gesture is...
- The Eyes of TexasThe Eyes of Texas"The Eyes of Texas" is the alma mater of the University of Texas at Austin. It is set to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad." Students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University sing the song at Longhorn sports games and other events....
- Texas FightTexas Fight"Texas Fight" is the official fight song of the University of Texas at Austin and was written by Colonel Walter S. Hunnicutt in collaboration with James E. King, then director of the Marlin High School Band....