Connie Mack Field
Encyclopedia
Connie Mack Field was a ballpark in West Palm Beach, Florida
and was the long-time spring training home of the Philadelphia Athletics
. The stadium was built in 1924 and named Municipal Athletic Field. Athletic Stadium hosted its first event, a football game, in October 1924. The first baseball game was played in December. It was renamed Wright Field in 1927 for West Palm Beach City Manager George C. Wright. It was renamed Connie Mack Field in 1952 in honor of long-time Philadelphia Athletics manager and owner Connie Mack
. It was replaced in 1962 by West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium
but the grandstand remained until 1973 and the field was available for use until 1992 when it was bulldozed for a garage for the new Kravis Center. The grandstands held about 2,000; black fans watched from a small section in the right-field corner. Total capacity was about 3,500. Record attendance for baseball was on March 20, 1949 when 6,988 fans saw the A's defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a spring training game featuring Jackie Robinson
on the field and then-Secretary of State General George Marshall
in attendance.
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
and was the long-time spring training home of the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. The stadium was built in 1924 and named Municipal Athletic Field. Athletic Stadium hosted its first event, a football game, in October 1924. The first baseball game was played in December. It was renamed Wright Field in 1927 for West Palm Beach City Manager George C. Wright. It was renamed Connie Mack Field in 1952 in honor of long-time Philadelphia Athletics manager and owner Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
. It was replaced in 1962 by West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium
West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium
West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium, referred to as “Municipal Stadium”, was a ballpark in West Palm Beach, Florida and the long-time spring training home to the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos...
but the grandstand remained until 1973 and the field was available for use until 1992 when it was bulldozed for a garage for the new Kravis Center. The grandstands held about 2,000; black fans watched from a small section in the right-field corner. Total capacity was about 3,500. Record attendance for baseball was on March 20, 1949 when 6,988 fans saw the A's defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a spring training game featuring Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
on the field and then-Secretary of State General George Marshall
George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense...
in attendance.