Drillers Stadium
Encyclopedia
Opened in 1981, Drillers Stadium, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma
, USA is a minor league
baseball
stadium
, located in the Tulsa metropolitan area
. From 1981 to 2009, Drillers Stadium was home to the Tulsa Drillers
, a minor league baseball
team which plays in the Texas League
. Drillers Stadium has also hosted one of the three regular season baseball games played between Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma
each year in the Bedlam Series
(the other two games are played in Oklahoma City at the larger AT&T Bricktown Ballpark
).
Drillers Stadium is located on the southwest corner of Yale Avenue and 15th Street, and is a part of EXPO Square and the northeast corner of Tulsa Fairgrounds. Big Splash Waterpark is up the street from the stadium, and about a fourth of a mile to the northeast of the former home of Bell's Amusement Park
. A Walgreens
is located across the street, which replaced a Bud's supermarket. Home run balls from Driller's Stadium sometimes landed in the parking lot of the Bud's.
Tulsa County completed 8,000 seat Robert B. Sutton Stadium in 1981, naming it for its chief benefactor, a local oil executive. Sutton, however, was convicted in 1982 on obstruction of justice charges, and as a result the County renamed the ballpark Tulsa County Stadium. In 1989, Drillers Stadium received its current name. The stadium now seats 10,997, making it the largest stadium in Double-A baseball. Originally a multi-purpose stadium
with an artificial surface playing field, it now features a Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT) grass surface. Since its installation in 1993, the field has regularly been rated one of the best in the Texas League by players and managers.
Though it has primarily served as a baseball stadium, monster truck
rallies and concerts can be held here. On December 19, 2008, construction began on a new ballpark in downtown Tulsa, ONEOK Field, which replaced Drillers Stadium before the 2010 baseball season.
The Drillers played their final game in Drillers Stadium on September 7, 2009.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, USA is a minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
, located in the Tulsa metropolitan area
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. From 1981 to 2009, Drillers Stadium was home to the Tulsa Drillers
Tulsa Drillers
The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies major-league club.-Stadium:...
, a minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team which plays in the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. Drillers Stadium has also hosted one of the three regular season baseball games played between Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
each year in the Bedlam Series
Bedlam Series
The Bedlam Series refers to the athletics rivalry between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys, of the Big 12 Conference...
(the other two games are played in Oklahoma City at the larger AT&T Bricktown Ballpark
AT&T Bricktown Ballpark
RedHawks Field at Bricktown opened in 1998 in downtown Oklahoma City's Bricktown district, replacing All Sports Stadium. It is the home of the Oklahoma City RedHawks, the AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros major league baseball team. The park seats 13,066 fans.The stadium frequently hosts the Big...
).
Drillers Stadium is located on the southwest corner of Yale Avenue and 15th Street, and is a part of EXPO Square and the northeast corner of Tulsa Fairgrounds. Big Splash Waterpark is up the street from the stadium, and about a fourth of a mile to the northeast of the former home of Bell's Amusement Park
Bell's Amusement Park
Bell's Amusement Park was a small amusement park located in Tulsa's Expo Square, part of the Tulsa County Fairground in Oklahoma. The park was founded in 1951 by Robert Bell with a small collection of rides and amusements including a three car train and a Shetland pony ride...
. A Walgreens
Walgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...
is located across the street, which replaced a Bud's supermarket. Home run balls from Driller's Stadium sometimes landed in the parking lot of the Bud's.
Tulsa County completed 8,000 seat Robert B. Sutton Stadium in 1981, naming it for its chief benefactor, a local oil executive. Sutton, however, was convicted in 1982 on obstruction of justice charges, and as a result the County renamed the ballpark Tulsa County Stadium. In 1989, Drillers Stadium received its current name. The stadium now seats 10,997, making it the largest stadium in Double-A baseball. Originally a multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
with an artificial surface playing field, it now features a Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT) grass surface. Since its installation in 1993, the field has regularly been rated one of the best in the Texas League by players and managers.
Though it has primarily served as a baseball stadium, monster truck
Monster truck
A monster truck is a pickup truck, typically styled after pickup trucks' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheels and suspension...
rallies and concerts can be held here. On December 19, 2008, construction began on a new ballpark in downtown Tulsa, ONEOK Field, which replaced Drillers Stadium before the 2010 baseball season.
The Drillers played their final game in Drillers Stadium on September 7, 2009.
External links
- Drillers Stadium
- Ballpark Reviews
- Drillers Stadium Views - Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues
- "City breaks ground on downtown ballpark," Tulsa WorldTulsa WorldTulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma, and is the second-most widely circulated newspaper in the state, after The Oklahoman. It was founded in 1905 and remains an independent newspaper,...
, December 19, 2008. - Barry Lewis, "Best moments at Drillers Stadium", Tulsa WorldTulsa WorldTulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma, and is the second-most widely circulated newspaper in the state, after The Oklahoman. It was founded in 1905 and remains an independent newspaper,...
, September 6, 2009. - ONEOK Field official website