Engel Stadium
Encyclopedia
Engel Stadium is a stadium
in Chattanooga, Tennessee
. The stadium was built in 1930 and holds 12,000 people. It was the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts
until 1999 when they moved to their current stadium, AT&T Field. Tennessee Temple University
has held their home games at Engel since the Lookouts left. Engel Stadium was named for longtime President of the Chattanooga Lookouts
, Joe Engel
.
The stadium
is located at 1130 E. 3rd Street, at the corner of O'Neal Street, adjacent to the historic Fort Wood neighborhood, Norfolk Southern's DeButts Yard and Erlanger Hospital
.
, owner of the Washington Senators
sent a young scout by the name of Joe Engel
to the South to find a home for the club's first minor league affiliate. First, Engel went to Atlanta, Georgia
with cash in hand to buy the Atlanta Crackers
, but for reasons unknown he backed out and came north to Chattanooga, Tennessee
. Engel not only bought the Chattanooga Lookouts
from Sammy Strang
, but also replaced their ballpark, Andrews Field with a state-of-the-art stadium at a cost of $150,000. Engel Stadium would be one of the first built with a press box, and also the only to feature a hill in center field, with "LOOKOUTS" engraved in it. Engel also featured one of the deepest center fields in the country, 471 feet from home plate, Harmon Killebrew
is said to be the only man to hit it over the deepest part.
Many of Joe Engel
's famous antics also took place at Engel Stadium, gaining him the nickname, "The Barnum of Baseball." In 1931, the New York Yankees
played an exhibition game at Engel Stadium against the Lookouts. During the game, a 17 year old girl named Jackie Mitchell
pitched for the Lookouts, striking out Major League greats Lou Gehrig
and Babe Ruth
. In 1936, a record crowd of 24,624 fans crammed into the park that only held 12,000 seats for the chance of winning a house in the middle of the Great Depression
. The winning ticket was not at the game. On Opening Day in 1938, Joe Engel debuted his popular "Wild Elephant Hunt" prior to the game. It was such a success, he took it to ballparks throughout the South.
Many notables have played on the field, including Babe Ruth
, Lou Gehrig
, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige
, Willie Mays
, Harmon Killebrew
, Ferguson Jenkins
, Kiki Cuyler
, and Rogers Hornsby
.
When the Lookouts could not find an affiliate from 1966 to 1975, the Stadium began to deteriorate. Despite amateur games being played at Engel day and night all summer long, it was not being properly taken care of. In 1972, Chattanooga News Free Press columnist Allan Morris wrote that "paint is peeling off the walls, the floor is filthy, the roof is falling down, and it looks like a tornado hit the place." When Woody Reid bought the club in 1976 and gained a Major League affiliate in the Oakland Athletics
, he hosted "Sparkle Days" at the stadium, where fans volunteered their time to fixing up Engel.
In the winter of 1988, Engel Stadium underwent its first major renovation. The $2 million dollar project called for a new look to the exterior of the stadium, a two-story front office building built down the first base line, a new press box on top of the roof, a restaurant in the concourse with a view of the field, and a resurfaced field. "We were trying to do things in a real haphazard way," said Lookouts General Manager Bill Lee. The renovation resulted in a half-million dollar lawsuit by the Lookouts against the city and county for installing a field that did not drain properly.
In the winter of 1994, Frank Burke
bought the Lookouts. Years later he would say, "Finding Engel Stadium was a bit like falling in love: initially, you don't see some of the downsides." The downside was that Engel Stadium was becoming so costly to keep up that he could not turn a profit. By 1998, the situation got so severe that Burke agreed to fund a new ballpark on top of Hawk Hill, so long as he could sell 1,800 season tickets and 10 luxury boxes for his new park by February 4, 1999. Burke met his goal a week early and the Lookouts played their last game at Engel Stadium on September 10, 1999.
Engel Stadium (with a fence reducing the dimensions of the playing field) is now leased by the city and county to Tennessee Temple for their baseball team, who have played their home games at Engel since 2000. However, the stadium is in the process of being turned over to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
, which has agreed to leave the stadium intact. Since the Lookouts left, Engel has hosted high school
baseball games and the TSSAA
baseball playoffs---until they were moved to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to be more centrally located for all Tennessee high schools.
In 2004, the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County agreed to turnover ownership of the entire Engel Stadium property to UT Chattanooga. The University plans to build a state-of-the-art track and field complex in the current parking lot and partner with The Engel Foundation in the restoration of Engel Stadium. On April 5, 2011 the City of Chattanooga passed an interim agreement allowing UTC to take control of the Stadium prior to the State’s approval of the deed transfer. Vice Chancellor Richard Brown announced plans to work with The Engel Foundation to restore the Stadium, which was damaged during a tornado in April 2011.
, Rick Honeycutt
, Willie Wilson, and Jay Johnstone
, and on December 14, 2009, Engel Stadium was approved as a site on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The Engel Foundation plans to raise $150,000 in needed repairs. Once that is accomplished, the Foundation wants to promote Engel as a destination for events from Little League Baseball, to middle/ high school baseball to adult league baseball. The venue could also serve as a museum to Chattanooga baseball, a site for concerts, and other community events.
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...
in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
. The stadium was built in 1930 and holds 12,000 people. It was the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
until 1999 when they moved to their current stadium, AT&T Field. Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University is a four-year private Christian university, with its focus on liberal arts education, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Operating there, also, is Temple Baptist Seminary, the university's graduate school of Christian theology....
has held their home games at Engel since the Lookouts left. Engel Stadium was named for longtime President of the Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
, Joe Engel
Joe Engel
thumb|Joe Engel, 1913Joseph William Engel was an American right-handed pitcher and scout in Major League Baseball who spent nearly his entire career with the Washington Senators, and went on to become a promoter and team owner in the minor leagues. He was born in Washington, D.C...
.
The 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...
is located at 1130 E. 3rd Street, at the corner of O'Neal Street, adjacent to the historic Fort Wood neighborhood, Norfolk Southern's DeButts Yard and Erlanger Hospital
Erlanger Health System
The Erlanger Health System , is a multi-hospital system with five campuses based in Chattanooga, Tennessee—Erlanger Baroness Campus, Children's Hospital at Erlanger, Erlanger East Campus, Erlanger North Campus, and Erlanger Bledsoe Campus...
.
History
In 1929, Clark GriffithClark Griffith
Clark Calvin Griffith , nicknamed "the Old Fox", was a Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner.-Biography:...
, owner of the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
sent a young scout by the name of Joe Engel
Joe Engel
thumb|Joe Engel, 1913Joseph William Engel was an American right-handed pitcher and scout in Major League Baseball who spent nearly his entire career with the Washington Senators, and went on to become a promoter and team owner in the minor leagues. He was born in Washington, D.C...
to the South to find a home for the club's first minor league affiliate. First, Engel went to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
with cash in hand to buy the Atlanta Crackers
Atlanta Crackers
The Atlanta Crackers were minor league baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee in 1966....
, but for reasons unknown he backed out and came north to Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
. Engel not only bought the Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
from Sammy Strang
Sammy Strang
Samuel Strang Nicklin born in Chattanooga, Tennessee was a Utility Player for the Louisville Colonels , Chicago Orphans , New York Giants , Chicago White Sox and Brooklyn Superbas .He helped the Giants win the 1905 World Series.Strang led the National League in On-base percentage in...
, but also replaced their ballpark, Andrews Field with a state-of-the-art stadium at a cost of $150,000. Engel Stadium would be one of the first built with a press box, and also the only to feature a hill in center field, with "LOOKOUTS" engraved in it. Engel also featured one of the deepest center fields in the country, 471 feet from home plate, Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew , nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball , he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and...
is said to be the only man to hit it over the deepest part.
Many of Joe Engel
Joe Engel
thumb|Joe Engel, 1913Joseph William Engel was an American right-handed pitcher and scout in Major League Baseball who spent nearly his entire career with the Washington Senators, and went on to become a promoter and team owner in the minor leagues. He was born in Washington, D.C...
's famous antics also took place at Engel Stadium, gaining him the nickname, "The Barnum of Baseball." In 1931, the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
played an exhibition game at Engel Stadium against the Lookouts. During the game, a 17 year old girl named Jackie Mitchell
Jackie Mitchell (baseball)
Virne Beatrice "Jackie" Mitchell Gilbert was one of the first female pitchers in professional baseball history...
pitched for the Lookouts, striking out Major League greats Lou Gehrig
Lou 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...
and Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
. In 1936, a record crowd of 24,624 fans crammed into the park that only held 12,000 seats for the chance of winning a house in the middle of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The winning ticket was not at the game. On Opening Day in 1938, Joe Engel debuted his popular "Wild Elephant Hunt" prior to the game. It was such a success, he took it to ballparks throughout the South.
Many notables have played on the field, including Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
, Lou Gehrig
Lou 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...
, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige
Satchel Paige
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime...
, Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
, Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew , nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball , he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and...
, Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins, CM, is a Canadian former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was a three-time All-Star and the 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner. In 1991, Jenkins was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 19-year career, he pitched for four different teams,...
, Kiki Cuyler
Kiki Cuyler
Hazen Shirley "Kiki" Cuyler was a Major League Baseball right fielder from 1921 until 1938. He was born in Harrisville, Michigan.Cuyler broke into the big leagues in 1921 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and became a fixture in the lineup in 1924...
, and Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. , nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals , New York Giants , Boston Braves , Chicago Cubs , and St. Louis Browns...
.
When the Lookouts could not find an affiliate from 1966 to 1975, the Stadium began to deteriorate. Despite amateur games being played at Engel day and night all summer long, it was not being properly taken care of. In 1972, Chattanooga News Free Press columnist Allan Morris wrote that "paint is peeling off the walls, the floor is filthy, the roof is falling down, and it looks like a tornado hit the place." When Woody Reid bought the club in 1976 and gained a Major League affiliate in the Oakland 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....
, he hosted "Sparkle Days" at the stadium, where fans volunteered their time to fixing up Engel.
In the winter of 1988, Engel Stadium underwent its first major renovation. The $2 million dollar project called for a new look to the exterior of the stadium, a two-story front office building built down the first base line, a new press box on top of the roof, a restaurant in the concourse with a view of the field, and a resurfaced field. "We were trying to do things in a real haphazard way," said Lookouts General Manager Bill Lee. The renovation resulted in a half-million dollar lawsuit by the Lookouts against the city and county for installing a field that did not drain properly.
In the winter of 1994, Frank Burke
Frank Burke
Frank Burke may refer to:*Frank Burke , American Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient*Frank James Burke , American organized crime figure...
bought the Lookouts. Years later he would say, "Finding Engel Stadium was a bit like falling in love: initially, you don't see some of the downsides." The downside was that Engel Stadium was becoming so costly to keep up that he could not turn a profit. By 1998, the situation got so severe that Burke agreed to fund a new ballpark on top of Hawk Hill, so long as he could sell 1,800 season tickets and 10 luxury boxes for his new park by February 4, 1999. Burke met his goal a week early and the Lookouts played their last game at Engel Stadium on September 10, 1999.
Engel Stadium (with a fence reducing the dimensions of the playing field) is now leased by the city and county to Tennessee Temple for their baseball team, who have played their home games at Engel since 2000. However, the stadium is in the process of being turned over to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a public university located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The University, often referred to as UTC or simply "Chattanooga" , is one of three universities and two other affiliated institutions in the University of Tennessee System; the others being in...
, which has agreed to leave the stadium intact. Since the Lookouts left, Engel has hosted high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
baseball games and the TSSAA
Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee.-Description:...
baseball playoffs---until they were moved to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to be more centrally located for all Tennessee high schools.
In 2004, the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County agreed to turnover ownership of the entire Engel Stadium property to UT Chattanooga. The University plans to build a state-of-the-art track and field complex in the current parking lot and partner with The Engel Foundation in the restoration of Engel Stadium. On April 5, 2011 the City of Chattanooga passed an interim agreement allowing UTC to take control of the Stadium prior to the State’s approval of the deed transfer. Vice Chancellor Richard Brown announced plans to work with The Engel Foundation to restore the Stadium, which was damaged during a tornado in April 2011.
The Engel Foundation
In April 2009, The Engel Foundation was formed to restore, preserve, promote, and revitalize Engel Stadium. "It is just kind of sitting there," said Foundation director Janna Jahn. "It is not getting the maintenance it needs. It is not being promoted." In its short existence, the Foundation has hosted a Great Spaces Open House at the Stadium that was attended by over a hundred people, two Legends Baseball Camps led by former major leaguers Steve TroutSteve Trout
Steven Russell Trout is a former major league baseball pitcher who played during the 1980s.He is the son of former major league pitcher Dizzy Trout. Teammates and friends often referred to him simply as "Sorenson" along with the fairly obvious nickname Rainbow Trout...
, Rick Honeycutt
Rick Honeycutt
Frederick Wayne "Rick" Honeycutt is the current pitching coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Honeycutt was a left-handed pitcher for 21 years from 1977 to 1997. He played with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and the St. Louis Cardinals...
, Willie Wilson, and Jay Johnstone
Jay Johnstone
John William Johnstone Jr. is an American former professional baseball player, active from 1966 to 1985 for the California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs...
, and on December 14, 2009, Engel Stadium was approved as a site on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Engel Foundation plans to raise $150,000 in needed repairs. Once that is accomplished, the Foundation wants to promote Engel as a destination for events from Little League Baseball, to middle/ high school baseball to adult league baseball. The venue could also serve as a museum to Chattanooga baseball, a site for concerts, and other community events.