Hi Corbett Field
Encyclopedia
Hi Corbett Field is a baseball
stadium located in Tucson, Arizona
. The stadium holds approximately 9,500 people. It was the spring training
home of the Colorado Rockies
, and is currently home to the Tucson Toros
. Beginning 2012, it will also be home to the University of Arizona Wildcats
baseball team.
to bring the Cleveland Indians
to Tucson in 1947. Veeck owned a ranch in Tucson at the time and players sometimes rode Veeck's horses after the games. Veeck claimed that he moved the team's training camp from Florida to Arizona in order to avoid Florida's Jim Crow laws
.
Hi Corbett was remodeled in 1972 and renovated in 1992, 1997 and 1999. It is part of a larger city park complex, Gene C. Reid Park (which also includes the Reid Park Zoo
) and Randolph Park, located between Broadway Boulevard and 22nd Street in midtown Tucson.
The main playing field's dimensions are as follows: 348 feet in Right Field, 392 feet in Center Field, and 366 feet in Left Field, with a "Green Monster" fence in Center Field. The ballpark currently has a capacity of 9,500, including 598 box seats, 8,350 reserved seats, and 562 bleacher seats. There are also two ancillary fields for use in spring training, but these make no provision for spectators.
from 1947 through 1992. Cleveland announced in 1990 that they would depart Tucson and the city tried to attract the Baltimore Orioles
to move to Arizona. Parts of the 1989 movie Major League were filmed at Hi Corbett Field. This production used members of the University of Arizona
baseball team as extras.
From 1993 to 2010, Hi Corbett was the pre-season home of the expansion Colorado Rockies, who moved into Hi Corbett with their inaugural spring training.
Hi Corbett is also closely associated with minor league baseball. Aside from the Lizards, the Tucson Cowboys (Class C; Arizona-Texas League
) played at Hi Corbett intermittently from the late 1930s until 1958. The original Tucson Toros
(Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) played there from their inception in 1969 until 1997 (see below for new Toros team). The largest Tucson Toros crowd at Hi Corbett was 12,863 on May 17, 1981 against Salt Lake City. In 1997, the Toros essentially exchanged ownership and franchises with the nearby Phoenix Firebirds
, so that the ex-Toros played in Scottsdale Stadium
as the Firebirds, and the ex-Firebirds played at Hi Corbett as the Toros. In 1998 the Phoenix team relocated to Fresno, California
and was renamed the Fresno Grizzlies
, and the Tucson Toros became the Tucson Sidewinders
, and played in the new Tucson Electric Park
, which was renamed in January 2011 to Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Arizona Fall League
, a short season league for major league prospects
, fielded a team at Hi Corbett in 1993 and 1994, known as the Tucson Javelinas. The team relocated to Peoria, Arizona
in 1995 (becoming the Peoria Javelinas
) to limit travel distances to the Phoenix, Arizona
metropolitan area.
USA Baseball
was headquartered at Hi Corbett from 1997 to 2003.
From 2004 to 2007 Hi Corbett was home to the Arizona Heat
women's professional softball
team.
In addition to the large number of visiting teams that have appeared there as part of regular league play, Hi Corbett has hosted exhibition games featuring the Colorado Silver Bullets
, Houston Astros
and University of Arizona
, among others. Baseball Hall of Fame members who played at Hi Corbett include Mickey Mantle
, Willie Mays
, Ted Williams
and many others.
On May 21, 2009, the Tucson Toros
returned to Hi Corbett Field after an eleven-year absence, playing as an Independent Professional Baseball League team of the Golden Baseball League
. Hi Corbett Field was the home stadium of the Toros until they were evicted by the city of Tucson in 2011 before they could join the North American League
.
In 2012, the ballpark will become the new home of the University of Arizona Wildcats baseball team.
. In response, Pima County
chartered a regional sports and tourism authority, funded by tourism and other taxes.
Such authority was approved both by the Arizona Legislature
and voters of the county. The departure of the Chicago White Sox
from Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, has forced team management to expedite plans for a future move, as the Rockies have stated that they need two other teams in order for Tucson to be a viable spring training town for them.
The Rockies decided to move to the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in 2011 on tribal land owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
near Scottsdale. The Arizona Diamondbacks
share that facility.
University of Arizona moves in
In an effort to have its baseball program compete in the best possible facilities, in August 2011, the University of Arizona
signed an agreement with the city of Tucson for Arizona baseball to play its home games at Hi Corbett for the 2012 season, and will play there for at least the next five years. The UA will make several upgrades to the facility, where the Wildcats previously played selected games in the 1960s and '70s. Hi Corbett is located about three miles southeast of the UA campus.
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 located in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. The stadium holds approximately 9,500 people. It was the spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
home of the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
, and is currently home to the Tucson Toros
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros are a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. They are owned by Tucson Baseball, LLC with Jay Zucker as chairman of the board. Sean Smock is the team's general manager....
. Beginning 2012, it will also be home to the University of Arizona Wildcats
Arizona Wildcats baseball
The Arizona Wildcats baseball team is the intercollegiate men's baseball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The baseball team had its first season in 1904...
baseball team.
Venue history and statistics
Built in 1937 for the Class D Tucson Lizards (Arizona/Texas League), Hi Corbett Field was originally called Randolph Municipal Baseball Park. It was renamed in honor of Hiram Stevens Corbett (1886–1967), a former Arizona state senator who was instrumental in bringing spring training to Tucson, specifically by convincing Bill VeeckBill Veeck
William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
to bring the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
to Tucson in 1947. Veeck owned a ranch in Tucson at the time and players sometimes rode Veeck's horses after the games. Veeck claimed that he moved the team's training camp from Florida to Arizona in order to avoid Florida's Jim Crow laws
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
.
Hi Corbett was remodeled in 1972 and renovated in 1992, 1997 and 1999. It is part of a larger city park complex, Gene C. Reid Park (which also includes the Reid Park Zoo
Reid Park Zoo
The Reid Park Zoo, founded in 1967, is a city-owned and operated non-profit zoo in Tucson, Arizona. The zoo features more than 500 animals. It was unofficially established in 1965 by Gene Reid, the parks and recreation director at the time.-Exhibits:...
) and Randolph Park, located between Broadway Boulevard and 22nd Street in midtown Tucson.
The main playing field's dimensions are as follows: 348 feet in Right Field, 392 feet in Center Field, and 366 feet in Left Field, with a "Green Monster" fence in Center Field. The ballpark currently has a capacity of 9,500, including 598 box seats, 8,350 reserved seats, and 562 bleacher seats. There are also two ancillary fields for use in spring training, but these make no provision for spectators.
Teams
Hi Corbett served as the spring training home of the Cleveland IndiansCleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
from 1947 through 1992. Cleveland announced in 1990 that they would depart Tucson and the city tried to attract the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
to move to Arizona. Parts of the 1989 movie Major League were filmed at Hi Corbett Field. This production used members of the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
baseball team as extras.
From 1993 to 2010, Hi Corbett was the pre-season home of the expansion Colorado Rockies, who moved into Hi Corbett with their inaugural spring training.
Hi Corbett is also closely associated with minor league baseball. Aside from the Lizards, the Tucson Cowboys (Class C; Arizona-Texas League
Arizona-Texas League
The Arizona-Texas League was a low-level circuit in American minor league baseball that existed from 1928-32, 1937-41, 1947-50 and 1952-54. The Arizona-Texas loop merged with the Sunset League to form the Southwest International League in 1951...
) played at Hi Corbett intermittently from the late 1930s until 1958. The original Tucson Toros
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros are a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. They are owned by Tucson Baseball, LLC with Jay Zucker as chairman of the board. Sean Smock is the team's general manager....
(Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) played there from their inception in 1969 until 1997 (see below for new Toros team). The largest Tucson Toros crowd at Hi Corbett was 12,863 on May 17, 1981 against Salt Lake City. In 1997, the Toros essentially exchanged ownership and franchises with the nearby Phoenix Firebirds
Phoenix Firebirds
The Phoenix Firebirds, formerly the Phoenix Giants, were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Phoenix, Arizona, USA from 1958-1959, and 1966 until 1997....
, so that the ex-Toros played in Scottsdale Stadium
Scottsdale Stadium
Scottsdale Stadium is a baseball field located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The stadium was built in 1992 and holds 12,000 people. It is the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants...
as the Firebirds, and the ex-Firebirds played at Hi Corbett as the Toros. In 1998 the Phoenix team relocated to Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
and was renamed the Fresno Grizzlies
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...
, and the Tucson Toros became the Tucson Sidewinders
Tucson Sidewinders
The Tucson Sidewinders were a minor league baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona. The team, which played in the Pacific Coast League, was the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks major-league club....
, and played in the new Tucson Electric Park
Tucson Electric Park
Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium is a baseball stadium in Tucson, Arizona. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox formerly utilized the park for Cactus League games each March and had their minor league complexes on-site...
, which was renamed in January 2011 to Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Arizona Fall League
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes...
, a short season league for major league prospects
Prospect (sports)
In sports, a prospect is any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team, or isn't established with the team yet. Prospects can sometimes be assigned to farm teams...
, fielded a team at Hi Corbett in 1993 and 1994, known as the Tucson Javelinas. The team relocated to Peoria, Arizona
Peoria, Arizona
Peoria is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. Located primarily in Maricopa County, it is a major suburb of Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau releases, the population of the city is 154,065. Peoria is currently the sixth largest city in Arizona for land...
in 1995 (becoming the Peoria Javelinas
Peoria Javelinas
The Peoria Javelinas, established in 1992, are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. The Javelinas play their home games in the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona, which is a spring training site for both the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners.For...
) to limit travel distances to the Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
metropolitan area.
USA Baseball
USA Baseball was founded in , and is the governing body for amateur baseball in the United States of America. It is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and organizes the United States national baseball team...
was headquartered at Hi Corbett from 1997 to 2003.
From 2004 to 2007 Hi Corbett was home to the Arizona Heat
Arizona Heat
The Arizona Heat is a women's softball team based in Tucson, Arizona. From the 2004 season, it played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch. The team's home games were played at historic Hi Corbett Field....
women's professional softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
team.
In addition to the large number of visiting teams that have appeared there as part of regular league play, Hi Corbett has hosted exhibition games featuring the Colorado Silver Bullets
Colorado Silver Bullets
The Colorado Silver Bullets was an all-female professional baseball team that played in the United States in the mid-1990s. The Bullets were the first such team since the folding of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1954.- History :...
, Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, among others. Baseball Hall of Fame members who played at Hi Corbett include Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
, 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...
, Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
and many others.
On May 21, 2009, the Tucson Toros
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros are a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. They are owned by Tucson Baseball, LLC with Jay Zucker as chairman of the board. Sean Smock is the team's general manager....
returned to Hi Corbett Field after an eleven-year absence, playing as an Independent Professional Baseball League team of the Golden Baseball League
Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League, based in San Ramon, California, was an independent baseball league. It later merged with the Northern League and the United Baseball League to form the North American League in the western United States, western Canada and Mexico....
. Hi Corbett Field was the home stadium of the Toros until they were evicted by the city of Tucson in 2011 before they could join the North American League
North American League
The North American League is an independent baseball league that began play in the 2011 season...
.
In 2012, the ballpark will become the new home of the University of Arizona Wildcats baseball team.
Future
In 2007, the Rockies asked for a package of improvements to Hi Corbett potentially totaling $10–20 million under the threat of a possible move to Goodyear, ArizonaGoodyear, Arizona
Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 65,275...
. In response, Pima County
Pima County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.3% White*3.5% Black*3.3% Native American*2.6% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.7% Two or more races*12.4% Other races*34.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
chartered a regional sports and tourism authority, funded by tourism and other taxes.
Such authority was approved both by the Arizona Legislature
Arizona Legislature
The Arizona Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. There are 60 Representatives and 30 Senators...
and voters of the county. The departure of the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
from Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, has forced team management to expedite plans for a future move, as the Rockies have stated that they need two other teams in order for Tucson to be a viable spring training town for them.
The Rockies decided to move to the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in 2011 on tribal land owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
The Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community comprises two distinct Native American tribes—the Pima and the Maricopa —many of whom were originally of the Halchidhoma tribe. The community was officially created by an Executive Order of US President Rutherford B. Hayes on June 14, 1879...
near Scottsdale. The Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
share that facility.
University of Arizona moves in
In an effort to have its baseball program compete in the best possible facilities, in August 2011, the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
signed an agreement with the city of Tucson for Arizona baseball to play its home games at Hi Corbett for the 2012 season, and will play there for at least the next five years. The UA will make several upgrades to the facility, where the Wildcats previously played selected games in the 1960s and '70s. Hi Corbett is located about three miles southeast of the UA campus.
External links
- Tucson Toros 1997 Media Guide (Tucson: Tucson Toros Baseball Club, 1997).
- Spring Training 2006: Colorado Rockies.
- Colorado Rockies 2007 Spring Training, Spring Training Online.
- Ballpark Watch