Memorial Stadium (Fort Wayne)

Memorial Stadium was a stadium located in Johnny Appleseed Park in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was primarily used for baseball, and was the home field of the Fort Wayne Wizards of the Midwest League baseball team. Memorial Stadium was dedicated on April 18, 1993 before a sold-out crowd.[1]

Memorial Stadium
The Castle
Location1616 East Coliseum Boulevard
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805
Coordinates41°6′50.71″N 85°7′8.37″W
OwnerCity of Fort Wayne
OperatorAllen County War Memorial Coliseum
Capacity6,516
Field sizeLeft field - 330 ft
Center Field - 400 ft
Right field - 330 ft
SurfaceGrass
Construction
OpenedApril 18, 1993
Closed2008
DemolishedJune-July 2009
Tenants
Fort Wayne Wizards (MWL) (1993-2008)

One of the most historic moments for the stadium came April 24, 1994 when Alex Rodriguez hit the first professional home run of his career.[2]

Memorial Stadium hosted its final baseball game August 28, 2008, with 6,106 in attendance, between the Wizards and South Bend Silver Hawks.[3] Highlights included the ceremonial first pitch thrown by 2008 Summer Olympic Gold medalist Lloy Ball and the national anthem performed by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra.[4] The final attendance recorded for Memorial Stadium was 4,046,261.[5]

Memorial Stadium's replacement, Parkview Field, opened for the 2009 season in downtown Fort Wayne as the new home for the franchise. In the summer of 2009, Memorial Stadium was demolished.[6]

References
  1. Memorial Stadium Archived 2006-05-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
  2. (2008-01-19). Fort Wayne Sports Moments Archived 2008-10-12 at the Wayback Machine. The News-Sentinel. Retrieved on 2009-06-11.
  3. West, Nick, (2008-08-29).Last game at Memorial Stadium was one to remember; Highlights included Olympian, freebies, tied mascot race. The News-Sentinel. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
  4. Pope, LaMond, (2008-08-29). Wizards' playoff hopes dashed; Close Memorial Stadium with blowout loss. The Journal Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
  5. Pope, LaMond, (2008-08-28). Attendance marks, other Memorial Stadium figures. The Journal Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
  6. "Memorial Coliseum: Photo Gallery". Memorial Coliseum. 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
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