Memorial Stadium currently is the home of Indiana State University football in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. Constructed in 1923-24 by the City of Terre Haute to seat approximately 16,000 people, the facility's initial primary use was as the home of the Terre Haute Baseball Club, aka the Terre Haute Tots, a minor league team in the Three-I League; a Class B team. Class B is the the equivalent of today's Class A baseball. The stadium was officially dedicated on May 4, 1925 and was univerrally hailed as the nation's finest minor league baseball stadium. Baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis was present to throw out the first pitch of the season opening game between Terre Haute and the Peoria Tractors. The stadium and its grounds also were used for semi-pro, high school and college football and baseball, professional boxing, circuses, fireworks exhibitions, ice skating and miscellaneous conventions and other events.
Later tenants of Memorial Stadium were the Terre Haute Phillies, a farm club of the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Terre Haute Huts, which had a working agreement with the Detroit Tigers. The distance from home plate to the center field wall was 546 feet so a temporary fence was installed. Unfortunately, Terre Haute's long association (since 1883) with professional baseball ended on July 3, 1956.
In 1967, Indiana State University became the first university in the world to own and operate an outdoor artificial playing surface. The stadium, except for its outside wall and memorial arch, was razed in 1968-69, and converted to a football stadium. As a result, it has little resemblance to the majestic amphitheater constructed in the early Twenties. The field was upgraded in 2009 with a new FieldTurf playing surface, at a cost of $750,000. [1]
Memorial Stadium, which has a current capacity of 12,000, also hosts the annual High School football game (previously the homecomming game) between Terre Haute rivals North-South as they play for The Liberty Bell.
There are tentative plans to construct a new multi-purpose stadium on the Indiana State campus, 3 miles to the west. Memorial Stadium would likely then be razed.
Notes
- ^ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/24/indiana-state-footballs-sad-state/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002&eref=sihpT1
External links
- ISU Athletics
- Indiana State University
- McCormick, Mike, "Terre Haute: Queen City of the Wabash"
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Coordinates: 39°28′29″N 87°22′1″W / 39.47472°N 87.36694°W
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