Cooper Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cooper Stadium | |
|---|---|
| "The Coop" | |
 |
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| Location | 1125 W Mound St Columbus, OH 43223 |
| Opened | 1931 |
| Owner | Franklin County, Ohio government |
| Operator | Franklin County, Ohio government |
| Surface | Natural Grass |
| Former names | Red Bird Stadium (1932-1954) Jets Stadium (1955-1970) Franklin County Stadium (1977-1984) |
| Tenants | Columbus Clippers (International League) (1978-Present) |
| Capacity | |
| Field dimensions | Left Field - 355 ft Center Field - 400 ft Right Field - 330 ft |
Cooper Stadium is a baseball stadium in Columbus, Ohio and is the home of the Columbus Clippers, the AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Cooper Stadium has had several names over the years, including Red Bird Stadium, Jets Stadium and Franklin County Stadium, but in 1984 the stadium was renamed in honor of Harold Cooper, the county commissioner who was responsible for keeping baseball in Columbus in the 1950s. The stadium is owned and operated by the Franklin County, Ohio government. It is located in the section of the city known as Franklinton. Built in 1931 by the St. Louis Cardinals, Red Bird Stadium was constructed using the same blue prints as Red Wing Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. Red Wing Stadium had been built by the Cardinals in 1929. The Cardinals owned both teams when the respective stadiums were built. Cooper Stadium was renovated to its present configuration in 1977 to coincide with the return of minor-league baseball to Columbus after a six year abscence. It presently seats 11,000 in a single deck grandstand with an additional 4,000 overflow bleacher seats.
Over the years, Cooper Stadium has been home to the Columbus Red Birds, a farm team for the St. Louis Cardinals; the Columbus Jets; and, after the renovation was completed, the Columbus Clippers.
There are currently plans for the Clippers to move from Cooper Stadium after the 2008 season. The new stadium, known as Huntington Park, will be located in the Arena District near Nationwide Arena. As of May 1, 2008, it is expected that the site of Cooper Stadium will be used for an auto racing facility, according to [1]. This is not a completely new use for the facility, as the parking lot south of the stadium has been used for autocross and for motorcycle training.
Cooper Stadium also hosts the OHSAA boys baseball State Tournament. Rumored plans also including a 22 million dollar overhaul to eventually become the OHSAA stadium for most outdoor events (baseball,football,soccer,lacrosse etc.). This would then make Cooper Stadium a Multi Purpose Stadium.
[edit] External links
- Cooper Stadium Views - Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues
- Historic Postcards of Redbird (later Jets, Franklin County, then Cooper) Stadium
| Current ballparks in the International League | ||||
| North Division | South Division | West Division | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance Bank Stadium • Coca-Cola Park Frontier Field • Dunn Tire Park McCoy Stadium • PNC Field |
The Diamond • Durham Bulls Athletic Park Harbor Park • Knights Stadium |
Cooper Stadium • Fifth Third Field Louisville Slugger Field • Victory Field |
||
