HISTORY of RICKWOOD FIELD

BUILDING RICKWOOD

The story of Rickwood Field, America's oldest ballpark, began in 1910 when millionaire Birmingham industrialist A.H. "Rick" Woodward bought a controlling interest in the city's professional baseball team, the Birmingham Barons (originally named the Coal Barons). Until this point, the Birmingham Barons had played all their games since their inception in 1885 at the Slag Pile, which seated 600 and was leased 60 days at a time.

Woodward announced plans to build the first concrete-and-steel ballpark in the minor leagues (and the fifth in all of baseball at the time). Woodward consulted with Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics during an A's exhibition game in Birmingham. Mack helped lay out the site of the diamond and suggested the installation of wooden louvers between the top row of the grandstand and the roof. The original layout mirrored Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

The Birmingham News conducted a contest to name the park; the winning submission, presumably to Mr. Woodward's delight, was "Rickwood Field." By the time Rickwood was ready for baseball in August 1910, the project cost had increased to a staggering $75,000 for the 5,000-seat facility.

BIRMINGHAM BARONS

The Birmingham Barons played their first game at Rickwood against the Montgomery Climbers on August 18, 1910. A crowd estimated at 10,000 jammed into the new facility for the opener. In true style, Woodward threw out the first pitch (for real, not for ceremony) and handed the ball to Harry Coveleski with a 1-0 count on the first batter. Birmingham Barons' manager Carlton Molesworth scored the first run in the new park. The Birmingham Barons trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth and scored twice to beat the Climbers by a 3-2 final.

Rickwood's Field's finest moment came in the Dixie Series of 1931. The Birmingham Barons won the Southern Association by 10 ½ games and faced the Houston Buffaloes. An all-time Rickwood Field record crowd of 20,074 shoe-horned into the park on September 16th, 1931, to see the game one matchup, which the Barons won 1-0.

Rickwood Field's single-season attendance record came in 1948 when 445,926 fans walked through the turnstiles. The Barons won the Dixie Series by a 4-1 margin over the Fort Worth Panthers the same season behind slugger Walt Dropo.

BIRMINGHAM BLACK BARONS

Denied the opportunity to play in organized professional baseball leagues, leaders formed the Negro Leagues to provide opportunities for Black players to showcase their talents. Birmingham's first entry into the newly formed professional league was the Birmingham Black Barons, formed in 1921, primarily from local company ACIPCO's Black company team. In an enterprising arrangement with Woodward, the Black Barons rented Rickwood on the dates when the Barons were on the road.

When the sign hung on the front of Rickwood proclaimed "Black Barons Today," mostly Black fans would fill Rickwood to cheer their team. This unique arrangement would remain in place for the next forty years, allowing Rickwood fans to enjoy the diamond exploits of some of the country's greatest white and Black ballplayers. Just never at the same time.

The Black Barons took home three Negro American League titles between the years of 1943-48, but lost to the Homestead Grays in the Negro World Series each time. The Black Barons uniform was donned by a number of players who made an impact in MLB and beyond, including Willie Mays, Satchel Paige, Mule Suttles, Willie Wells – all Hall of Famers.

WILLIE MAYS at RICKWOOD FIELD

The Black Barons are mostly remembered for its teenage centerfielder, Willie Mays, who grew up minutes from Rickwood Field. Mays was just 17 years old and became a starter on the team. He contributed key hits in Games One and Two of the Negro American League Championship Series helping the Barons secure victories. He also led the Black Barons to its only win in the 1948 Negro League World Series. Mays played two more summers with the Black Barons before embarking on a dazzling major league career that convinced many that Mays is the greatest baseball player in history.

RICKWOOD CLASSIC

In tradition which dates back to 1996, the Birmingham Barons return to Rickwood Field once per season to play the "Rickwood Classic," a "turn back the clock" game to honor the history of baseball in the city of Birmingham. The annual induction class of the Barons Hall of Fame is announced during the Rickwood Classic, as well.

Rickwood celebrated its 100th year on August 18, 2010, as it became the first ballpark in America to reach the historic centennial figure.

NATIONAL REGISTER of HISTORIC PLACES

When the White Sox announced plans to demolish Comiskey in 1991, Rickwood Field went from 'old' to 'historic." The National Register of Historic Places officially acknowledged Rickwood's unique place in American history. Rick Woodward's 1910 ballpark was now the mother church of baseball. Seizing the moment, the Friends of Rickwood organization was formed in 1992.

Of the 351 members who have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, 181 have played, managed, umpired or led a baseball team at Rickwood Field since 1910. Rickwood Field is heralded due to the distant era of its opening, but it is the players who give that legacy its meaning.