Rickwood Field
1137 2nd Ave W
Birmingham, Alabama 35204

The Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues called Rickwood Field home from 1924 through 1960. As a teenager, Willie Mays began his professional career with the Black Barons in 1948. He played with them before beginning his legendary MLB career as a member of the New York Giants in 1951. Rickwood Field was the site of the final Negro League World Series game in October 1948, which saw Mays’ Black Barons falling to the Homestead Grays in five games.

Facts about Rickwood
▸ Opened Aug. 18, 1910
▸ Construction cost: $75,000
▸ Capacity: 10,800
▸ Added to National Register of Historic Places on Feb. 1, 1993
▸ First Minor League ballpark constructed from concrete and steel
▸ Modeled after Pittsburgh's Forbes Field
▸ Spring Training home of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1911 and 1920, and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1919
▸ Has hosted the annual Rickwood Classic since 1996
▸ Served as a filming location for Cobb, Soul of the Game, and 42