Veterans Stadium

Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue in Philadelphia. It housed the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League from 1971 through 2002 and Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies from 1971 through 2003. The listed capacity for baseball in 1971 was 56,371 and for football was listed with a 62,000 seat capacity.

The End

The final game ever played at the stadium was on September 28, 2003. Alas, the Phillies lost to the Atlanta Braves that afternoon, but a ceremony that followed pulled at the heartstrings of the sellout crowd. Both former general manager Paul "The Pope" Owens and Tug McGraw made their final public appearences at the park that day. During the winter, they passed away. The last words ever uttered in the park were by veteran announcer Harry Kalas, who helped open the facility on April 10, 1971, paraphrasing his trademark home run call: "And now, Veterans Stadium is like a 3-1 pitch to Jim Thome or Mike Schmidt. It's on looooooong drive...IT'S OUTTA HERE!!!" The team moved into Citizens Bank Park in 2004.

Related Topics:
September 28 - 2003 - Tug McGraw - Harry Kalas - April 10 - 1971 - Jim Thome - Mike Schmidt - Citizens Bank Park

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The ultimate end came when the 33-year old stadium was imploded on March 21, 2004 as shown in the time-lapse photo on the left. A parking lot for the still standing sporting facilities was constructed in 2004 and 2005 at the site. On June 6, 2005, the anniversary of D-Day, a plaque and monument to commemerate the spot where the stadium stood and a memorial for all veterans was dedicated by the Phillies before their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. On September 28 of that same year, the second anniversary of the final game, a historical marker commemerating where the ballpark once stood was dedicated. Granite spaces where home plate, the pitching mound and the three bases for baseball at their locations as well as the football goalpost placements were added onto the parking lot in autumn of that year.

Related Topics:
March 21 - 2004 - June 6 - 2005 - D-Day - Arizona Diamondbacks - September 28

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