Past Venue: Wrigley Field

Chicago, IL



Year opened: 1914
Capacity: 46,000

Names:
Weeghman Park, 1914-20
Cubs Park, 1920-26
Wrigley Field, 1926 to date

Pro football tenants:
Chicago Tigers (APFA), 1920
Chicago Bears (APFA/NFL), 1921-70
Chicago Cardinals (NFL), 1931-37, 39

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Bears 23 Giants 21, Dec. 17, 1933
NFL Championship, Redskins 28 Bears 21, Dec. 12, 1937
NFL Western Division playoff, Bears 33 Packers 14, Dec. 14, 1941
NFL Championship, Bears 37 Giants 9, Dec. 21, 1941
NFL Championship, Bears 41 Redskins 21, Dec. 26, 1943
NFL Championship, Bears 14 Giants 10, Dec. 29, 1963

Other tenants of note:
Chicago Whales (MLB – Federal League), 1914-15
Chicago Cubs (MLB – NL), 1916 to date
Chicago Sting (NASL), 1977-82, 84

Notes: The Bears obtained a portable bleacher section that added approximately 9000 seats to the normal stadium capacity for football games. In addition to the dates noted above, the NFL Cardinals played two home games at Wrigley Field in 1920 and one in 1958. Hosted college football games up until 1938, and again between Northwestern and Illinois, Nov. 20, 2010, although the presence of extra box seats added by the Cubs after the Bears left brought the end line of the east end zone uncomfortably close to a wall, and thus all offensive plays had to be run in the same direction. Hosted NHL Winter Classic, Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings, 2009.

The stadium was originally named for Charlie Weeghman, owner of the Chicago Whales of major league baseball’s short-lived Federal League. When that league folded, Weeghman, as part of a syndicate that included William Wrigley Jr., bought the NL’s Chicago Cubs, who moved into the new stadium. The Cubs have owned it since 1916. It is the last surviving Federal League ballpark.

Fate: Still in use.

Past Venue: War Memorial Stadium

Buffalo, NY
aka Civic Stadium



Year opened: 1937
Capacity: 46,500, up from 35,000 upon opening

Names:
Roesch Memorial Stadium, 1937
Grover Cleveland Stadium, 1937
Civic Stadium, 1938-60
War Memorial Stadium, 1960-88

Pro football tenants:
Buffalo Indians/Tigers (AFL), 1940-41
Buffalo Bisons/Bills (AAFC), 1946-49
Buffalo Bills (AFL/NFL), 1960-72

Postseason games hosted:
AFL Eastern Division playoff, Patriots 26 Bills 8, Dec. 28, 1963
AFL Championship, Bills 20 Chargers 7, Dec. 26, 1964
AFL Championship, Chiefs 31 Bills 7, Jan. 1, 1967

Other tenants of note:
Buffalo Bisons (minor league baseball), 1961-70, 79-87

Notes: Built as a WPA project with construction commencing in 1935. The stadium was popularly referred to as “The Rockpile”. The NFL's Chicago Cardinals hosted five home games at the stadium (1938, 40, 42, 43, 58), the Philadelphia Eagles one in 1942. The stadium was also used for track events and stock car racing, and by the Canisius College baseball and football teams for an unspecified period. It was used for the filming of most of the baseball scenes in the movie “The Natural” (1984).

Fate: Demolished in 1988 and now the site of a high school athletic field. The northeast and southeast entrances were preserved

Past Venue: Memorial Stadium

Baltimore, MD



Year opened: 1950
Capacity: 60,240, up from 31,000 at opening

Names:
Memorial Stadium, 1950-2001

Pro football tenants:
Baltimore Colts (NFL), 1950 (original)
Baltimore Colts (NFL), 1953-83 (second franchise)
Baltimore CFLers/Stallions (CFL), 1994-95
Baltimore Ravens (NFL), 1996-97

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Colts 31 Giants 16, Dec. 27, 1959
NFL Western Conf. Championship, Colts 24 Vikings 14, Dec. 22, 1968
AFC Divisional playoff, Colts 17 Bengals 0, Dec. 26, 1970
AFC Championship, Colts 27 Raiders 17, Jan. 3, 1971
AFC Divisional playoff, Steelers 40 Colts 14, Dec. 19, 1976
AFC Divisional playoff, Raiders 37 Colts 31, Dec. 24, 1977
CFL East Division semifinal, CFLers 34 Argonauts 15, Nov. 12, 1994
CFL South Division semifinal, Stallions 36 Blue Bombers 21, Nov. 4, 1995
CFL South Division final, Stallions 21 Texans 11, Nov. 12, 1995

Other tenants of note:
Baltimore Orioles (minor league baseball), 1950-53
Baltimore Orioles (MLB – AL), 1954-91
Baltimore Bays (NASL), 1967-68
Bowie Baysox (minor league baseball), 1993

Notes: Replaced Municipal/Babe Ruth Stadium, which stood at same location, was demolished and rebuilt into Memorial Stadium. The stadium was occasionally used for University of Maryland football games against major opponents. Also hosted two annual Thanksgiving Day high school football games – Baltimore City College vs. Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (“City vs. Poly”, 1954-99) and Calvert Hall College vs. Loyola Blakefield (1957-99). A small plane crashed into the upper deck following the Dec. 19, 1976 AFC Divisional playoff, but fortunately that area of the stadium had already cleared and there were few injuries.

The large Memorial Wall on the outside of the stadium was inscribed “Dedicated as a memorial to all who so valiantly fought in the world wars with eternal gratitude to those who made the supreme sacrifice to preserve equality and freedom throughout the world - time will not dim the glory of their deeds”.

Fate: Demolished in 2001, the site is now occupied by a YMCA facility and two apartment complexes. Concrete from the stadium was used to create an artificial reef in Chesapeake Bay.

Past Venue: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium

Atlanta, GA
aka Atlanta Stadium



Year opened: 1965
Capacity: 60,700

Names:
Atlanta Stadium, 1965-75
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, 1976-97

Pro football tenants:
Atlanta Falcons (NFL), 1966-91

Postseason games hosted:
NFC Wild Card playoff, Falcons 14 Eagles 13, Dec. 24, 1978
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 30 Falcons 27, Jan. 4, 1981

Other tenants of note:
Atlanta Crackers (minor league baseball), 1965
Atlanta Braves (MLB – NL), 1966-96
Atlanta Chiefs (NASL), 1967-69, 71-72, 79-81

Notes: Hosted annual Peach Bowl, 1971-91. Used as baseball venue for 1996 Summer Olympics. First pro football game was a preseason contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings on Aug. 14, 1965.

Fate: Demolished in 1997, the site is now used as a parking lot for Turner Field.

Past Venue: Comiskey Park

Chicago, IL


Year opened: 1910
Capacity: 50,934, up from 32,000 in early 1920s

Names:
Comiskey Park, 1913-61, 76-90
White Sox Park, 1910-12, 62-75

Pro football tenants:
Chicago Cardinals (NFL), 1922-25, 29-30, 38, 40-58
Chicago Bulls (AFL), 1926

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Cardinals 28 Eagles 21, Dec. 28, 1947

Other tenants of note:
Chicago White Sox (MLB – AL), 1910-90
Chicago American Giants (baseball Negro Leagues), 1941-52
Chicago Mustangs (NASL), 1968
Chicago Sting (NASL), 1980-85

Notes: Also served as a home field for the combined Cardinals-Steelers (Card-Pitt) team in 1944. Site of the boxing match in which Joe Louis defeated James Braddock to become world heavyweight champion, June 22, 1937. The stadium was owned by baseball’s White Sox and named for founding owner Charles A. Comiskey (it was briefly called “Charles A. Comiskey’s Baseball Palace” in 1910).

Fate: Demolished in 1991, the site is now used as a parking lot for the new Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field.

NOTE TO READERS: I'm introducing a new feature today, Past Venues. These will be interspersed among the regular daily entries, along with the Lists of the Day, especially during the offseason months. The stadiums featured, at least initially, will be those that were major pro football venues (i.e., used for at least two seasons as a team's home field) and not currently being used - at least, not by an NFL team.