Thompson Stadium (Staten Island)

Thompson Stadium was a football stadium used by the Staten Island Stapletons of the National Football League from 1924 until 1933. It was located on the site of present Berta A. Dreyfus Intermediate School 49 and the Stapleton Houses. They faced many other teams that still exist today.

The stadium was built in the early 1920s by the wealthy owner of the local Thompson's lumber company. It was built against a hill in Staten Island's Stapleton neighborhood and doubled in summer as a home for semi-pro baseball. Inside its stockade fence, about 8,000 uncovered bleacher seats encircled the field. The field's locker rooms consisted of sheds standing just outside the fence. One of Stapleton owners, Dan Blaine's restaurants was located next door, and after games and practices players and fans would meet up for beers.

A devoted following of 3,000 fans paid their way into every game, but another couple hundred usually watched for free from the hill behind the south end zone. Although far smaller than venues places like the Polo Grounds and Wrigley Field, Thompson's Stadium hosted four years of NFL football. The stadium was demolished in 1958.