| Location | 1701 N. Main St. Evansville, Indiana 47711 |
|---|---|
| Owner | Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation |
| Operator | Evansville Otters |
| Capacity | 5,181 |
| Field size | Left field - 315 ft Center field - 415 ft Right field - 315 ft |
| Surface | Bermuda Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 17, 1915 |
| Construction cost | $65,000 |
| Tenants | |
| Frontier League (1995-present) American Association (1970-1984) Southern League (1966-1968) Three-I League (1919-1931) (1938-1942) (1946-1957) National Football League (1921-1922) Central League (1914-1917) | |
Bosse Field, is a baseball stadium located in Evansville, Indiana. Built in 1915, it is the fifth-oldest ballpark used for professional baseball on a regular basis in the country, surpassed only by Rickwood Field (1910) in Birmingham, Fenway Park (1912) in Boston, Wrigley Field (1914) in Chicago, and Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, FL (1914).
It is the current home of the Frontier League Evansville Otters, a minor league baseball team. The Otters franchise came to Evansville in 1995 and have attracted a record number of fans for the league.[1] In 2006 the Otters won the Frontier League title.
In 1991 the historic stadium was used by Columbia Pictures for game scenes in the movie A League of Their Own.[2]
History[]
Bosse Field opened on July 17, 1915. It was named in honor of Benjamin Bosse, mayor of Evansville from 1914 to 1922, who bought Garvin Park and helped to build the stadium. A holiday was declared in honor of the opening of the stadium. A band marched from Sunset Park to the new stadium.
Ten baseball teams other than the Otters have played at Bosse Field. Some of the most famous are the Evansville Triplets (1970–84), Evansville Braves (1946–57), Evas/Pocketeers/Hubs (1919–1931) and the Evansville River Rats (1914–15). The River Rats had played in Evansville previously from (1903–1910) and (1901–1902). The Triplets won the American Association titles in 1972, 1975, and 1979. The River Rats won the Central League title in 1908 and 1915. The Braves won the Three-I League title in 1946, 1948, 1956, and 1957.[3]
From 1921 to 1922, Bosse Field was used as a football stadium and was home to the Evansville Crimson Giants of the NFL.
Baseball Hall of Fame members Hank Greenberg, Chuck Klein, Edd Roush, Warren Spahn, and Sam Thompson played at Bosse Field during their careers. There have been over 20 Major League Baseball players from Evansville and dozens of Minor Leaguers.
Former/current professional teams[]
Former/current professional teams who have called Bosse Field home, have won a combined 9 league titles.
| Team | Sport | League | Played | Class | Affiliation | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evansville River Rats | Baseball | Central League | 1914–1915 | B | Central League Title 1915 | |
| Evansville Evas | Baseball | Central League | 1916–1917 | B | None | |
| Evansville Black Sox | Baseball | Three-I League | 1919 | B | None | |
| Evansville Evas | Baseball | Three-I League | 1920–1923 | B | None | |
| Evansville Crimson Giants | Football | National Football League | 1921–1922 | Major Professional | None | |
| Evansville Little Evas | Baseball | Three-I League | 1924 | B | None | |
| Evansville Pocketeers | Baseball | Three-I League | 1925 | B | None | |
| Evansville Hubs | Baseball | Three-I League | 1926–1931 | B | None | |
| Evansville Bees | Baseball | Three-I League | 1938–1942 | B | Boston Bees, 1938-1940 Boston Braves, 1940–1942 |
None |
| Evansville Braves | Baseball | Three-I League | 1946–1957 | B | Boston Braves, 1946-1953 Milwaukee Braves, 1953–1957 |
Three-I League Title 1946, 1948, 1956, 1957 |
| Evansville White Sox | Baseball | Southern League | 1966–1968 | AA | Chicago White Sox | None |
| Evansville Triplets | Baseball | American Association | 1970–1984 | AAA | Minnesota Twins, 1970 Milwaukee Brewers, 1971-1973 Detroit Tigers, 1974–1984 |
American Association Title 1972, 1975, 1979 |
| Evansville Otters | Baseball | Frontier League | 1995–Present | Indp | Frontier League Title 2006 |
Concerts[]
- July 2, 1972: Freedom Festival and Ice Cream Social with Ike & Tina Turner Revue, Edgar Winter, Dr. John 'The Night Tripper', Cactus, Black Oak Arkansas, Spirit, Country Joe & The Fish, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker and New Riders of the Purple Sage[4][5][6]
- August 20, 1974: Allman Brothers Band, Elvin Bishop, REO Speedwagon[7][8][9]
References[]
- ↑ "Frontier League History". Frontier Professional Baseball. http://www.frontierleague.com/history.php. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ↑ "A League of Their Own". The Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104694/. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
- ↑ "Bosse Field Facts". Evansville Otters. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. http://web.archive.org/web/20080705054531/http://www.evansvilleotters.com/bosse_field.html. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
- ↑ "Rock concert could draw 25,000". Evansville Press. http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=713391. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ↑ "The San Francisco Sound". http://thesanfranciscosound.blogspot.com/2010/02/quicksilver-messenger-service_7244.html. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ↑ "A Timeline". Country Joe's Place. http://www.countryjoe.com/timeline.htm#1972. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ↑ "Allman Brothers, Bishop coming". Evansville Press. http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=801. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ↑ "Classic Rock Concerts". http://www.classic-rock-concerts.com/venues/2807. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ↑ "Set Lists". Allman Brothers Band. http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Calendar&file=showCalendarMonth&tapers=1&year=1974&month=08&day=01&type=listevents&showsetlists=1&search=quick&searcharg=Aug%201974. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
External links[]
| Events and tenants | ||
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| Preceded by Falconi Field |
Host of the FL All-Star Game Bosse Field 2006 |
Succeeded by Champion Window Field |
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Coordinates: 37°59′34″N 87°33′44″W / 37.99278°N 87.56222°W