Bosse Field

:"Also see: Sports in Evansville".

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name = Bosse Field
nickname =


caption =
location = 1701 N. Main St.
Evansville, Indiana 47711
coordinates =
broke_ground =
opened = June 17, 1915
renovated =
expanded =
closed =
demolished =
owner = Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation
operator = Evansville Otters
surface = Grass
construction_cost = $65,000
architect =
project_manager =
main_contractors =
former_names =
tenants = Evansville Otters (1995- )
seating_capacity = 5,181
dimensions = Left field - 315 ft
Center field - 415 ft
Right field - 315 ft

Bosse Field, built in 1915, is the third oldest baseball stadium in regular use in the United States. It is the current home of the Frontier League Evansville Otters, a minor league baseball team. The stadium is located in Garvin Park just north of downtown Evansville, Indiana.

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.

The Otters franchise came to Evansville in 1995. In 1999, they attracted a franchise record number of fans, over 3000 fans per game. Averaging the four years the Otters have been in Evansville, they have attracted roughly 2500 fans per game.

Bosse Field hosts many local high school baseball games. Recently $200,000 was raised by Friends of Bosse Field to renovate Bosse Field.

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.

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 many other Major League Baseball players from Evansville.

Former Bosse Field professional teams

Facts

Bosse Field is the third oldest ballpark used for professional baseball on a regular basis in the country, surpassed only by Fenway Park (1912) in Boston and Wrigley Field (1914) in Chicago.

In 1991 the stadium was used by Columbia pictures for game scenes in the movie "A League of Their Own."

Bosse Field has also been used as a football stadium. It was the temporary football stadium of the local North High School (Evansville), and from 1921 to 1922 it was home to the Evansville Crimson Giants of the NFL.

External links

* [http://www.evansvilleotters.com/bosse_field.html Bosse Field at Evansville Otters Website]
* [http://www.minorleagueballparks.com/boss_in.html A stadium photo and review from minorleagueballparks.com]
* [http://otters.evansville.net/otters7.htm History and Facts about Bosse Field] - provides a source for many of the facts listed here.