Near the University of Louisville at third and eastern parkway there used to sit a stadium that built a grand tradition in it’s over sixty years of existence until it’s eventual demolition.
That stadium was known simply as Parkway Field, initially built in 1923 the ballpark is arguably most known for being home to Louisville’s major league baseball team, the Louisville Colonels from the park’s initial opening into the 50’s.
The Colonels of course had a storied tradition, and many of the notables from that team are currently enshrined in Cooperstown’s baseball hall of fame. More than that though, the stadium meant something to so many, past the share of all-stars that played there at one time or another like Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson the stadium stood as a source of pride for so many Kentuckians who loved nothing more than cheering on the Colonels.
After the Colonels departure though, the stadium wasn’t unused for long as a deal was quickly signed with the University of Louisville for their baseball team. The Cards called the park home until 1998, at which time they made their way to Cardinal Stadium.
It’s contributions to the city have long been forgotten by so many but it was the joint efforts of the Louisville Slugger company and Parkway Field that initially put the Derby City on the baseball mat.
And, it’s my contention that this is worth remembering.
In most American cities sport means a sense of pride and time after time the old stadiums and arenas are left behind in favor of new technology. New technology I enjoy, but we can’t forget our athletics past and what it meant to so many through the years. Currently, there is a contingency pushing for a plaque, statue, or some sort of remembrance of the arena where it used to stand and well personally, I think I could get behind that.
Image courtesy of the University of Louisville
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