Tiger Stadium

Lore & Background

Tiger Stadium was home of the Detroit Lions from 1938 to 1939, 1941 to 1974. The stadium hosted two NFL Championship Games in 1953 and 1957. The football field ran mostly in the outfield from the right field line to left center field parallel with the third base line. The benches for both the Lions and their opponents were on the outfield side of the field. The Lions played their final game at Tiger Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1974, against the Denver Broncos.

Reader's Guide

Tiger Stadium had a 125-foot (38 m) tall flagpole in fair play, to the left of dead center field near the 440-foot (134 m) mark. When it closed, Tiger Stadium was tied with Fenway Park as the oldest stadium in MLB; the two parks opened on the same date in 1912. Taking predecessor Bennett Park into account, Tiger Stadium was the oldest MLB site in use in 1999. Like other older baseball stadiums such as Fenway Park and Chicago's Wrigley Field, Tiger Stadium offered "obstructed view" seats. Due to then-owner Walter Briggs's dislike of night baseball, lights were not installed at the stadium until 1948. The first night game at the stadium was held on June 15, 1948. Tiger Stadium featured an upper and lower deck bleacher section that was separated from the rest of the stadium. In 1999, its final season, only this ballpark and Bank One Ballpark had a dirt path that ran from the pitcher's mound to home plate.

Did You Know?

• Tiger Stadium hosted the Detroit Lions from 1938 to 1939 and 1941 to 1974, with a gap in 1940.
• The last Tigers game at the stadium was held in September 1999.
• Demolition of Tiger Stadium was completed in September 2009.