William Shea Ownership

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Lore & Background

Harry Wismer, a flamboyant broadcaster and part-owner of the NFL's Redskins, was awarded the New York franchise in the upstart American Football League. He named the team the Titans, after the mythological giants, and secured the historic Polo Grounds as their home. Despite his enthusiasm, Wismer's financial footing was shaky, and by 1963 the league had to take control of the team to prevent its collapse. A group led by Sonny Werblin purchased the franchise out of bankruptcy, rebranded it as the Jets, and moved the team to the newly built Shea Stadium in 1964.

In Their Own Story

The narrative in the source focuses entirely on baseball expansion and stadium construction, not football ownership history. In 1960, Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. personally wired National League owners to assure them a new stadium would be built, paving the way for the Mets. The text details how the Mets' owners chose Flushing Meadows in Queens to avoid alienating fans of the departed Dodgers or Giants. It describes the construction delays caused by the severe winter of 1962–1963 and labor disputes, which forced both the Mets and the football team (then the Jets) to remain at the Polo Grounds for an extra year. The source mentions the Jets only as tenants who shared the stadium from 1964 to 1983, with no reference to William Shea's involvement in their management or financial affairs.

Reader's Guide

The source article does not mention William Shea having any ownership role with the New York Jets or New York Titans. It identifies him only as a lawyer who helped bring National League baseball back to New York.

Did You Know?

• Harry Wismer was the original owner of the New York Titans, not William Shea.
• The Titans played at the Polo Grounds from 1960 to 1962, not at Yankee Stadium.
• William Shea was a lawyer who helped bring National League baseball back to New York; he never owned the Titans or Jets.

Origins and Political Maneuvering

The origins of the stadium are rooted in the 1957 relocation of the Dodgers and Giants. Robert Moses failed to keep Walter O'Malley because O'Malley wanted full ownership of a new stadium, while the city wanted to retain revenue rights. Los Angeles offered O'Malley what New York could not, leading to his departure. Horace Stoneham moved the Giants to San Francisco. In 1960, Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. promised a new stadium to secure an expansion franchise. The Mets owners chose Flushing Meadows in Queens to capture loyalty from fans of both departed teams without favoring Brooklyn or Manhattan.

Financial Constraints and Construction Delays

New York state law prohibited cities from borrowing for stadiums without guaranteed repayment, forcing Moses and Shea to propose a lease where the tenant team paid rent to service 30-year bonds. On October 6, 1961, the Mets signed a 30-year lease with rent starting at $450,000 in the first year. Construction faced delays due to the severe winter of 1962–1963, subcontractor bankruptcies, and labor issues. Consequently, both the Mets and the football team (by then renamed the Jets) were forced to play at the Polo Grounds for one more year after their inaugural 1962 season.

The Historic Opening and Early Atmosphere

Shea Stadium opened on April 17, 1964, after 29 months of construction costing $28.5 million. The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Mets 4–3 before a crowd of 50,312. No exhibition games were held, and telephone wiring was unfinished due to a dispute between Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Local 1106 of the Communications Workers of America. The stadium opened five days before the 1964–65 World's Fair and featured blue-and-orange steel panels matching both the fair and the Mets, which were removed in 1980.

Demolition and Legacy of Memorabilia

In 2009, Shea Stadium was dismantled rather than imploded. A company with rights to sell memorabilia had two weeks to remove seats, signage, dugouts, and foul poles before demolition began on October 14, 2008. Seats sold for $869 per pair, referencing the team's World Series years of 1986 and 1969. By February 18, 2009, the last section was torn down. The former footprint is now part of Citi Field's parking lots, with markers indicating home plate and bases.