Candlestick Park

Lore & Background

The stadium was named after the 'candlestick birds' (long-billed curlews) that populated the area. The Beatles gave their last full public concert there on August 29, 1966. The Loma Prieta earthquake struck on October 17, 1989, minutes before Game 3 of the World Series, but no one inside the stadium was injured. The 49ers hosted eight NFC Championship games at Candlestick Park, with a record of 4-4. The final event at the stadium was a Paul McCartney concert in August 2014, and demolition was completed in September 2015.

Reader's Guide

Candlestick Park was located at Candlestick Point on the western shore of San Francisco Bay. The surface was natural bluegrass for most of its existence, except for artificial turf from 1970 to 1978. The stadium was enclosed after the 1970 season, reducing wind speed but causing swirling conditions. The Giants moved to Oracle Park in 1999, leaving the 49ers as the sole professional sports team at Candlestick until 2013.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was the first modern baseball stadium built entirely of reinforced concrete.
• The 49ers' first NFC Championship game at Candlestick was in January 1982, featuring Dwight Clark's 'The Catch'.
• Three plays called 'The Catch' occurred at Candlestick: The Catch (1981), The Catch II (1998), and The Catch III (2011).
• The stadium hosted two MLB All-Star Games (1961 and 1984).