Location | Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona, U.S. |
---|---|
Coordinates | 33°25′41″N111°55′39″W / 33.42806°N 111.92750°W |
Owner | Arizona State University |
Operator | Arizona State University |
Capacity | 7,875 [1] |
Surface | Natural grass |
Construction | |
Opened | 1974 |
Renovated | 1997 |
Closed | 2014 |
Demolished | No |
Architect | Guirey, Srnka, Arnold & Sprinkle |
Main contractors | E. F. Hargett & Company |
Tenants | |
Arizona State Sun Devils - (NCAA) (1974–2014) |
Packard Stadium was a college baseball park in the southwestern United States, located in Tempe, Arizona, a suburb just east of Phoenix. It was the home field of the Arizona State Sun Devils of the Pac-12 Conference from 1974 to 2014.
Opened in 1974, it was named for William Guthrie Packard, longtime president of Shepard's Citations, made possible by a gift from his children, Guthrie and Peter, who were ASU alumni.
The stadium was designed by Guirey, Srnka, Arnold & Sprinkle Architects and built by E. F. Hargett & Company. [2]
In 2001, the playing surface was renamed Bobby Winkles Field in honor of Bobby Winkles, the school's first varsity baseball coach, who coached the Sun Devils to a 574–173 (.768) record from 1959–71. [3] [4] In 2006, the name of Jim Brock, the school's all-time winningest varsity coach, was added to the stadium. [5] He coached the Sun Devils to a 1100–440 (.714) record from 1972–94, [6] As a result, the full name of the stadium was "Bobby Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark."
Packard Stadium underwent upgrade renovations beginning in 1997. The construction of a $1 million players clubhouse and events plaza down the left field line was completed in August 2004. The structure featured a state-of-the-art clubhouse for the Sun Devil players, including custom hardwood lockers, a training room, video room and an equipment storage area. The top level of the clubhouse was an events plaza for hosted outings during games and also had an office for the coaching staff. [7]
The outfield wall was lined with orange trees and just beyond the left field fence was the East Rio Salado Parkway and Tempe Town Lake. [7] The diamond was aligned northeast (home plate to center field), at an approximate elevation of 1,150 feet (350 m) above sea level.
The Sun Devils have an all-time record of 2358–1154 (.671) in 93 seasons of baseball, [8] [9] with 33 post-season appearances and 21 College World Series appearances. [10] With five NCAA titles (1965, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1981), ASU is tied for third. [9] In 46 years of varsity baseball dating back to 1959, ASU is 2025–809–1 (.714). [8] [9]
Packard's existence was made possible through a gift to Arizona State from Guthrie and Peter Packard. Both are alumni of ASU, and the stadium is a tribute to their late father, a prominent member of the publishing industry for many years. Mr. Packard served Shepard's Citations for 51 years rising to president and chairman of the board. [7]
In 2013, the Sun Devils ranked 20th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 2,809 per home game. [11]
In 2013, The Arizona Board of Regents approved Arizona State University's 25-year lease to Phoenix Municipal Stadium, [12] which is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northwest of the Tempe campus. The ASU baseball program has history at the site, as Sun Devil Reggie Jackson was the first college player to hit a home run out of Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Sun Devils began playing at Phoenix Muni in 2015 after which Packard Stadium was redeveloped to help pay for improvements to Sun Devil Stadium. [13]
Arizona State University is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is now one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded in the late 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed, but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century, then state universities in the late 20th century.
Mountain America Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the southwestern United States, on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona. The stadium is officially named Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils. It was named Sun Devil Stadium until 2023. It is home to the ASU Sun Devils football team of the Pac-12 Conference. The stadium's seating capacity as of 2018 is 53,599, reduced from a peak of 74,865 in 1989. The natural grass playing surface within the stadium was named Frank Kush Field in 1996 in honor of the former coach of the team. The stadium underwent a five-year, $304-million renovation that was completed in August 2019.
Sparky the Sun Devil is the official mascot of Arizona State University. Originally the ASU athletic teams' mascot was an owl, then became a "Normal". It was later changed to a bulldog in an attempt to make the school – Arizona State Teacher's College at the time – appear more in line with Yale and other universities that held a higher level of respect. The State Press, the student newspaper, ran frequent appeals during the fall of 1946, urging the Bulldog to be replaced by the new Sun Devil. On November 8, 1946, the student body voted 819 to 196 to make the change. On November 20, as reported by the Arizona Republic, the student council made it official. The following day, the first Arizona State team played as the Sun Devils. Two years later, Stanford Alum and Disney illustrator Berk Anthony designed "Sparky", a devil holding a trident. Anthony is rumored to have based Sparky's facial features on that of his former boss, Walt Disney.
The Arizona–Arizona State football rivalry is a college football rivalry between the University of Arizona Wildcats (UA) and the Arizona State University Sun Devils (ASU).
Desert Financial Arena is a 14,198-seat multi-purpose arena located at 600 E Veterans Way in Tempe, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. It sits immediately east of Mountain America Stadium on the northern edge of the Tempe campus of Arizona State University (ASU).
Phoenix Municipal Stadium is a baseball stadium, located in Phoenix, Arizona. It is often referred in short as Phoenix Muni. The stadium was built in 1964 and holds 8,775 people. It is currently the home to the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program, having relocated to Phoenix Municipal Stadium at the start of their 2015 season. It is the former spring training home to the Oakland A's, having played their home games from 1982 to 2014. The San Francisco Giants held spring training at the ballpark from 1964 to 1981, when they moved to Scottsdale Stadium.
Bobby Brooks Winkles was an American baseball player and coach. After an eight-year career as an infielder in the minor leagues, he became the acclaimed college baseball coach at Arizona State University (ASU) in 1959. Then, 13 years later, he returned to professional baseball as a manager, coach, front-office executive and broadcaster in the major leagues.
The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The mascot was adopted in 1946; earlier nicknames were the Normals and later, the Bulldogs. The Sun Devil mascot, Sparky, was designed by former Disney illustrator Bert Anthony. ASU's chief rival is the University of Arizona Wildcats, and both universities' athletics departments compete against each other in the Territorial Cup Series.
The Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program at the Arizona State University (ASU) is part of the Pac-12 Conference. Since it became a member of the Pac-12, it had the highest winning percentage, at .681, of all schools that participate in Division I baseball within the conference. ASU's NCAA leading 54 consecutive 30 win seasons was the longest streak in the nation. The Sun Devils have had just four losing seasons in program history. The Sun Devils had been nationally ranked during at least a part of every season of their 58-year history until 2017. The Sun Devils have finished 27 times in the Top 10, 22 times in the Top 5, and 5 times as the No. 1 team in the nation.
The Arizona State Sun Devils football team represents Arizona State University (ASU) in the sport of American college football. The Sun Devils team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Big 12 Conference. ASU has fielded a football team since 1897. The Sun Devils are led by head coach Kenny Dillingham and play their home games at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils have won seventeen conference titles.
Jim Brock was the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team for 23 seasons from 1972 until his death in 1994.
ASU Karsten Golf Course was a classic designed links-style golf course in Tempe, Arizona, located on the campus of Arizona State University. Designed by noted course architect Pete Dye, it opened for play in September 1989 and was the home venue of the Sun Devils golf teams.
The Mona Plummer Aquatic Center is the aquatic center used by the Arizona State University Sun Devils swim team. It opened in 1981, cost four million dollars to build, and is named after Mona Plummer. Plummer was a national championship winning coach who died in 1979; she coached during three decades.
Sun Devil Soccer Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. It is home to the Arizona State Sun Devils Women's Soccer team. The stadium opened in 2000 and features chair-back bleachers and individual seats with a capacity for 1,051 fans.
"Stomp the Bus" is the name given to the entrance video played before every Arizona State Sun Devils football game at Sun Devil Stadium. It was created in 2004 as a way to increase supporter participation and features a giant personification of Sparky the Sun Devil, Arizona State University's mascot, crushing the bus of the opposing team underfoot.
The 2020 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Sun Devils played their home games at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe Arizona, and competed in the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Herm Edwards.
The 2021–22 Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball team represented Arizona State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Sun Devils were led by seventh-year head coach Bobby Hurley, and played their home games at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona as members of the Pac–12 Conference.
The 2022 Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team represented Arizona State University during the 2022 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Sun Devils played their home games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. They were led by head coach Willie Bloomquist, in his 1st season at ASU.
The Arizona–Arizona State baseball rivalry is a college baseball rivalry between the University of Arizona Wildcats and the Arizona State University Sun Devils. Both programs are two of the most storied and successful in college baseball history, combining for a total of 9 College World Series championships, 40 College World Series appearances, 82 NCAA tournament appearances and 27 conference regular-season championships. Since Arizona State founded a baseball program in 1907 the teams have met 489 times.
The 2023 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University as a member of the Pac-12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Sun Devils were led by Kenny Dillingham in his first year as head coach. Dillingham was hired as Arizona State's head coach in late November 2022.