Oakland Coliseum
From BR Bullpen
Home of the Oakland Athletics, 1968 to present
Currently known as The Coliseum. Also known as UMAX Coliseum (1997), Network Associates Coliseum (1998-2004) and McAfee Coliseum (2005-2008)
BUILT: 1966
CAPACITY: 50,000 (1968); 47,313 (1992)
FIRST GAME: April 17, 1968, vs. Baltimore Orioles (Orioles 4, Athletics 1)
- Lew Krausse (L) vs. Dave McNally (CG-W); HR: Boog Powell, Mark Belanger, Brooks Robinson
- First Single: Davey Johnson
- First Double: Curt Blefary
- First Triple: Frank Coggins (April 19th, 1968)
- First Hit & HR: Powell
- First Run: Powell
- First RBI: Powell
Originally a circular, open-air facility, the Oakland Coliseum was completed in 1966 as a multipurpose stadium. Its primary tennants were the NFL's Oakland Raiders, but the city was hoping to attract a big-league baseball team, since the PCL's Oakland Oaks had departed a dozen years earlier.
In 1968, the city got its wish, as maverick owner Charles O. Finley agreed to move his Athletics from Kansas City to Oakland. The move seemed to rejuvenate the struggling ballclub. After 15 consecutive losing seasons, dating back to when they played in Philadelphia and were owned by Connie Mack, the A's posted an 82-80 record in what was to be the first of nine consecutive winning seasons. During that stretch, the A's captured five American League Western Division titles, three American League pennants, and three World Series championships. In accomplishing this, the Athletics became the first major pro sports team in Oakland to capture a championship.
The Coliseum's original dimensions, according to the 1968 Oakland A's Press, Radio and TV Guide, were 330' down the lines, 385' in the power alleys, and 410' to straight-away center field. They were eventually shortened, however, to 330'-375'-400', and remained that way through the 1995 season.
The ballpark's most noticeable feature, however, is the great expanse of foul territory. It is there as a result of the Coliseum's football configuration, in which the endzones reside in the bullpen areas (football configuation link: [1]). In the early days, very few players complained about the foul areas; mostly, they were upset with the shoddy groundskeeping.
By the late 1970s, most of the stars of the championship teams had departed, leaving the roster depleted and consisting of over-the-hill veterans and unproven youngsters. From 1977 to 1979, the A's won 186 games and dropped 299. Attendance was lagging. The stadium had become nothing more then a cavern of gray concrete and inept baseball, with a scoreboard that often didn't work. It quickly became known as "The Mausoleum."
Two things happened in the early 1980s: on November 3, 1980, Finley sold the club to native San Franciscan Walter A. Haas, and he, along with his son Wally and Roy Eisenhardt, the new team president, began to give the organization a facelift. A year later, the Raiders moved to Los Angeles, leaving the Athletics as the Coliseum's sole tennant. Over the next several years, not only the A's improve, so did the ballpark's appearance. In 1987, the Coliseum was the backdrop for the All-Star Game. By this time, it had become one of the most beautiful venues in baseball: well-manicured grass, colorful advertisements which covered up the gray concrete, a brand new DiamondVision screen, and a rabid fan base brought around by a crop of new superstars, including Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Carney Lansford, Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley. As a result, the A's had returned to contender status. In a five-year span, they won four division titles, made three World Series appearances, winning one - in 1989 an A's four-game sweep over the cross-bay Giants in an earthquake-marred Fall Classic.
By 1993, the A's were struggling again, and would be mired in a rut that would last for six years. In 1995, it was announced that the Raiders would return to Oakland, on the condition that more luxury boxes were added. After the 1995 baseball season ended, the renovations commenced. The work included removal of the bleachers and installation of a new bleacher section that was overall smaller, higher up than the old one, and featured chairs, instead of the bench-style seating. Above the new bleachers sit a row of plaza suites, a second deck of bleachers, two rows of luxury boxes, and a third deck of seats, higher than the original grandstand, aptly nicknamed "Mount Davis" by A's fans, in mock reverence to Raiders owner Al Davis. Mt. Davis is used primarily for football seating, though it has been made available for expected high-attendance baseball games. On September 4, 2002, when the A's won a league-record 20th consecutive game, there were fans looking down from atop the Mount.
The renovations also had an effect on the outfield dimensions. It is currently still 330' down the lines and 400' to straight-away center, but the distances in between changed. Straight-away left and right field is 367', and both power alleys are 388'.
The A's have succeeded in drawing over 2 million fans per season for five straight years, but options are being explored for a new ballpark, spearheaded by new owner Lewis Wolff, who bought the team from Steven Schott. Wolff had originally been brought on by the A's in 2003 as Vice President of Venue Development, but in 2005, he pooled resources with Gap founder John Fisher to purchase the club.
Some notable events at the Oakland Coliseum:
-April 17, 1968: The Athletics play their first game there, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Baltimore Orioles.
-May 8, 1968: Catfish Hunter tosses a perfect game vs. Minnesota Twins.
-September 21, 1970: Vida Blue tosses a no-hitter vs. Minnesota Twins.
-October 5, 1971: First postseason game at the Coliseum. The A's lose 5-3 to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS.
-September 28, 1972: Dal Maxvill's double plates Sal Bando with the winning run as the A's clinch their second division title.
-October 8, 1972: Game 1 of ALCS - Bert Campaneris hurls his bat at Tigers pitcher Lerrin LaGrow after being hit by a pitch.
-October 18, 1972: First World Series game. The A's drop a close 1-0 affair with the Cincinnati Reds.
-July 30, 1973: Jim Bibby of the Texas Rangers no-hits the Athletics, 6-0.
-October 21, 1973: For the first time, the Oakland Athletics win a World Series clincher in front of their home fans, beating the New York Mets 5-2 in Game 7.
-October 17, 1974: The Athletics defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2, to win their third consecutive World Series.
-September 28, 1975: Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers collaborate on a 5-0 no-hitter against the California Angels.
-July 24, 1976: The Athletics set a team record by committing seven errors against the Kansas City Royals. Despite all that, they lose by just one run.
-July 28, 1976: Ex-Athletic John "Blue Moon" Odom teams with Francisco Barrios in tossing a no-hitter, with the Chicago White Sox beating the A's 2-1.
-April 17, 1979: Just 653 people show up to watch the A's defeat the Seattle Mariners, 6-5.
-June 19, 1979: The first triple play executed by the A's in Coliseum history - Wayne Gross to Mike Edwards to Dave Revering vs. Kansas City Royals.
-June 23, 1979: The second triple play executed by the A's in Coliseum history - Gross to Tony Armas to Dave Chalk to Armas vs. Texas Rangers.
-September 29, 1983: Mike Warren no-hits the Chicago White Sox, 3-0.
-August 22, 1989: Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers registers career strikeout number 5,000, victimizing the Athletics' Rickey Henderson.
-June 11, 1990: The A's are no-hit by Nolan Ryan, 5-0.
-July 13, 1991: Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson and Gregg Olson of the Orioles combine to no-hit the A's.
-June 18, 1993: The A's overcome an 8-0 deficit to the Kansas City Royals, winning 10-9. Mike Bordick and Craig Paquette combine for two home runs and five RBIs.
-August 11, 1994: The A's lose to the Seattle Mariners, 8-1. Baseball goes on strike the next day.
-June 21, 2000: Eric Chavez becomes the first Athletic to hit for the cycle at the Coliseum. The A's have five cycles in their Oakland history; the other four were on the road.
-September 30, 2000: Miguel Tejada hits a grand slam as the A's clobber the Texas Rangers 23-2.
-April 14, 2001: Miguel Tejada's home run off the Rangers' Kenny Rogers is 10,000th long ball in franchise history.
-September 4, 2002: The A's set a new American League record with their 20th consecutive victory. The A's had an 11-0 lead, only to allow the Kansas City Royals to tie it. Scott Hatteberg hits a game-winning home run.
