Offermann Stadium was an outdoor

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. Opened in 1924 as Bison Stadium, it was home to the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen F ...

( IL), Buffalo Bisons/Rangers ( NFL) and

Indianapolis Clowns The Indianapolis Clowns were a professional baseball team in the Negro American League. Tracing their origins back to the 1930s, the Clowns were the last of the Negro league teams to disband, continuing to play exhibition games into the 1980s. The ...

(

NAL NAL or Nal may refer to: In organizations: * Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, in India * National Aerospace Laboratories, India * National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan * National Alliance of Liberals, a political party in Ghana * United States Nat ...

). The stadium hosted notable events including the Little World Series (1927) and

Junior World Series The Junior World Series was a postseason championship series between champions of two of the three highest minor league baseball leagues modeled on the World Series of Major League Baseball. It was called the Little World Series (no relation to ...

(1933, 1936 and 1957). The venue also hosted summer

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

cards, most famously the 1930 bout between future

International Boxing Hall of Fame The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. The I ...

members

Jimmy Slattery James Edward Slattery (August 25, 1904 in Buffalo, New York – August 30, 1960) was an American professional boxer in the light heavyweight (175 lb) division. He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, Buffalo Veter ...

and

Maxie Rosenbloom Max Everitt Rosenbloom (November 6, 1906 – March 6, 1976) was an American professional boxer, actor, and television personality. Nicknamed "Slapsie Maxie", he was inducted into '' The Ring's'' Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972, the International Je ...

. The venue was demolished in 1961 and is now the site of

Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts The Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (BAVPA) is a magnet performing arts high school and part of Buffalo, New York's public school system. It serves grades 5-12 and requires students to apply in the field of their desired major conc ...

History

Planning and construction

Bison Stadium was built on the former site of

Buffalo Baseball Park Olympic Park is the name shared by two former baseball grounds located in Buffalo, New York, United States. Prelude From 1878 through 1883, Buffalo's baseball teams had played at an initially unnamed ballpark at Fargo Avenue and Rhode Island ...

for $265,000. The wooden grandstands from the prior venue, designed by famed architect

Louise Blanchard Bethune Louise Blanchard Bethune (July 21, 1856 – December 18, 1913) was the first American woman known to have worked as a professional architect. She was born in Waterloo, New York. Blanchard worked primarily in Buffalo, New York and partnered with h ...

, were preserved and incorporated into the new steel and concrete facility. The ballpark was built in the middle of a residential neighborhood on a rectangular block, and was known as a

hitter's park H hack :To swing awkwardly at the ball. "As his son stood in the batter's box and hacked away, Wolpert came up with the idea of opening his own batting cage in Manhattan." Sometimes said of an aggressive hitter who would swing at any pitch with ...

because of its small dimensions.

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Tommy Lasorda Thomas Charles Lasorda (September 22, 1927 – January 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the Natio ...

described how the small dimensions of the venue were unfavorable to pitchers like himself in a May 1997 interview: Homeowners on Masten Avenue behind left field and Woodlawn Avenue behind right field erected wildcat

bleachers Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row ...

on their rooftops, charging fans admission to watch games.

Opening and reception

The first event at the venue was a baseball game between the

and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

on April 30, 1924. John H. Meahl, commissioner of the Buffalo Parks Department, threw out the

ceremonial first pitch The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...

. The 1927 Bisons were recognized as one of The National Baseball Association's top 100 minor league teams of all time after amassing a 112–56 record, winning the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

championship, and appearing in the Little World Series. The Buffalo Bisons/Rangers of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

called the stadium home from 1924 to 1927, and again in 1929 before ceasing operations. During a June 1930

card at the venue, reigning NBA Light Heavyweight Champion

upset

to become undisputed champion, winning the NYSAC Light Heavyweight Title and vacant ''The Ring'' Light Heavyweight Title. The first

night game A night game, also called a nighter, is a sporting event that takes place, completely or partially, after the local sunset. Depending on the sport, this can be done either with floodlights or with the usual low-light conditions. The term "night ...

history took place at the venue in July 1930, and saw the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; ...

defeat the Buffalo Bisons 5–4. The Buffalo Bisons defeated the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in downt ...

in Game 6 of their best-of-seven series to win the

championship before a record crowd of 23,386 at the venue in September 1933. Luke Easter 1953

The venue was renamed to Offermann Stadium in 1935 following the death of Bisons owner Frank J. Offermann.

Alf Landon Alfred Mossman Landon (September 9, 1887October 12, 1987) was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential el ...

drew a record crowd of 25,000 for a

political rally A political demonstration is an action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause or people partaking in a protest against a cause of concern; it often consists of walking in a mass march formati ...

in August 1936 to promote his candidacy in the

1936 United States presidential election The 1936 United States presidential election was the 38th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1936. In the midst of the Great Depression, incumbent Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican Gov ...

Ollie Carnegie Oliver Angelo Carnegie (June 29, 1899 r 1898– October 4, 1976) was an Italian American professional baseball player whose playing career spanned 15 seasons. Over that time, Carnegie played in the minor leagues with the Class-B Flint Vehicles (19 ...

of the Buffalo Bisons led the

in home runs in 1938 and 1939, and was named league MVP for the 1938 season. The

of the

Negro American League The Negro American League was one of the several Negro league baseball, Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937 in baseball, 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 in basebal ...

played at Offermann Stadium from 1951 to 1955.

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. One of the gre ...

was discovered while playing for the Clowns in 1952, and his contract was bought out by the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

for $10,000.

Toni Stone Toni Stone (July 17, 1921 – November 2, 1996), born as Marcenia Lyle Stone in West Virginia,Rosengren, John (Summer 2019)"EYEWITNESS: Tomboy Stone" ''Minnesota History''. 66(6): 232 – via JSTOR. was the first of three women to play professio ...

signed with the Clowns in 1953 for $12,000, becoming the first woman to sign a professional baseball contract. Luke Easter of the Bisons became the first player to hit a home run over the venue's center field scoreboard on June 14, 1957. The Bisons would win the

championship that season, and Easter was named league MVP. The inaugural Buffalo Jazz Festival was held at the venue over two nights in August 1960, headlined by

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

and

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

. The venue's final event was an

playoff game between the Buffalo Bisons and

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

on September 17, 1960. The Bisons lost Game 4 of their best-of-seven series and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Closing and demolition

In January 1960, the City of Buffalo condemned Offermann Stadium and ordered its demolition. The stadium was demolished in 1961. Woodlawn Junior High School was built in its place, later becoming Buffalo Traditional School in 1977 and

in 2007. The closure left Buffalo with only one large stadium, Civic Stadium, which at the time had been operating as an auto racetrack. A hasty renovation removed the stadium's racetrack and refit the stadium for the Bisons baseball team as well as the incoming

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

; with the renovations, the venue became War Memorial Stadium and hosted the Bills until 1972 and the Bisons until 1970 (and again from 1979 until Pilot Field was finished in 1988). In August 2012, a historical marker was placed at the school in remembrance of the site's 72-year history of hosting

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

by Buffalo Sports Historian John Boutet of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Offermann Stadium

Bison Stadium
on

BoxRec BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing. The objective of the site is to document every profes ...

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