Armstrong Field
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Armstrong Field was a baseball park located in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, on the campus of
Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...
located where
Westcott Field The Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium (formerly Westcott Field) is a soccer-specific stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas (an enclave of Dallas, Texas, Dallas). It has a capacity of 2,577, and is home ...
now stands. It first hosted SMU football from 1915 through 1925 (
Ownby Stadium Ownby Stadium was a stadium in the University Park, Texas, University Park suburb of Dallas, Texas. It was the home of the SMU Mustangs football, Southern Methodist University Mustang football team. In late 1998, the stadium was demolished to b ...
opened in 1926). It was the home of the SMU baseball team (1919–1980) for many years though at least the final four seasons were played off campus. The Mustangs,
Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference also included schools from Oklaho ...
participants, were a team of futility during their time at Armstrong Field, scarcely in competition to win the conference. Armstrong Field did have the advantage of being located next to an outdoor school
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
. Legend has it that collegians would sit in the two rows at the top of the stands to see the women at the pool instead of watching the ballgame. Some were hit with
foul ball In baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of ...
s due to their concentration on the women at the pool. The pool helped augment attendance by 40%. Armstrong Field was closed after the 1976 season, but before the last game the players stole home plate and concealed it in the storage area of
Ownby Stadium Ownby Stadium was a stadium in the University Park, Texas, University Park suburb of Dallas, Texas. It was the home of the SMU Mustangs football, Southern Methodist University Mustang football team. In late 1998, the stadium was demolished to b ...
. The plate was signed by the players and ended up in the SMU sports information division. The final four years (1977–1980) of SMU Mustangs baseball were played at
Reverchon Park Reverchon Park is a public park in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas. It was named for the French botanist Julien Reverchon. The park lies along Turtle Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River. Its main entrance is at Maple Avenue and ...
before the baseball program was phased out.


Sources

* "Southwest Conference's Greatest Hits," Neal Farmer, c.1996


References

Defunct college baseball venues in the United States Defunct college football venues SMU Mustangs baseball venues SMU Mustangs football venues American football venues in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Baseball venues in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex {{Texas-baseball-venue-stub