As the city of Durham mulls the future of Durham Athletic Park, here are five important facts about the DAP’s history.
You don’t have to be well versed on the venue to find many of these incidents fascinating. It’s possible that the DAP has been the site of more interesting and unusual events than any other non-MLB park in baseball history.
- Related: Best Minor League Baseball Betting Sites in North Carolina
1. Fire largely destroyed the park in 1939
On June 17, 1939, the Durham Bulls, who called Durham Athletic Park their home, defeated the Portsmouth Cubs. But that was not the most important thing that happened at the DAP that day. Disaster was.
A fire raged through the grandstands later that night, taking down almost the entire wooden ballpark. A groundskeeper named Wally Williams nearly lost his life, surviving only because he awoke in time to scramble from his small apartment beneath the stands to safety.
The damage from the blaze, whose origin remains a mystery, was estimated at $100,000. By the spring of 1940, the DAP had been rebuilt, this time with a cement and steel structure.
2. The DAP was Bull Durham’s main filming location
Of all the baseball films starring Kevin Costner, the best and most fun is 1988’s Bull Durham. Given the title, you’d think the movie would celebrate Durham and Minor League Baseball, and it does. But ironically, the popular movie ended up harming the DAP in a way.
Written and directed by former minor league ballplayer Ron Shelton, Bull Durham narrates the story of a Minor League Baseball season. The movie’s success brought attention to Durham and the ballpark, which led to fan pilgrimages to the site.
The increased attendance prompted the city to seek a more modern venue. Within a few years, the city opened the new Durham Bulls Athletic Park across town.
3. A river runs through it … literally
OK, so technically, a creek runs through it, but the point remains: The DAP is built on a streambed.
In 1926, engineers insisted the original location planned for the park was unsuitable because Ellerbe Creek was flowing through the property. But the city had made its mind up, and the engineers were asked to solve the problem.
As a result, a pipe system was built to channel the creek water underneath the field. Famously, the pitcher’s mound was atop the creek.
4. MLB commissioner rode a bull onto the field
When the park opened in Durham on July 26, 1926, it was called El Toro Field. The mayor was there. The governor of North Carolina was there. Oodles of fans were there.
But most important to the owners of the Durham Bulls was the presence of Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. That’s because Durham wanted to be treated like a big-league city, and having Landis there was a big deal.
Landis was reputedly a humorless man, and his views on race were largely responsible for the unwritten ban on minorities in the game. But on this day, he played showman, riding the Durham Bulls’ mascot onto the field at El Toro Park.
No photos can be found of Landis riding the (hopefully tame) bull onto the field. But it must have been entertaining. Can you imagine Roger Goodell riding a bear onto Soldier Field in Chicago? Two words come to mind: viral meme.
5. It drew the largest college baseball crowd in NC history
Any North Carolinian knows that the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University hate each other. Their rivalry often plays out on the basketball court, but on May 25, 2013, the UNC Tar Heels and NC State’s Wolfpack took it to the diamond at the DAP.
The game would decide which school advanced to the ACC Baseball Championship, and 11,392 fans packed Durham Athletic Park, setting the record for the largest attendance at a college baseball game in North Carolina history.
The two rivals didn’t disappoint, playing 18 innings over nearly six hours and setting another record: the longest game in ACC history. The Tar Heels eventually triumphed, 2-1.
What is the city planning to do with the DAP?
Some in North Carolina want to preserve the DAP as a tribute to its place in Minor League Baseball history. But in this century, there have been several seasons where no minor league ball has been played there.
The area around the venue has evolved into a burgeoning economic district. Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams told Axios that he prefers the DAP be host to youth leagues.
Image Credit: Jim Bounds / AP Images
About the Author
