Norfolk Althletic Park saw use primarily as a minor league baseball venue, but also saw action as a neutral site football venue at least once its short life, which lasted from 1908 to 1912. It replaced Lafayette Field for the Norfolk Tars, though the latter field remained the primary local football venue. Ultimately, Norfolk Athletic Park was disassembled and used create a rejuvenated Lafayette Field in the same location as the former in 1912; less than a year later, the latter field was itself deconstructed and used to build League Park (III).

Overall, NC State had a record of 0-1 at this field, playing just one game. This was one of the only collegiate football games ever played at the park, and it remains unclear to me why the game was not held on Lafayette Field, which had no scheduled Thanksgiving Day festivities.

See also: Fields of Norfolk.

  * Non-conference games

Semi-pro baseball came back to Norfolk in 1906 after a 5 year absense with the founding of the Norfolk Tars (or Mary Janes), who played in the Virginia League [1]. The Tars won the league in 1907 and were routinely among the better teams in the league. Following on the coattails of the Tars' success, Norfolk constructed a new park for baseball use, replacing Lafayette Field, which was designed primarily for football.

Selection for a new site began in February 1908, and the park was opened before completion for local games in early April 1908. The park was ultimately finished in time for Virginia League play, hosting its first formal game on April 20th [2] [3]. The park's name was apparently selected from "a number of names sent in" as part of a competition to win free tickets for the season [4]. The park was leased from land belonging to the Norfolk & Western (N&W) Railroad.

The new park was described by rooters as "a dandy." The grandstand was said to be roomy and filled with comfortable seats, and the approach to the park easy; the park's condition was said to be great, from bleachers to the outfield [5]. In total, the park held about 6,000 persons in baseball configuration -- at least, as of 1910. As for football, 2,000 bleacher seats were added for the 1909 NC A&M-Virginia Tech game, which brought the park's total seating capacity to 12,000 persons [6]. In February 1909, the park became one of the first in the south to feature a turfed infield; otherwise, I found little in the way of improvements [7].

The park remained the homefield of the Tars for several years, but eventually, the park's borrowed time had to come to an end: the N&W purchased the land on which it sat for the construction of car barns and shops in January 1912. In buying out the land, however, the railroad helped to purchase a tract of land between Granby and Church Streets which eventually became League Park. Construction on the railroad's interests neared completion by August [8]. On the baseball side of things, materials from Norfolk Athletic Park were taken and used to improve Lafayette Field, which was in the midst of a major renovation [9].

Photos of Norfolk Athletic Park