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History and Features
Cooper Stadium ("The Coop") is home to the Columbus Clippers, the Yankees AAA affiliate in the International League. The stadium is located on W. Mound St. approximately one and one-half miles west of downtown Columbus. Exit Mound St. on I-70 westbound from downtown Columbus and you are there; or exit at W. Broad St. from eastbound I-70, turn left and follow W. Broad St. to Central Av.; turn right on Central to W. Mound; then turn left on W. Mound St. "The Coop" is a wonderful place to watch a ballgame. Stadium capacity is 15,000 and a typical night game draws a crowd of 3,000 to 5,000. However, when The Chicken shows up or on Dime-a-Dog night, the stadium can fill up quick. The refurbished stadium is as good as any in minor league baseball. The field is natural grass, the seating is comfortable (individual seats not benches) and sight lines are good. There is a large, well-lighted parking lot and the whole stadium is well-maintained.
Cooper Stadium has a rich history. The stadium was first erected in 1931 when Branch Rickey purchased the Columbus Red Birds. The team needed a new ballpark, so Rickey, taking advantage of low, depression-time prices, bought farm land at the corner of Glenwood Av. and W. Mound St. Red Bird Stadium was completed with a $450,000 price tag. Following the 1954 season Branch Rickey took the Red Birds out of Columbus, and the city was on the brink of the first baseballless summer since the turn of the century. Fortunately, County Commissioner Harold Cooper and eleven local businessmen brought in the Jets, and the park was renamed Jets Stadium for the duration of their time in Columbus, 15 years. In 1970 the stadium was crumbling, and city officials refused to purchase and repair the park, forcing the Jets out of Columbus. For six years, Columbus was without baseball and Jets Stadium was a crumbling weedpatch. Cooper successfully renovated the park with tax dollars and returned baseball to Columbus. The Columbus Clippers have since played at Franklin County Stadium, renamed Cooper Stadium in 1984. This park was once the first minor league ballpark to install astroturf; in 2000 it returned to grass. This is a must see if you are planning to tour our nation's ballparks, because it takes a lot of effort to find a more beautiful ballpark, or better baseball experience than at Cooper Stadium.
Cooper Stadium
Re-opened 1977
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 15,000
Owner: Franklin County Commissioners
Primary Tenant: Columbus Clippers
(NOTE: Much of the above information was written by Neil Walter and Jon Shecket on the Web site home.supernova.net/~dustin/ballparks/international.html. This URL no longer works. If anyone knows where these files have moved to, your guide will credit them accordingly.)
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