Russ Chandler Stadium

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Russ Chandler Stadium
at Rose Bowl Field
"The Rusty C"
Russ Chandler Stadium.jpg
Former names Rose Bowl Field (1930-1985)
Location 255 Ferst Drive, N.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30318
Owner Georgia Tech
Operator Georgia Tech Athletic Association
Capacity Chairback Seats: 1,100
Bench Seats: 3,057
Total Seats: 4,157
Field size Left Field - 328 ft (100 m)
Left Center Field - 391 ft (119 m)
Center Field - 400 ft (122 m)
Right Center Field - 353 ft (108 m)
Right Field - 334 ft (102 m)
Surface Grass
Construction
Opened 1930
Renovated 1985, 2002
Construction cost $9,700,000 USD (2002 renovation)
Architect Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (HOK)
Tenants
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball (Atlantic Coast Conference)
ACC Tournament (1985)

Russ Chandler Stadium is a college baseball stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. It has been the home field of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets college baseball team since 1930.[1] The current stadium opened in 2002.[1]

History[edit]

Rose Bowl Field[edit]

The original stadium was built in 1930, using the payoff from the football team's participation in the 1929 Rose Bowl. The entire complex, which included three football practice fields, was named Rose Bowl Field. The complex stood behind a stone wall along 5th and Fowler streets.

In 1971, the permanent grandstand was torn down to make way for the extension of 5th Street. Lights were added in 1983.

Original stadium[edit]

The stadium existed with only bleacher seats until 1985, when A. Russell Chandler, III (BSIE '67) funded construction of a new grandstand that opened in time for Tech's centennial year.[1] Fans of Georgia Tech baseball affectionately called it "The Rusty C" due to its extensive use of aluminum as a construction material.

Current stadium[edit]

The stadium was completely rebuilt in 2002. The new stadium features more brick and less aluminum in its construction materials than the previous one, but "Beesball" fans still affectionately refer to it as "The Rusty C." The stadium is located on the Georgia Tech campus in the heart of Atlanta's midtown area and offers fantastic views of the Atlanta skyline.[2] On April 9, 2008, the stadium set an attendance record of 4,609 for the Yellow Jackets versus the Georgia Bulldogs game held that night. The crowd totally eclipsed previous marks for both post-season (4,468 vs. Southern California on June 2, 2000) and regular-season games (4,264 vs. Georgia on March 27, 2002). One ranking of college baseball stadium experiences ranks it three [3]

Description[edit]

Russ Chandler Stadium during a game against Ohio State.

Field[edit]

Field Dimensions:

  • Left Field: either 328 or 329 feet (~100m), depending on whether you believe the official media guide or the foul line post.
  • Left Center: 391 feet (119 m)
  • Center Field: 400 feet (122 m)
  • Right Center: 353 feet (108 m)
  • Right Field: 334 feet (102 m)

Due to the asymmetric shape of the field, the deepest point is actually 409 feet and lies just to the left of center field.

The fence height is a uniform 10 feet.

Seating[edit]

Seating capacity: 4,157

This figure includes 1,100 chairback seats (mostly behind home plate, but also the front rows along the first and third baselines and several "open-air" skybox areas) and over 3,000 bleacher seats. There is room for additional expansion of the bleacher sections along the third base line that will bring the total seating capacity to over 5,000 seats, and there is ample spectator room adjacent to the bullpen along the first base line.[1]

In 2013, the Yellow Jackets ranked 42nd among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,525 per home game.[4]

Facilities and features[edit]

Parking[edit]

There are no dedicated parking facilities for Russ Chandler Stadium. Recommended surface lots on the Georgia Tech campus in the vicinity of the stadium include the adjacent Klaus College of Computing Parking Deck, Peters Parking Deck, and the Alexander Memorial Colliseum lot. Limited street parking may be available on campus, but those parking along Fowler Street past the right field fence and wall could be subject to damage from long home runs. The O'Keefe lot and others nearby (Architecture and Van Leer Electrical Engineering lots) are no longer available due to construction or other campus projects. Consult The Georgia Tech Athletic Association, Rusty C, or Beesball.com website links provided in the "External links" section below for maps and more detailed information on recommended parking.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d The Official 2006 Georgia Tech Baseball Media Guide
  2. ^ Przygocki, Al (2002-02-08). "The New Russ Chandler Stadium: Flashy beginning for baseball". The Technique. Retrieved 2007-09-15. [dead link]
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-29. Retrieved 2014-07-15. 
  4. ^ Cutler, Tami (June 11, 2013). "2013 Division I Baseball Attendance - Final Report" (PDF). Sportswriters.net. NCBWA. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013. 

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 33°46′39″N 84°23′41″W / 33.777491°N 84.394771°W / 33.777491; -84.394771