Football field in Chicago
41°46′53.11″N 87°39′16.34″W / 41.7814194°N 87.6545389°W / 41.7814194; -87.6545389
Normal Park is the name of a former football and baseball field in Chicago, Illinois, during approximately 1914 through 1951. It was most notably the home field of the Chicago Cardinals before they moved to Comiskey Park.
The field was on a block bounded by South Racine Avenue (to the east, previously Centre Avenue); West 61st Street (north); West 62nd Street (south); and South Throop Street (west). Normal Avenue (or Normal Boulevard) is also sometimes given as one of its bordering streets, although Normal Avenue (500W) is about 7 blocks east of Racine (1200W). There may have been some confusion due to "Normal Park" also having been the name of a Chicago neighborhood in the general area. In local newspapers, the location of the field was typically given as "61st Street and Racine Avenue."
The Chicago Cardinals started out as the "Morgan Athletic Club" in 1898 and changed their name to "Racine Normals" after they began playing at Normal Park. Soon after, they became the "Racine Cardinals". According to legend, they assumed that nickname upon acquiring some reddish hand-me-down jerseys from the University of Chicago football team, the Maroons.
The Cardinals joined the new American Professional Football Association (soon renamed to what is now the National Football League) and continued to use Normal Park as their home field for several years and continued to be called the Racine Cardinals for a while. They changed their name again, to "Chicago Cardinals", to avoid confusion after the National Football League fielded a team in Racine, Wisconsin.
Starting in 1922, they split time between Normal Park and Comiskey Park before finally abandoning the old field in the late 1920s. The park no longer exists. On the eastern portion of the site along Racine sits a Chicago Police Department facility which was built in 1952.[1] The western portion of the site is occupied by single family homes built on a cul-de-sac where the field once was. The only evidence of the field is an otherwise unexplained discontinuation of Elizabeth Street, which abruptly ends halfway between 61st and 62nd Streets and then resumes again a half-block north at 61st.
References
- ^ Chicago Tribune, March 30, 1952, part 3 page 9
External links
- A page with some early Cardinals history
- Cardinals history page at Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Illustrations of Normal Park
Preceded by first stadium Comiskey Park | Home of the Chicago Cardinals 1920 – 1921 1926 – 1928 | Succeeded by Comiskey Park |
Arizona Cardinals
- Founded in 1898
- Played in Chicago (1920–1959), St. Louis (1960–1987), and formerly the Phoenix Cardinals (1988–1993)
- Based in Glendale, Arizona
- Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona
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Stadiums | |
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Culture | |
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Lore | |
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Rivalries | |
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Division championships (7) | |
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Conference championships (1) | |
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League championships (2) | |
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Retired numbers | |
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- Category
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Early era: 1920–1940 | - League Park (Akron) (Akron Pros)
- Armory Park (Toledo Maroons)
- Baker Bowl (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Bellevue Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Bison Stadium (Buffalo Bison/Rangers)
- Borchert Field (Milwaukee Badgers, Green Bay Packers)
- Bosse Field (Evansville Crimson Giants)
- Braves Field (Boston Braves, Boston Yanks)
- Buffalo Baseball Park (Buffalo All-Americans)
- League Field (Canton) (Canton Bulldogs)
- City Stadium (Green Bay Packers)
- Clarkin Field (Hartford Blues)
- Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland Rams)
- Comiskey Park (Chicago Cardinals)
- Commercial Field (New York Brickley Giants)
- Crosley Field (Cincinnati Reds)
- Cubs Park/Wrigley Field (Chicago Tigers, Hammond Pros, Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals)
- Cycledrome (Providence Steam Roller)
- Dinan Field (Detroit Wolverines, Detroit Lions)
- Douglas Park (Rock Island Independents)
- Duluth's Athletic Park (Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos)
- East Hartford Velodrome (Hartford Blues)
- Ebbets Field (New York Brickley Giants, Brooklyn Lions, Brooklyn Dodgers)
- Eclipse Park (Louisville Breckenridges)
- Fenway Park (Boston Braves, Boston Yanks)
- Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Pirates/Steelers)
- Frankford Stadium (Frankford Yellow Jackets)
- Griffith Stadium (Washington)
- Hagemeister Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Horlick Field (Racine Legion, Racine Tornadoes)
- Kinsley Park (Providence Steam Roller)
- Knights of Columbus Stadium (Orange Tornadoes)
- Lakeside Park (Canton Bulldogs)
- League Park (Cleveland Tigers, Indians/Bulldogs, Rams)
- Lexington Park (Minneapolis Marines)
- Luna Park (Cleveland Panthers)
- Minersville Park (Pottsville Maroons)
- Muehlebach Field (Kansas City Blues/Cowboys)
- Nash Field (Kenosha Maroons)
- Navin Field/Briggs Stadium (Detroit Heralds/Tigers, Panthers, Lions)
- Neil Park (Columbus Wagner Pirates)
- Newark Schools Stadium (Newark Tornadoes)
- Newark Velodrome (Newark Tornadoes)
- Nickerson Field (Boston Braves)
- Nicollet Park (Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets)
- Normal Park (Chicago Cardinals)
- Parkway Field (Louisville Brecks)
- Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Polo Grounds (New York Giants, New York Brickley Giants)
- Shaw Stadium (Cleveland Rams)
- Shibe Park (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Spartan Municipal Stadium (Portsmouth Spartans)
- Sportsman's Park (St. Louis All-Stars, St. Louis Gunners)
- Staley Field (Decatur Staleys)
- Star Park (possible, Syracuse Pros)
- Swayne Field (Toledo Maroons)
- Thompson Stadium (Staten Islands Stapletons)
- Triangle Park (Dayton Triangles)
- Wisconsin State Fair Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Yankee Stadium I (New York Yankees, New York Giants)
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Post-War and Pre-Merger era: 1941–1969 | - Alumni Stadium (Boston Patriots)
- Astrodome (Houston Oilers)
- Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Falcons)
- Balboa Stadium (San Diego Chargers)
- Baltimore Memorial Stadium (Baltimore Colts)
- Bears Stadium/Mile High Stadium (Denver Broncos)
- Briggs Stadium/Tiger Stadium (Detroit Lions)
- Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
- Busch Memorial Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
- Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland Browns)
- Comiskey Park (Chicago Cardinals, Card-Pitt)
- Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium (Philadelphia Eagles, Phil-Pitt Steagles)
- Cotton Bowl (Dallas Texans, Dallas Cowboys)
- District of Columbia Stadium/RFK Memorial Stadium (Washington Redskins)
- Dyche Stadium (Chicago Bears)
- Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers)
- Fenway Park (Boston Yanks, Boston Patriots)
- Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Steelers, Phil-Pitt Steagles, Card-Pitt)
- Frank Youell Field (Oakland Raiders)
- Franklin Field (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Griffith Stadium (Washington Redskins)
- Harvard Stadium (Boston Patriots)
- Jeppesen Stadium (Houston Oilers)
- Kansas City Municipal Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs)
- Kezar Stadium (San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders)
- League Park (Cleveland Rams)
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers)
- Metropolitan Stadium (Minnesota Vikings)
- Miami Orange Bowl (Miami Dolphins)
- Milwaukee County Stadium (Green Bay Packers)
- Nickerson Field (Boston Patriots)
- Nippert Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland Raiders)
- Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Pitt Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Polo Grounds (New York Giants, New York Bulldogs, New York Titans/Jets)
- Rice Stadium (Houston Oilers)
- Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals)
- San Diego Stadium (San Diego Chargers)
- Shea Stadium (New York Jets)
- Tulane Stadium (New Orleans Saints)
- War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo Bills)
- Wisconsin State Fair Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Wrigley Field (Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals)
- Yankee Stadium I (New York Yanks, New York Giants)
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Current era: 1970–present | |
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Stadiums used by NFL teams temporarily | |
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