I don't care what anybody says. this is the stadium I love and by which all other stadiums I judge. There was nothing like a Browns game here during the 80s.
What a wonderful park, symmetrical and beautiful. An eye sore is what happened to Jacobs Field totally Junked up. Led crap all over, adverts, ruined upper deck, went to number 2 or 3 behind Oriole Park and maybe Ballpark in Arlington, to what ever that. Mess called Progressive field is now ...
Memorial Stadium has the open end zone also w only small bleachers for Colts on the North open end One (center field). And when Ravens played in late 90s they added more semi permanent seating since the Orioles moved downtown already . But Cleveland municipal was NOT a cookie, more akin to a larger Yankee Stadium imo.
Attended the July 4th, 1976 "Hands across America" game, celebrating America's 200th birthday. There were so few fans in attendance, we weren't able to make a circle around the inside of the stadium.
Remember, it didn’t get any renovations because, again, Art Modell was in charge of the stadium and only put money into more advertising space on the bleachers and luxury suites. He let the stadium turn into a dump on a $1 per year lease with the city
@@exoticbeatz1 yeah. Art was was in charge of the stadium for 30 years and put 0 upgrades into the thing when he was only paying $1 per year to lease it. He let it fall into a dump. It’s one of the reasons the Indians had to leave and were threatening to move without a new stadium
@johnepants that's not true. Modell was required to put money into the stadium in order to get control of it. Modell put in the loge suites as part of this deal, as well as field and electronical maintenance. The field was lowered and raised multiple times over the years as well as having to be completely re done nearly every season due to being dual use and in poor climate. 108 bi level loges were added in 1974, and in 1975 the field was completely dug up to redo the drainage tiling... also redid the scoreboard maybe 3x while he owned it.
@@trevor5904 ok, so scoreboard (more ad space on bleachers), loges (luxury boxes) and field work. No money put in to upgrade facilities for his team or his biggest tenant, the Indians. His crappy ownership of the stadium led to his biggest tenant telling him to screw off and he was too short sited to see at the time that he needed a new place after they left and didn’t jump on the Gateway plan. There is a reason Bisciotti. It’s because that loser Modell continued to suck as a businessman and owner even in Baltimore and the NFL finally forced him to sell the majority of his team
@johnepants I can agree w you that he made shitty team and business decisions, ie: the firing of brown/rutigliano, letting Kosar go.. but he did put money into the facilities, and met the requirements put forth by the city. The Indians didn't draw crowds for shit from the mid 60s-1993 and were almost moved to Tampa. Indians got public money and modell didnt.. Yea he's a prick, but how about actually doing some research before you run your mouth like you know wtf you're talking about
In the 1980s I would go to early season day games at Municipal Stadium and sit right behind the dugout for $4 to $5. There would be around 2K people in the mammoth stadium. Awesome times!
I always liked the old stadium 🏟️ But I also like the current Browns stadium 🏟️ and I as well don’t think that one is so bad either, though some kind of renovation appears to be on its way?
You didn't get $5 box seat tickets at the gate. I would buy General Admission for that price and then slide down into the field boxes by the middle innings. I NEVER saw any "behind the dugout" seats for $4 or $5, even in the late 1960s. And you called it "Municipal"? I didn't know any Cleveland natives that called it that.
@@JUVI9596 because the teams were terrible and only hard-core baseball fans would go. I used to go to see the great Yankees and red Sox and Orioles teams of 70s and 80s.
Now wait a minute. The Original Browns( Modell) went to Baltimore but then the City gets a new stadium and a team. Modell said they didn't have the Political Will to build a new stadium and felt like they couldn't come up with a first class stadium. He left town without even hearing a proposal from the city. That seems shady
Modell was an idiot!! When the city and county came to him about going in with the Gateway Project that eventually built Jacobs(Progressive) Field for the Indians and Gund Arena(Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse) for the Cavaliers, he turned them down because he wanted his own funding to renovate that dump!
I'm 91. In1945, my dad took us to see the Cleveland Rams play the Washington Redskins for NFL Championship at the Municipal Stadium. Cleveland won 15-14 in 8 below weather. Quarterback Bob Waterfield was also the punter and place kicker -- making 31-34 field goals that year. That memory served me well until the Otto Graham, Jim Brown era. I had seasons tickets for many years. Dad insisted we get there early enough to park in the badly paved lot right next to the stadium. Bernie Parrish, Browns corner back in the late 50s was a neighbor of my dad. Bernie used to laugh and said that we went to the game before he did! Say what you will about that old stadium, I loved it ! And hot dogs with Stadium Mustard...yum. --- USAF Retired
At least everyone got a seat. Great NFL iconic stadium. Always thought of it as Browns stadium more than the Tribe stadium. Otto Graham, Jim Brown, Paul Warfield, Greg Pruitt.
The picture at the 6:03 mark could possibly be a picture of me! No way of knowing when this shot was taken but I was the one who shot the fireworks for the anthem and home runs from 1988 to the closing of the stadium. Pregame I would have loaded the shells for the anthem in that exact spot. So many great memories of working in that place. The fans, the staff, and more than a couple players I got to meet at the behind the fence parties and at batting practice. Would have worked for free doing that gig!
In 1980 I went to the World Series there. The World Series of Rock. Def Leppard, Eddie Money, The J Geils Band and Bob Seger. Spent the previous night under the bridge partying with friends and people I had never met before. Great Concert, great memory.
Saw a couple of Indians games there when my dad and I traveled through Cleveland on a roadtrip. I actually liked the right field upper deck seats . . and that mustard at the stadium was the best I had ever had anywhere . . . But then again, what do I know? I love the Oakland Alameda County Stadium as an A's season ticket holder, so maybe I just have a soft spot for stadiums that are viewed as dumps . . .
Osborn Engineering worked on lots of other pre-WWII stadiums including the original build of Yankee Stadium, so the resemblance make sense. You can really see it in the shape of the upper deck and its roof.
The place was a dump! The bathroom urinals leaked all the time. Rats would be running around the upper deck and concourse area. It smelled like feet and bad fish most of the time But... That was a great place to be when the Browns were winning! That place would get so loud it would literally MOVE about 6 inches!! An the Dawg Pound had some of the craziest fans!! I miss the old dump!! Lots of great(and not-so-great) memories were created in there!!
The renderings I've seen for a renovation in the 80s and 90s ( the renderings here on this channel lol) actually looked pretty good on the football side of things. The outside of the stadium looked grand on the outside, like the original Yankee Stadium.
Look how far the stands where from the field. That west endzone shot was where my seats were in the upper deck 10 rows from the top. We had 6 seats from 79 to 81. One of us had to set behind the pole. You couldnt see 20yrds of the field. Glad when they built the new one. Have 2 seats lower deck also west endzone love the seats. Been there since 08
It’s always good to have perspective with progress, and the norms of decades past. A stadium like this would never be tolerated in today’s times. The average NFL attendance during the 1980’s was 55-60k per game across the league with many empty seats, even w/much smaller stadiums. Cleveland and Buffalo both averaged 75-80k those years, tops in the league. What was once a source of pride to play in a gritty old stadium without any creature comforts, transitioned to luxury venues focused on the fan’s stadium experience as an entertainment destination outside of just the game on the field. I am sure stadiums in 30 years will be a completely different concept than even the newer super stadiums are today, and we will talking about what a dinosaur AT&T Stadium was.
Somewhere in a box in my basement, I have a VHS tape of me driving my 1979 Ford LTD onto the field to pick up two stadium seats I purchased as they were tearing this wonderful old stadium down. I loved this place. Great memories of freezing there watching the Browns and burning up watching the Indians. One particularly freezing Browns game I remember was a Browns v Bills playoff game. And my favorite Indians memory... slamming the empty seats in rythme to the chant Joe-Joe-Char-bon-eau!!!
Exhibition Stadium had bad sight lines for baseball and the seating in the outfield area extended way beyond right field because it was set up for Canadian football, yet proved to be a disadvantage for both the Blue Jays and the Argonauts. It was so bad that during a rainy night in a Grey Cup game around 1982, fans were forced to take shelter in the concourse area and this later led to fans yelling WE WANT A DOME!!!! And both teams got their dome stadium 7 years later.
Legendary: 5- Or 10-cents beer night that got out of hand. The native drum pounded by a mascot at MLB games during the 70s (I heard on radio) 🔥. Chris Chambliss 4ever!
Every once in a while you’ll walk into someone’s house in Cleveland and see, on display, a seat torn from the stadium before demolition. A lot of bricks, too.
Age doesn't necessarily mean irredeemable - Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia SC, home of the USC Gamecocks, has a capacity of 77,500, and it is only three years younger than Cleveland Municipal, but it has been upgraded to the point where it looks as modern as anything you could ask for and still sells out every game.
WOW. The 1 minute 20 mark. Right on the other side of the big tower and some other building the steam and smoke stacks take over. Truly an industrialized society! ~Brian
The stadium was built to try and host the Olympics. Once Cleveland lost the bid it was too big for the Indians, and then by the 80’s it was terrible for football (sitting in the upper deck on the sidelines was like watching the game through a telescope from Columbus). I loved the place as Browns fan, but it was very outdated and way too spread out by the end of its lifecycle.
Grew up going to Vet stadium. 700 level (for us young broke folks) was a nonstop party with zero security. They left us alone up there and it was wild. Very diff experience than todays family vibe.
I think teams and their owners nowadays want to build Domes so they can get year long use out of these stadiums. They definitely want to host a Super Bowl. Their current stadium is almost cookie cutter stadium
Art Modell agreed to be in charge of the stadium, which put him in massive debt. That also lead to the departure of the Browns. Had Modell not taken responsibility of it, we may have lost the Indians (Guardians). He regretted that he took responsibility and the move haunted him for the rest of his life. It’s unfortunate how it all happened. However, I can’t absolve Art Modell entirely, but he had some compelling reasons to leave. Also, the city was responsible. It lead to more teams (especially the NFL) building new ones.
First game there Indians vs KC Athletics on September 26 1959 and was there for Browns final home game in December of 1995. Loved going there w My Uncle and then w my wife and then w my kids.
The rumor/myth was it was built for the 1932 Olympics, the bid failed hence the stadium being called the mistake by the lake. I remember walking in there for the bash brothers A's vs Indians game, even with 50k fans there it was so cavernous. Wish I had pictures of it and the huge chief wahoo batting cutout. Which is now at the western reserve historical society.
Art Modell was offered to move into the Gateway project with the Cavs and Indians but he refused, can't read that off Wikipedia. Looking at it now, the stands being covered with a canopy was ahead of its time 😆.
I grew up a Baltimore Colts fan, and remember Irsay sneaking the team out in March 1984. Respectfully, you kept your team's name, colors, history, etc, PLUS you were promised an expansion team by the SAME commissioner (Tagliabue?) who worked behind the scenes to keep the NFL out of Baltimore. Please keep in mind that while it was crappy for Browns' fans, at the very least you KNEW when you would get another team, with your history intact......
Sorry but the only reason we were able to keep the team name and colors is because the city had to sue Model. Art was also one of the owners that helped block Baltimore from getting an expansion team prior to Carolina and Jacksonville getting one, so overall, Art can go straight to hell. Isray packed up and left because Maryland’s legislature was about to seize his team by eminent domain. One owner was clearly forced out, the other was just a piece of trash who’s sole good decision was making Ozzy general manager of the Ravens
Having grown up in Dallas, this was the out of town stadium I always longed to see as a kid. Something about the mystique surrounding this place and how unique it was. I’ll always regret that I never saw the stadium in person.
A dome stadium is such a bad idea, look at the weather experienced in Ohio. We have had tornadoes, blizzards, flooding and domed stadiums can collapse, like the Minnesota Superdome with heavy snow
This place was very dusty and not particularly pleasant by modern standards. Pitchers loved this place until the’50’s and the Tribe moved the fences in to help them score runs.
The way I remember it at the time… a referendum was on the ballot (with a deal in place with the browns) to make some major changes… and 2 days before Election Day, Art Modell (be careful.. his name is a swear word in Cleveland) announced the move… 2 days later, the referendum passed easily… in court… Modell would have been toast.. but Baltimore threw big $$$ at him and the NFL.. so the NFL stepped in to make a deal… A deal if the city of Cleveland had to do over.. would not have happened… Yes, they got an expansion team.. yes the Name and history stayed.. .but that expansion team has never been as good as the old browns were… still just trying to get to league average.. while the old browns.. have superbowl rings.. Still, hard to badly think of a stadium built in 31 that lost it’s team 64 years later… 64 years… Hell, the Atlanta braves have gone through 3 stadiums in that time. Same with the Texas Rangers…
@@johndouglas5712 I think you are thinking of a different vote.. that might have been the vote for the Jake… but the browns move to Baltimore was quite a few years later… like 96 or 97… still.. if the negotiations happened today.. I think the city of Cleveland would make bigger demands.. they got screwed badly.
You understand that the only reason why Gateway passed is to get the Cavs back downtown. Okay, yeah it doesn't excuse Modell for not going on board. However, Mike White was also to blame because he didn't act fast enough.
Was there once, 75/76 for a Rolling Stones concert. J Geils Band, Tower of Power and Joe Vitale's Madmen (he plays drums on all but 2 of Joe Walsh's solo albums) Packed to the rafters. Too bad I never went to see the Steelers kick the Browns' asses though 😅
Browns had a record of 33-13 vs the Steelers at Municipal Stadium. Steelers didnt start dominating Browns till about 1994 to present. Most of those wins are at the new stadium.
Municipal Stadium will always be a stadium like no other when the Idiots, er Indians, from the 1960s to 1992 played there. I didn't count 1993 as that was obviously an exceptional season for equally obvious reasons.
He sounds like one of those analysts they have on ESPN talking about player trades, the draft, or things like that. He has next to no voice inflection whatsoever.
The hexitron looks like a dog house. That would work with a retractable. Bulid it down the road or more into the city. Or better yet brookpark. Get er done. ⬜️🟫🟧🟫⬜️
Satchel Paige first start here drew 72k fans in Aug 1948, his next start drew 75k, and then the third start 78k! Must have been an electric feeling in the air.
Yeah, there were a lot of things wrong with it but I would much rather freeze my as* off among real, rabid, working-class fans on a wooden bleacher bench in old "Cleveland Stadium" (NOBODY I knew in Cleveland ever referred to it as "Municipal") for $30 than spend a fortune in pampered luxury in a place like SoFi, listening to polo wearing rich as*holes talk about their golf scores, ignoring the game on the field.
