Packard Stadium

Packard Stadium

Location	Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona  United States
Coordinates	33°25′41″N 111°55′39″W / 33.42806°N 111.92750°W / 33.42806; -111.92750
Owner	Arizona State University
Operator	Arizona State University
Capacity	7,875[1]
Surface	Natural grass
Opened	1974
Tenants
Arizona State Sun Devils - (NCAA) (1974-2014)

Packard Stadium is a college baseball stadium in Tempe, Arizona and was the home field of the Arizona State Sun Devils of the Pac-12 Conference from 1974 to 2014.

The stadium was built in 1974 and named for William Guthrie Packard, longtime president of Shepard's Citations. It was made possible by a gift from his children, Guthrie and Peter, who were ASU alumni.

In 2001, the playing surface was renamed Bobby Winkles Field in honor of Bobby Winkles, the school's first varsity baseball coach, who coached the Sun Devils to a 574-173 record (.768) from 1959-71.^[2][3] In 2006, the name of Jim Brock, the school's all-time winningest varsity coach, was added to the stadium.^[4] Brock coached the Sun Devils to a 1,100-440 record (.714) from 1972–94,^[5] As a result, the full name of the stadium was "Bobby Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark."

Packard Stadium has undergone upgrade renovations since 1997. The construction of a $1 million players clubhouse and events plaza down the left field line was completed in August 2004. The structure features a state-of-the-art clubhouse for the Sun Devil players, including custom hardwood lockers, a training room, video room and an equipment storage area. The top level of the clubhouse serves as an events plaza for hosted outings during games and also features an office for the coaching staff. The outfield wall, including a center field green monster, is lined with orange trees and just beyond the left field fence lies the Tempe Town Lake.^[6]

The Sun Devils have an all-time record of 2,358-1,154 (.671) in 93 seasons of baseball.^[7][8] The Sun Devils have made 33 post-season appearances and 21 College World Series appearances.^[9] With five NCAA titles (1965, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1981), ASU is tied for third.^[8] In 46 years of varsity baseball dating back to 1959, ASU is 2,025-809-1 (.714).^[7][8]

Packard's existence was made possible through a gift to Arizona State from Guthrie and Peter Packard. Both are alumni of ASU, and the stadium is a tribute to their late father, a prominent member of the publishing industry for many years. Mr. Packard served Shepard's Citations for 51 years rising to President and chairman of the board.^[6]

In 2013, the Sun Devils ranked 20th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 2,809 per home game.^[10]

Move to Phoenix Municipal Stadium

In 2013, The Arizona Board of Regents approved Arizona State University's 25-year lease to Phoenix Municipal Stadium.^[11] The stadium is 2.5 miles from Arizona State's campus in Tempe. The ASU baseball program has history at the site, as Reggie Jackson was the first college player to hit a home run out of Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Sun Devils began playing at Phoenix Muni in 2015 after which Packard Stadium was redeveloped to help pay for improvements to Sun Devil Stadium.^[12]

References