Dunn Field (Elmira)

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Dunn Field is a stadium in Elmira, New York primarily used for baseball. Located on the banks of the Chemung River at the end of Luce St, it has been the home of various incarnations of the Elmira Pioneers since its opening in 1939.

[edit] History

Dunn Field was built to replace a previous stadium, Recreation Field, which burned down in 1938. The new stadium was named after a local businessman, Edward Joseph Dunn, who donated the land for the stadium to the city.

Besides being the home field of the Elmira Pioneers baseball team, a variety of events have taken place in the stadium over the years such as wrestling & boxing matches, high school sports, and music concerts (The Beach Boys played there in 1984).

Dunn Field served as the home field for both Elmira Free Academy and Southside High School football teams for many years until each team built their own stadiums. The Erie Bell game was often a special occasion at Dunn Field since both Elmira Free Academy and Southside High School played their home games at Dunn Field.

Many great baseball players played their home games on this field during part of their minor league years, including Wade Boggs, Curt Schilling, and Jim Palmer. Former player and MLB manager Don Zimmer was even married on Dunn Field in 1951 (Pictured in Sports Illustrated magazine, and his autobiography).