Luther Williams Field
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| Luther Williams Field | |
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| Location | Central City Park Macon, Georgia 31201 |
| Opened | 1929 |
| Owner | City of Macon |
| Operator | City of Macon; Macon Music |
| Tenants | Macon Peaches (1926-1983)
Macon Dodgers (1956-1960) |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Field dimensions | Left Field: 338 ft (103.0224 m)
Center Field: 402 ft (122.5296 m) Right Field: 338 ft (103.0224 m) |
Luther Williams Field is a baseball stadium in Macon, Georgia, and is currently the home of the Macon Music. It was built in 1929, and is the centerpiece of Central City Park in Macon. Today, it is the second-oldest minor league stadium in the country. [1] The original covered grandstand is still in place, though a new tin roof has replaced the former wooden one. A black iron gate surrounds the field, the front of which says "Macon Base Ball Park."
[edit] History
Luther Williams Field was home to the Macon Peaches (of the South Atlantic Association, South Atlantic League, and Southern League) on and off from 1929 to the 1980s, and another team by the same name from the Southeastern League in 2003. The Macon Dodgers of the South Atlantic League played at the stadium from 1956 to 1960; the Macon Redbirds in 1983; the Macon Pirates from 1984 to 1987; and the Macon Braves from 1991 to 2002. [2] In 2007, the new South Coast League located its Macon Music franchise at Luther Williams. The team is managed by former major league player Phil Plantier. The General Manager is Ric Sisler, grandson of Baseball Hall of Famer George Sisler.
Luther Williams Field was used for location shooting in the 1976 film The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings. Luther Williams Field stood in for a fictional Negro League ballpark in St. Louis, Missouri.
[edit] Famous players
Numerous Major League stars have played at Luther Williams, whether on their way up the minor league system or as part of Major League teams' occasional stopovers to play their farm teams. Some notable players include:
- Pete Rose (1962 Peaches), MLB all-time hit leader [3]
- Tony Perez (1963 Peaches), Baseball Hall of Famer
- Vince Coleman (1983 Redbirds), set all-time professional baseball record of 145 stolen bases [4]
- Chipper Jones (1991 Braves), 1999 National League Most Valuable Player
- Andruw Jones (1995 Braves), nine-time Gold Glove Award winner [5]
[edit] External links
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