Some old baseball photos

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twk
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4:39p, 5/22/20
AG
By way of celebrating Texags' hosting of photos, I thought I would post some images that I capture out of the old A&M yearbooks online. I apologize in advance for some awkward cropping. Someone who does Photoshop could really clean some of these up, and grab some others that were beyond my ability with the tools I have at hand.

Lets start with a little history of Kyle Baseball Field.

In case you weren't aware, before moving to Olsen in 1978, baseball was played on a diamond just southwest of Kyle Field. You can see the situation of the athletic facilities in this aerial photo from 1932:



..and another one from the early '60's:



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twk
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4:49p, 5/22/20
AG
The wooden grandstand that you see in the color photo was built in two stages, but at a different location. Initially, the grandstand was turned 90 degrees, facing south, instead of north, with the 3rd base side of the stands parallel with the old wooden basketball gym that preceded Deware (and sat about where Downs Natatorium was later built).

Here is a photo from 1922 that shows the original grandstand (just the first base side and the seats behind home plate), along with the old wooden basketball gym in the background:


Here is a 1923 picture, again with the gym in the background, and also a photo of the dugout:



These 1924 photos show that, before the diamond was moved, it was situated at an angle, in order to accommodate the track, which also used the baseball grandstand, instead of being situated around the football field.


Here you see the diamond at an angle, with the west stands of Kyle football field in the background:
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twk
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4:51p, 5/22/20
AG
By 1925, the grandstand had been completed:


This photo gives you another view of action on the diamond:
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twk
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4:55p, 5/22/20
AG
By 1927, you can see Deware Fieldhouse (opened in 1924) in the background:



The grandstand can be seen in better detail in the team photo:

Here's a view of the diamond looking toward center:

And, about this time, we start getting some decent action shots:


Here are some shots that show the track using the baseball grandstand. It seems to have had a 220 yard straightaway on the north side that ran all the way behind the football field's north endzone:



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twk
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5:02p, 5/22/20
AG
Sometime in the late '20s, probably after the '27 season, the baseball grandstand was moved to the southwest corner location, in anticipation of the construction of the concrete horeshoe grandstand for football and track.

Here are some shots from the '30's, after the grandstand was moved, starting with a 1933 team photo:



In this 1936 photo, you can see that there is no dugout, nor running track--just a bench against the grandstand:



In this 1938 photo, you can see how the field now faces north, with the horeshoe of the football field in the background:

Some action shots from '38...

...and the t.u. bench from that season -- coach Billy Disch is seated on the end:

A shot looking toward center field in '39:


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twk
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5:09p, 5/22/20
AG
Not much changed at Kyle Baseball Field in the '40s, '50s, and early-to-mid '60s. Here are some shots from the '50s:







In this photo, you can see the 1953 expansion of Kyle Field (three sections and a press box extended to the west grandstand) beyond center field:



Here's Coach Chandler in 1964:
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ensign_beedrill
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In reply to twk • 5:13p, 5/22/20
AG
twk said:

Look at all the folks sitting on the roof!
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twk
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In reply to ensign_beedrill • 5:16p, 5/22/20
AG
ensign_beedrill said:
twk said:

Look at all the folks sitting on the roof!
Check out the people watching from the football stands in the 1953 photo.
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twk
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5:23p, 5/22/20
AG
It seems that the construction of the second decks for the football field in '67 and '68 (they built the west one on top of that 1953 extension, so that they could keep using the press box) caused the team to move to Travis Park for a couple of seasons. When they came back, the wooden grandstand was gone, replaced with small sets of metal bleachers:



The team closed out old Kyle Baseball Field with a SWC championship in 1977, then christened Olsen Field with a second consecutive championship in 1978. And thus concludes our history lesson.

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twk
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5:34p, 5/22/20
AG
One more quick subject.

Prior to opening Disch-Falk Field, the sips had the most ridiculous home field advantage in the form of a cliff in center field that was in play at old Clark Field.

Here are some shots from 1942:



And a couple from the final game at Clark Field in 1974:


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jkag89
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5:50p, 5/22/20
Thanks Tom, Great Stuff!
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twk
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5:59p, 5/22/20
AG
OK, I lied. Two more photos that I have to include. I don't know when this tradition stopped, but the FTAB used to attend a baseball game every year, at which the fish were forced to use chewing tobacco for the duration. The result wasn't pretty. Here are a couple of photos from this event in 1934:




Here's a link to the yearbooks online: Link

If you go looking for baseball photos, note that until the mid-50s, the baseball coverage in the yearbook dates from the prior year because the yearbook went to press before the baseball season was completed, so that it could be printed before students left for the summer.
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W
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7:08p, 5/22/20
AG
I wonder if cars parked on the baseball field during football games.

probably wasn't an issue early on, but by the mid-70's when the football team got really good 50,000 attendance was the norm.

worked out nice that the baseball team moved to Olsen in 1978...the year before the next big Kyle Field construction/expansion took place (1979)
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twk
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In reply to W • 9:22p, 5/22/20
AG
W said:
I wonder if cars parked on the baseball field during football games.

probably wasn't an issue early on, but by the mid-70's when the football team got really good 50,000 attendance was the norm.

worked out nice that the baseball team moved to Olsen in 1978...the year before the next big Kyle Field construction/expansion took place (1979)
They moved the football practice field south of the stadium in the 70s, and used that space for parking, at least some of that time.



And this photo must be in '78, after Olsen opened but before the 3rd decks were added.

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ProudAg16
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In reply to twk • 10:00p, 5/22/20
AG
twk said:
It seems that the construction of the second decks for the football field in '67 and '68 (they built the west one on top of that 1953 extension, so that they could keep using the press box) caused the team to move to Travis Park for a couple of seasons. When they came back, the wooden grandstand was gone, replaced with small sets of metal bleachers:



The team closed out old Kyle Baseball Field with a SWC championship in 1977, then christened Olsen Field with a second consecutive championship in 1978. And thus concludes our history lesson.



#9 rounding third. That's my dad.
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W
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1:06a, 5/23/20
AG
wow, a sold out game at Kyle Field for Memphis State in 1978. That's impressive.

apparently that was the season opener. Had to wait until September 30th
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agsalaska
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1:18a, 5/23/20
AG
I swear when I see threads like this It makes me certain that I was born about 50 years too late.


Awesome pics. Do not think I have ever seen any of them.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.



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txag10
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8:18a, 5/23/20
AG
Great pics Tom!
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dermdoc
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In reply to twk • 9:21a, 5/23/20
AG
Thanks Tom.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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MB19
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In reply to W • 2:18p, 5/23/20
AG
W said:
wow, a sold out game at Kyle Field for Memphis State in 1978. That's impressive.

apparently that was the season opener. Had to wait until September 30th
Well by that point tickets for an A&M football game were increasingly difficult to come by. So plans were in place for expansion of Kyle Field after the 1978 season.

If you find pics of Olsen Field for the 1978 & '79 seasons, you'll see no lights.
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FearNoWeevil
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In reply to twk • 3:54p, 5/23/20
AG
twk said:
OK, I lied. Two more photos that I have to include. I don't know when this tradition stopped, but the FTAB used to attend a baseball game every year, at which the fish were forced to use chewing tobacco for the duration. The result wasn't pretty. Here are a couple of photos from this event in 1934:




Here's a link to the yearbooks online: Link

If you go looking for baseball photos, note that until the mid-50s, the baseball coverage in the yearbook dates from the prior year because the yearbook went to press before the baseball season was completed, so that it could be printed before students left for the summer.
My dad, Class of '60, said that's how he started chewing tobaco. He said you weren't to be caught spitting it out and had to swallow (the results apparently evidenced in the second picture!). Larger brass instruments had a distinct advantage as secret spittoons...he played trombone.
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MMantle
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7:51p, 5/23/20
AG
#9

I played two years with your dad, in 1968, we batted right next to each other in the Aggie batting order, he is a complete and total stud, a great guy.

RR
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Chris Russ
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8:26p, 5/23/20
The guy wearing number 1 and sliding into 3rd at the old Clark Field is my dad.
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twk
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In reply to Chris Russ • 8:32p, 5/23/20
AG
Chris Russ said:
The guy wearing number 1 and sliding into 3rd at the old Clark Field is my dad.
I stood next to your dad at the deciding game of the Baylor series in Waco in '98, where A&M clinched the championship. We were up on the top row of those rickety bleachers, and when Scheschuk hit a triple to center that pretty much put the game away (didn't he score on a throwing error?), your dad was so excited he turned around and kicked the back of the stand and put a dent in that metal, and that wasn't a particularly thin sheet of tin or anything like that. He was a little intense.
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Chris Russ
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8:34p, 5/23/20
What a great game. I can remember it like it was yesterday.
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twk
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In reply to Chris Russ • 8:37p, 5/23/20
AG
Chris Russ said:
What a great game. I can remember it like it was yesterday.
I'm class of '89, so I'm pretty nostalgic about that era, but the '98 and '99 teams were probably my favorite to watch. Those were some great teams, and Olsen was at its best.
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Chris Russ
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8:41p, 5/23/20
Those teams were a lot of fun. Bunch of great guys.
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St Hedwig Aggie
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In reply to ProudAg16 • 8:42a, 5/24/20
AG
ProudAg16 said:
twk said:
It seems that the construction of the second decks for the football field in '67 and '68 (they built the west one on top of that 1953 extension, so that they could keep using the press box) caused the team to move to Travis Park for a couple of seasons. When they came back, the wooden grandstand was gone, replaced with small sets of metal bleachers:



The team closed out old Kyle Baseball Field with a SWC championship in 1977, then christened Olsen Field with a second consecutive championship in 1978. And thus concludes our history lesson.



#9 rounding third. That's my dad.

That's so awesome!!!
Make Mental Asylums Great Again!
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Aggie
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In reply to twk • 12:45p, 5/24/20
AG
twk said:
Chris Russ said:
What a great game. I can remember it like it was yesterday.
I'm class of '89, so I'm pretty nostalgic about that era, but the '98 and '99 teams were probably my favorite to watch. Those were some great teams, and Olsen was at its best.


Agree 100%.
The new Olsen is great but the atmospheres in 1998 and 1999 with Aggie Alley and the RF bleachers are unmatched.
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Aggie
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In reply to twk • 12:52p, 5/24/20
AG
twk said:
Chris Russ said:
The guy wearing number 1 and sliding into 3rd at the old Clark Field is my dad.
I stood next to your dad at the deciding game of the Baylor series in Waco in '98, where A&M clinched the championship. We were up on the top row of those rickety bleachers, and when Scheschuk hit a triple to center that pretty much put the game away (didn't he score on a throwing error?), your dad was so excited he turned around and kicked the back of the stand and put a dent in that metal, and that wasn't a particularly thin sheet of tin or anything like that. He was a little intense.


Not to derail the thread but my Gosh that was a freaking moment. Yes Scheschuk scored on a throwing error after the triple.. ball went into the Baylor dugout . ... that was at Ferrel Field which resembled more of a HS stadium( which a lot of college stadiums did at that time) , it was last year before the built the Baylor Ballpark.. after Scheschuk scored Ags we're going wild.. literally tearing the place apart... I really though the bleachers were gonna collapse.
Ags were climbing the backstop and shaking it back and forth.. just going absolutely nuts.
One of the wildest scenes I've ever seen in all my years watching college athletics... small venue but a lot of people in a tight confined space. And obviously a lot of Ags.. 1B side was all Ags .
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Hop
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5:37p, 5/24/20
Staff
AG
My dad took us to some baseball games in the pre-Olsen era (early/mid-1970's) and the exposed bleachers is what I remember, and really wasn't much better than a nice high school facility. Kinda strange because that covered wooden grandstand looked very impressive and much bigger. I'm curious what the capacity of the old grandstand was?
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twk
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In reply to Hop • 8:08a, 5/25/20
AG
Hop said:
My dad took us to some baseball games in the pre-Olsen era (early/mid-1970's) and the exposed bleachers is what I remember, and really wasn't much better than a nice high school facility. Kinda strange because that covered wooden grandstand looked very impressive and much bigger. I'm curious what the capacity of the old grandstand was?
I'm going to guess that it was between 3,000 and 4,000. For big games, you can see photos with lots of fans standing down the lines, or watching from the top of the football field's west stands, so they could get a pretty decent crowd in.

In the 50s photos, you can see that the roof was not in good shape, so it seems to have outlived its useful life. We're probably fortunate that they didn't really do anything to replace it, or we might have been stuck with something half-ass for much longer (although, anything that they would have done at the same location would have been doomed by the 1979 football expansion--there just wasn't any more ground to give in center field).
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Luke The Drifter
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In reply to twk • 9:41a, 5/25/20
AG
twk said:
OK, I lied. Two more photos that I have to include. I don't know when this tradition stopped, but the FTAB used to attend a baseball game every year, at which the fish were forced to use chewing tobacco for the duration. The result wasn't pretty. Here are a couple of photos from this event in 1934:




Here's a link to the yearbooks online: Link

If you go looking for baseball photos, note that until the mid-50s, the baseball coverage in the yearbook dates from the prior year because the yearbook went to press before the baseball season was completed, so that it could be printed before students left for the summer.

I went to an A&M-t.u. game in Austin around 1990 or so and the Longhorn pep band was at the game. They set up down the LF line, kind of at the end of the grandstand. They played A LOT of songs before the game and between the first couple of innings. It was terrible. Everyone hated it, including the Texas fans. By the 5th inning or so, they hardly played anything. Seems like I recall all of them being gone before the game was over. I don't know if it was as awful as the time the Yell Leaders showed up to Olsen, but it was close.

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
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twk
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In reply to Luke The Drifter • 10:43a, 5/25/20
AG
Yes, even the sip fans didn't like it when the band showed up. Of course, that bunch of old jerks didn't care for anything other than Willie Nelson--they got pissed when DD was hired to do the PA, because it disrupted their naps.
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BQ_90
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In reply to Luke The Drifter • 3:32p, 5/25/20
AG
Luke The Drifter said:
twk said:
OK, I lied. Two more photos that I have to include. I don't know when this tradition stopped, but the FTAB used to attend a baseball game every year, at which the fish were forced to use chewing tobacco for the duration. The result wasn't pretty. Here are a couple of photos from this event in 1934:




Here's a link to the yearbooks online: Link

If you go looking for baseball photos, note that until the mid-50s, the baseball coverage in the yearbook dates from the prior year because the yearbook went to press before the baseball season was completed, so that it could be printed before students left for the summer.

I went to an A&M-t.u. game in Austin around 1990 or so and the Longhorn pep band was at the game. They set up down the LF line, kind of at the end of the grandstand. They played A LOT of songs before the game and between the first couple of innings. It was terrible. Everyone hated it, including the Texas fans. By the 5th inning or so, they hardly played anything. Seems like I recall all of them being gone before the game was over. I don't know if it was as awful as the time the Yell Leaders showed up to Olsen, but it was close.

Mid 90s every other year the Ags would make road game swing thru Louisiana. Normally played McNeese St USL Tulane and UNO. Anyway I lived near NOLA so I'd make those games. UNO had pep band that was awesome. But they also sold beer and had beer inning where everyone got free beer for HR. It was packed full of Ags, we would all cheer for our pitchers to throw gopher ball for free beer. Even though we all be freezing cold.
Talk of bands at baseball made me think of this.
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