Outta there, but not forgotten

With beautiful new Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field taking over the South Philadelphia landscape, it’s easy to forget about old Veterans Stadium. Sure, it’s only been about a year -and-a-half, but still …

Pulling into the Citizens Bank parking lot a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t help thinking this is exactly where that doughnut-shaped stadium once stood — the place where I spent many memorable nights watching the likes of Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Von Hayes, Scott Rolen and Curt Schilling. On rare occasions, I even attended meaningful late-September games.

It was a stadium that visiting NFL and Major League Baseball players hated because of its brick-like playing surface, but the stray cats and rats saw as luxurious accommodations. Two years later, the poor animals are still homeless. Have you seen them?

Veterans Stadium never had the nostalgic ambiance of Yankee Stadium or the scenic setting of Camden Yards in Baltimore, but it served its purpose as a great sports venue. The year 1980 will always be remembered as the greatest in Veterans Stadium history as the Phillies won their only World Series title in franchise history. Remember that, because it will be a trivia question one day. It happened to coincide with the Philadelphia Eagles’ first trip to the Super Bowl.

Even with its lack of championship banners, there was nothing like sitting outside on a hot summer night eating ballpark hot dogs, soft pretzels and peanuts, while rooting for the Phillies. Every once in a while, true baseball fans would come to the ballpark just to watch Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chase Roger Maris’ single-season home run record. Fans would arrive early just to catch batting practice. Today, those records have been tainted by speculation of both athletes using performance-enhancing drugs, but, back then, it was all about watching history unfold before your very eyes.

The Temple University football team also called Veterans Stadium home. The games always guaranteed a short afternoon as Temple usually trailed by four or five touchdowns at halftime.

The Philadelphia Eagles fans always made Veterans Stadium a place opposing teams hated to visit. Former Dallas Cowboys coach and current Fox studio analyst Jimmy Johnson was once pelted with snowballs.

Some fans cheered when former Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin had to be carried off the field on a stretcher, which may be an all-time low in the stadium’s history. What I remember most about that 1999 game is leaving with the Cowboys winning 10-0 in the fourth quarter. The Eagles looked flat all afternoon, so I decided to beat the traffic. Lo and behold, I am driving home and hear the final score, Eagles 13, Cowboys 10. I couldn’t believe I missed it.

There may be new stadiums in town, but the Vet and all the memories that go with it will never be forgotten.

-By Bill Gelman

Sports from dawn ’til demolition

April 10, 1971: Veterans Stadium opens as 55,352 watch the Phillies beat the Expos 4-1. Larry Bowa has the first hit and Don Money belts the first home run.
Oct. 24, 1971: The Eagles defeat the New York Giants for their first win at the stadium.
April 19, 1972: Steve Carlton records his first win as a Phillie, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals.
Sept. 16, 1972: Rookie third baseman Mike Schmidt hits his first Major League home run.
July 13, 1976: The Phillies host the All-Star game. President Gerald Ford attends with the National League winning as 63,974 fans watch.
Oct. 3, 1976: The Phillies win the NL East title and set a team record with 101 victories.
April 25, 1978: The Phillie Phanatic debuts as the team mascot.
Oct. 7, 1980: Greg Luzinski’s two run homer in the sixth inning helps lead the Phillies to their first postseason win since Game 1 of the 1915 World Series.
Oct. 21, 1980: In the greatest moment in the stadium’s history, Tug McGraw strikes out Willie Wilson with the bases loaded to give the Phillies a 4-1 win and their first World Championship.
Jan. 3-11, 1981: The Eagles make their first trip to the Super Bowl by defeating Minnesota 31-16 in the divisional round and the Dallas Cowboys 20-7 in the NFC Championship game.
April 29, 1981: Steve Carlton records his 3,000th career strikeout in a 6-2 win over Montreal.
Aug. 10, 1981: Pete Rose breaks Stan Musial’s record as the all-time National League hit leader.
Jan. 2, 1983: Dick Vermeil resigns as Eagles head coach.
June 7, 1983: Steve Carlton passes Nolan Ryan on the all-time strikeout list (3,522) when he fans St. Louis left-fielder Lonnie Smith in the third inning.
Oct. 8, 1983: The Phillies advance to the World Series by beating the Los Angles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
Oct. 16, 1983: The Orioles win the World Series in front of a record 67,074 fans, the largest crowd ever at the Vet.
Sept. 14, 1984: Steve Carlton wins his 235th game with the Phillies, breaking Robin Roberts’ club record.
June 21, 1986: Steve Carlton makes his final appearance in a Phillies uniform.
May 2, 1987: Phillies honor Mike Schmidt for his 500th home run, which he hit April 18 in Pittsburgh.
December 1987: Reggie White, the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, sets an NFC record with 21 sacks.
July 14, 1988: Mike Schmidt hits his 537th home run passing Mickey Mantle for seventh place on the all-time list.
Dec. 18, 1988: The Eagles win the NFC East with a 10-6 record, but lose to the Chicago Bears in the divisional round.
May 30, 1989: Mike Schmidt holds a press conference at the Vet announcing his retirement.
July 29, 1989: The Phillies retire Steve Carlton’s number.
Aug. 15, 1990: Terry Mullholland throws the first Phillies no-hitter at the Vet, beating the Giants 6-0.
May 26, 1990: Mike Schmidt’s number is retired.
May 17, 1994: Jeffrey Lurie, a Boston native and president of a Hollywood-based movie production company, becomes the Eagles’ owner.
Dec. 30, 1995: Before a crowd of 66,099 at the Vet, Rodney Peete leads the Eagles to a 58-37 drubbing of the Detroit Lions in a Wild Card playoff. The win was the Eagles’ first at home in the postseason since Jan. 11, 1981, when they defeated Dallas in the NFC title game.
July 9, 1996: For the first time since 1976, the Vet hosts the All-Star Game with a 6-0 National League win.
June 13, 1997: Interleague play makes its debut at the Vet with the Phillies defeating the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3.
Dec. 5, 1998: Nine fans are injured when a railing collapses during the Army-Navy game.
Jan. 11, 1999: Former Packers quarterback coach Andy Reid becomes the 20th Eagles head coach.
April 1999: A second overall draft choice from Syracuse, Donovan McNabb becomes the Eagles new quarterback.
August 2001: The debut of NeX-turf, a new grass-like playing surface. The Eagles preseason opener is canceled because the field is unplayable.
Jan. 19, 2003: The Eagles close their history at the stadium with a crushing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game.
Sept. 28, 2003: The Phillies miss the playoffs yet pull out all the stops to mark the last game at the Vet. The future is full of hope for the team’s new home, Citizens Bank Park.
March 21, 2004: The Vet is imploded at 7 a.m.
Today: On the site is a parking lot for events at Citizens Bank Park. The cost is $10.

Musical moments

Besides the Phillies and Eagles games, Veterans Stadium also hosted some of the top musical acts in the world. Here is a partial list of some of top talent to hit the stadium’s stage:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and their Born in the USA tour stopped at the Vet in 1985. They passed on performing at the 100,000-seat JFK Stadium.
The Rolling Stones routinely came to the venue, including the 1994 Voodoo Lounge Tour and the 1997 Bridges to Babylon Tour.
Genesis also made the Vet a regular stop on tours, including the 1987 Invisible Touch Tour and the 1992 We Can’t Dance Tour.
The Who, now even more famous for its "CSI" theme songs, made a 1989 tour stop at the Vet.
U2 performed in 1992 as part of its Zoo TV Tour.
Paul McCartney included the Vet as part of his 1990 world tour.
Wham! performs sometime in the 1980s in front of 30,000 fans. George Michael and Andrew Ridgely haven’t been seen together in Philadelphia since.