Beloved ballpark that opened same week Titanic sank saw tragedy of its own when NFL player died on field ...Middle East

There are few ballparks more iconic than Detroit’s Tiger Stadium.

For 87 years, the legendary field sat on the intersection of Michigan and Trumbull, in the Corktown neighborhood, and witnessed the Detroit Tigers win four World Series crowns.

The first of those came way back in 1935, and turned Detroit from a city mired in the Great Depression into the ‘City of Champions.’

Further triumphs followed in 1945, 1968 and 1984, while the likes of Ty Cobb, Al Kaline, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell all became franchise icons thanks to their efforts on the legendary field.

Tiger Stadium was famed for its right and left field decks, which give the ballpark a symmetrical and enclosed feel — and also offered players the chance to clear the roof if they really crushed one from the batter’s box.

For nearly a century, the best seats in the house put fans as close to the action as any stadium in baseball, and offered spectators a truly unforgettable experience when they stepped through the gates.

Before it closed in 1999, Tiger Stadium shared the honor of being the oldest ballpark in the MLB alongside Fenway Park.

The two venues opened on the same date, April 20, 1912, five days after the sinking of the Titanic.

The NFL’s oldest stadium, meanwhile, has been handed a lifeline as doubts hit a $4.7 billion project.

While Fenway, which stands to this day, has kept the same name for more than a century, Tiger Stadium was originally known as Navin Field.

And in the early years, it witnessed some incredible sporting history.

In July 1921, Babe Ruth hit what is believed to be the longest verified home run in MLB history.

His hit went to straightaway center field, clearing the stadium and landing into the street.

The distance of Ruth’s home run has been estimated at up to 575 feet (175 m).

He holds the crown over the likes of Mickey Mantle, who hit a 565ft home run at Yankee Stadium in 1953, and Reggie Jackson, who crushed a 539-footer for the Oakland Athletics in 1971.

It wasn’t just famous baseball that was played at the ballpark, either.

Tiger Stadium actually hosted an NFL Thanksgiving game a century ago.

On Thursday, November 26, 1925, the Detroit Panthers played the Rock Island Independents in front of 5,000 people at Navin Field.

Under head coach and owner Jimmy Conzelman, the hosts lost a tight game 6-3.

Plenty more football was played at Navin Field over the years, as the Detroit Lions moved in for the 1938-39 season, and called it home until 1974.

In those early years of the NFL, one of Detroit’s rivals played in a forgotten 120,000-capacity horseshoe stadium that was inspired by ancient Rome.

Years later, tragedy struck at Tiger Stadium in 1971, when toward the end of the Lions’ game against the Chicago Bears on October 24, Detroit’s wide receiver Chuck Hughes collapsed on the field.

He later died of a heart attack, and is recognised as the only NFL player to date who has died during a game. He was just 28 years old.

That heartbreaking incident preceded the final Thanksgiving game at Tiger Stadium, which took place three years later in November ’74.

In frigid and blustery conditions, a crowd of more than 50,000 watched the Lions lose 31-27 to the Denver Broncos, bringing the curtain down on football on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

While Detroit’s NFL franchise moved out in the mid 70s, Tiger Stadium remained an MLB ballpark until September 1999.

The final baseball game saw the Tigers defeat the Kansas City Royals 8-2, and it was capped, fittingly, by a late grand slam from Robert Fick, which hit the right field roof.

Following the game, an emotional ceremony with past and present Tigers players was held to mark the end of an era.

Some emotional fans also held up handmade signs as they waved goodbye to the beloved stadium, ahead of the team’s move to the newly constructed Comerica Park for their 2000 season.

In its 87 years of history, Tiger Stadium saw exactly 11,111 Major League home runs, 30 of which were hit onto the right field roof.

Legendary Tigers first baseman Norm Cash led that statistic, and hit the ball over the stadium’s right-field roof four times in his career.

Once the Tigers moved out, the legendary ballpark was left unused, and despite calls to save the stadium and numerous proposals to redevelop the site, by 2006, demolition became inevitable.

Then-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick announced the stadium would be razed, and two years later, in 2008, it came crashing down.

Demolition was concluded by the summer of 2009, after various plans to preserve portions of the stadium were considered.

In the decade since, the site has been redeveloped, and Detroit’s Police Athletic League headquarters has been relocated to the site.

It maintains the historic field, which is now called ‘Corner Ballpark’ and is still used for youth sports, including high school and college baseball.

As of 2025, the first apartment building of a $22million development project also opened on some of the last remaining land where the old Tiger Stadium used to sit.

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