HISTORY OF PALM SPRINGS STADIUM
O
riginally designed to be a polo ground in 1949, the Palm Springs Stadium has stood
strong as a historical landmark for over six decades in the heart of Sunrise Park. Not
only has it housed a myriad of events and professional baseball teams, but it also
has ties with several important public figures; ranging from California Angels’ former
owner and silver screen cowboy Gene Autry to President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself.
From entertaining the locals to attracting new businesses to the ever-expanding city of Palm
Springs, the Palm Springs Stadium continues to be an integral part of the city’s operations.
It was 1949, and the fathers of Palm Springs,
led by Mayor Charlie Farrell and Councilwoman
Ruth Hardy, felt that the city deserved its own
athletic field and broke ground for the historic
polo grounds. From its birth, the stadium quickly
became a geographical landmark for locals living in Palm Springs. Greg Hough, President of
the Palm Springs Historical Society, stated that...
“The stadium acted as a beacon for locals to use as a point of
reference. It was such a grand structural landmark that many
residents would indicate locations based on whether they were
‘west of the stadium or north of the stadium.’”
E
ven after the stadium was up and running, the city continued to make expansions to the venue over the next decade. It was those continuous improvements to the stadium that attracted silver screen cowboy Gene Autry to making it the Spring Training home for his, then named, California Angels. Autry
was one of Palm Springs’ most notable residents, having a successful career as a country music star, a movie star, and owner of several radio stations in the 1930s. In 1961,
Autry became a majority owner of the California Angels and made the Palm Springs
Stadium their home for Springs Training.
During the Angels’ time in Palm Springs,
the stadium was appropriately named Palm
Springs Angels Stadium until their departure in 1992. Gene’s wife Jackie Autry – who
is currently the Honorary President for the
Major League Baseball’s American League –
had this to say in regards to why Gene chose
to make his team’s home in Palm Springs:
“Gene brought the team to Palm Springs in 1961 because he loved the ambiance that
the city had to offer. He wanted to create an environment that was family-friendly and accessible for the residents of Palm Springs to come watch professional baseball. The city was
not well-known at that time, somewhat of a little village, and the Angels played a huge role
in expanding its notoriety.”- Jackie Autry
After the Angels left town in 1992,
the stadium went through a dry spell
for the next decade, having trouble
housing a consistently successful
team. Many minor league teams tried,
but they all failed to put a successful
product on the field for the commuPitching coach Larry Sherry and Nolan Ryan nity to really get behind.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
All of that changed in 2003 when a 23-year-old man by the name
of Andrew Starke rolled into the city of Palm Springs with nothing
more than $2,000 in his pocket and a headful of dreams.
An ambitious young businessman with a background in baseball, Starke teamed up
with Palm Spring’s city manager, David Ready, and began the foundation for starting
the Palm Springs Power baseball team. Some would consider starting another baseball
team at the Palm Springs Stadium to be a risky venture given the lack of success over
the past decade. But Mr. Starke had this to say about his risky business venture:
“The lack of success of previous teams was well documented, but there was one glaring
mistake that they were all committing; none of those minor league teams were local, and the
community couldn’t relate. I look at the success of Gene Autry’s Angels, and used that as a
template for creating a hometown team that the community can really get behind.” –Andrew
Starke, Palm Springs Power President/CEO
And create a community team is exactly what Mr. Starke did. That “familyfriendly” feel of the Angels’ teams of
the past returned, and the Power have
continued to provide “dinner theater”
for the citizens and visitors of Palm
Springs for the past decade.
Not only did his team have success on the field, but it also created strong bonds with
the ever-growing city of Palm Springs. Players, coaches, and fans would come into
town to participate in the new and exciting team, and every one of those participants
would provide increased business to Palm Springs’ local businesses. This growth
would then attract new visitors and full-time residents to the city of Palm Springs.
This exponential growth put the city on the map for new businesses to come and set
up shop here in Palm Springs as well.
The Power had such great success during the summer months that Andrew decided to expand his venture in 2009 and make the Palm Springs Stadium home to
the California Winter League during the months of January and February. The California Winter League, commonly referred to as the CWL, is an instructional showcase
league that gives aspiring minor league players a chance to improve their skills and
play in front of major league scouts. With locally themed teams, the CWL has experienced continued growth during its four years of existence, and is expecting to have
its biggest turnout of talent when their fifth season starts January 23rd.
With the Palm Springs Power and
the California Winter League
having continuing success,
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