Franklin County Stadium
| "The Coop","County Stadium" | |
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| Former names | Red Bird Stadium (1932-1954) Jets Stadium (1955-1970) Franklin County Stadium (1977-1984) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1155 West Mound Street Columbus, OH 43223 |
| Owner | Franklin County |
| Operator | Franklin County |
| Capacity | 17,500 (1932-1959) 12,000 (1960-1976) 15,000 (1977-2008) |
| Field size | Left Field - 355 ft Center Field - 400 ft Right Field - 330 ft |
| Surface | Natural Grass (1931-1983, and 1998-2008) AstroTurf (1984-1997) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1931 |
| Opened | June 3, 1932 |
| Renovated | 1977 |
| Closed | September 1, 2008 |
| Construction cost | $450,000 ($7.9 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect | Howard Dwight Smith |
| Tenants | |
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Columbus Red Birds (AA) (1931-1954) Columbus Blue Birds (NNL2) (1933) Columbus Bullies (APFA/AFL) (1938-1941) Columbus Jets (IL) (1955-1970) Columbus Magic (ASL) (1979-1980) Columbus Clippers (IL) (1978-2008) |
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Cooper Stadium was a baseball stadium in Columbus, Ohio and was the home of the minor league Columbus Clippers from 1977 to 2008.
Cooper Stadium has had several names over the years, including Red Bird Stadium, Jets Stadium, and Franklin County Stadium, but in 1984 the stadium was renamed in honor of Harold Cooper, the county commissioner who was responsible for keeping baseball in Columbus in the 1950s. The stadium is owned and operated by the Franklin County, Ohio government. It is located in the section of the city known as Franklinton. Built in 1931 by the St. Louis Cardinals, Red Bird Stadium was constructed using the same blueprints used for creating the Red Wing Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. in 1929. The Cardinals owned both teams when the respective stadiums were built. Cooper Stadium was renovated to its present configuration in 1977 to coincide with the return of minor-league baseball to Columbus after a six-year absence. It presently seats 11,000 in a single deck grandstand with an additional 4,000 overflow bleacher seats. Fans would ring cowbells to get Clippers rallies started.
Over the years, Cooper Stadium has been home to the Columbus Red Birds, a farm team for the St. Louis Cardinals; the Negro league Columbus Blue Birds; the Columbus Jets; and, after the renovation was completed, the Columbus Clippers. From 1939 through 1941, Cooper Stadium (then named Red Bird Stadium) was also home to the Columbus Bullies, two time champions of the third American Football League.
The stadium has also hosted a number of other events, such as roller derbys, music concerts (including Aerosmith, Bob Dylan & Garth Brooks), professional wrestling (including Bobo Brazil, the Sheik, & Ali Baba) and hosted evangelist Billy Graham.
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