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— CH. 1 · ORIGINS AND CONSTRUCTION —

Shea Stadium

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  • William A. Shea Municipal Stadium opened on the 17th of April 1964, after twenty-nine months of construction and $28.5 million in spending. The stadium was built to replace the Polo Grounds for the New York Mets following the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants to California in 1957. Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. personally wired all National League owners to assure them that the city would build a new facility. This political maneuvering was necessary because state law at the time did not allow cities to borrow money for stadiums without proving they could pay for themselves. Moses and Shea proposed that the team pay substantial rent to cover thirty-year bonds. Rent for what was originally budgeted as a nine-million-dollar facility was set at four hundred fifty thousand dollars annually. This financial arrangement would later become an albatross around the team for years. The stadium was barely finished in time for its home opener due to severe winter weather and labor issues. Telephone and telegraph wiring remained unfinished until opening day because of a jurisdictional dispute between two electrical unions. The venue opened five days before the 1964, 65 New York World's Fair across Roosevelt Avenue.

  • Shea Stadium hosted the only All-Star Game held in Queens during its first year, with Johnny Callison hitting a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. Tommie Agee became the only player to hit a fair ball into the upper deck in left field on the 10th of April 1969. Dave Kingman once smashed a home run off the windshield of the Giants' team bus parked behind the left field bullpen. The Mets won their first World Series title there in 1969 after defying one-hundred-to-one odds. Fans stormed the field in celebration after winning the decisive Game 5 of that series. The stadium hosted postseason baseball in 1969, 1973, 1986, 1988, 1999, 2000, and 2006. It hosted four World Series games including victories for the Mets in 1969 and 1986. The last game played at Shea was a four-two loss to the Florida Marlins on the 28th of September 2008. Tom Seaver threw a final pitch to Mike Piazza before the Beatles song In My Life played over the speakers.

  • The New York Jets played at Shea Stadium for twenty seasons from 1964 through 1983. They were burdened by lease terms that prevented them from playing home games until the Mets season ended. In 1969, the defending Super Bowl champion Jets opened with five consecutive road games due to the Mets advancing to the World Series. O.J. Simpson became the first running back to gain two thousand yards in a single season at Shea on the 16th of December 1973. Eric Dickerson ran an eighty-five-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the 1983 season. A brawl broke out between Jackie Slater and Mark Gastineau after Slater blindsided Gastineau following the Sack Dance. The stadium hosted three playoff games for the Jets including the AFL Championship in 1968. The football field extended from around home plate to centerfield with baseline seating rotating to fill left and right fields. The Jets moved to Giants Stadium for the 1984 season enticed by fifteen-thousand additional seats there.

  • The Beatles opened their 1965 North American tour at Shea Stadium to a record audience of fifty-five thousand six hundred people. Crowd noise was so deafening that none of the band members could hear what they were playing. Security guards covered their ears as the group entered the field. The concert set records for attendance and revenue generation demonstrating that large-scale outdoor concerts could be profitable. Billy Joel closed the stadium's history with a two-night engagement called The Last Play at Shea on July 16 and 18, 2008. Paul McCartney joined Joel on stage to perform Let It Be during the second show. Pete Flynn drove the Beatles from the stage to a centerfield gate in 1965 then later drove Paul McCartney from the rear entrance to the stage in 2008. The Rolling Stones performed a six-night run in October 1989 while Bruce Springsteen ended his Rising Tour with three concerts in early October 2003. Grand Funk Railroad broke the Beatles' ticket sales record in 1971.

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Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States

Common questions

When did Shea Stadium open and how much did it cost to build?

William A. Shea Municipal Stadium opened on the 17th of April 1964 after twenty-nine months of construction and $28.5 million in spending.

Who was the mayor that helped secure funding for Shea Stadium?

Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. personally wired all National League owners to assure them that the city would build a new facility.

What year did Shea Stadium host its first World Series victory for the New York Mets?

The stadium hosted postseason baseball in 1969 when the Mets won their first World Series title there after defying one-hundred-to-one odds.

Which football team played at Shea Stadium from 1964 through 1983?

The New York Jets played at Shea Stadium for twenty seasons from 1964 through 1983 before moving to Giants Stadium for the 1984 season.

How many people attended The Beatles concert at Shea Stadium in 1965?

The Beatles opened their 1965 North American tour at Shea Stadium to a record audience of fifty-five thousand six hundred people.

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All sources

93 references cited across the entry

  1. 1webShea StadiumBallparks.com
  2. 2inlineScanned image of the groundbreaking ceremony in which it is named Flushing Meadow Park Municipal Stadium.
  3. 3webCiti Field Side-by-Side ComparisonMajor League Baseball Advanced Media
  4. 4bookESPN Sports Almanac 2008: America's Best-Selling Sports AlmanacGerry Brown et al. — ESPN — 2007
  5. 5inlineScanned picture of the dedication handout that shows the stadium is in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.
  6. 6webHistoric Documents: September 12, 1957 – September 7, 1962
  7. 7webNew York Mets team ownership historyLeslie Heaphy — Society for American Baseball Research — 2017
  8. 8citationMets Lease New ParkOctober 7, 1961
  9. 9webShea Stadium History Pt. One- the House That Shea Built: 1964–1980August 31, 2013
  10. 10newsGround breaking for new stadiumOctober 31, 1961
  11. 11newsTinge of Brooklyn marked ground breaking for stadiumDecember 14, 1961
  12. 12newsHome of the MetsApril 17, 1964
  13. 13newsPirates spoil Met openerApril 18, 1964
  14. 14newsBob Friend continues mastery over MetsLester J. Biederman — April 18, 1964
  15. 15newsConfusion, problems reign in Shea park openerApril 18, 1964
  16. 16webPittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Mets – April 17, 1964 Box Score
  17. 17newsA Dispute Arises at Shea StadiumApril 14, 1964
  18. 18newsYou Can't Just Blow Up HistoryRichard Sandomir — March 30, 2008
  19. 19newsAt $869 a Pair, Shea Seats Sell BrisklySeptember 5, 2008
  20. 20newsDemolition Takes Shea Stadium Piece by PieceRichard Sandomir — October 23, 2008
  21. 21webPhoto Gallery: Shea Stadium DismantlementNovember 10, 2008
  22. 22newsOn a Mound of Debris at Shea Stadium, Mets Fans Kiss That One GoodbyeMatthew R. Warren — January 31, 2009
  23. 23newsShea Stadium's Demolition Is CompleteJim Baumbach — February 18, 2009
  24. 24newsShea Stadium Demolition EndsBridget J. Wentworth — February 18, 2009
  25. 25newsSigns of Glory Rise at Citi Field, From 1969, 1986 and 2000Ken Belson et al. — August 15, 2009
  26. 26newsAdams Open to Mets Owner Steve Cohen's Pitch for Citi Field Casino and Willets Point MakeoverKatie Honan — April 5, 2022
  27. 27newsMets owner Steve Cohen unveils $8 billion proposal to build up area around Citi FieldJohn Flanigan — November 7, 2023
  28. 28newsCity Council votes overwhelmingly in favor of $8B Metropolitan Park casino zoning changesShane O'Brien — March 12, 2025
  29. 29webPark proposed for site where Cohen has pitched casinoRyan Schwach — Queens Public Media — February 6, 2024
  30. 30webJessica Ramos nearing decision on Steve Cohen’s Queens casinoEthan Geringer-Sameth — February 8, 2024
  31. 31newsBunning Pitches a Perfect Game; Mets Are Perfect Victims, 6 to 0Gordon S. Jr. White — June 22, 1964
  32. 32newsMets turn back Expos as Agee homers twiceApril 11, 1969
  33. 33newsRecalling a Meeting With the Pied Piper of SheaGlenn Collins — February 1, 2010
  34. 34newsZeile Exits on High Note, Spoiling Expos' FarewellDave Caldwell — October 4, 2004
  35. 35newsMets Lose on Opening Day for 8th Time in Row as Expos Win, 11–10; Montreal Victor in Its First GameJoseph Durso — April 9, 1969
  36. 36newsBitter Repeat on Stadium's Final DayBen Shpigel — September 28, 2008
  37. 37newsImmersed in Gloom, a Farewell to Shea Still EnchantsJoshua Robinson — September 28, 2008
  38. 38newsWhen Mets, Yankees Called Shea Stadium HomeDavid Russell — August 20, 2014
  39. 39webApril 15, 1998 Anaheim Angels at New York Yankees Play by Play and Box Score
  40. 40webThe New York Yankees Greatest HitsAlbert Lin — 1999
  41. 41newsOne Stadium, Four Teams, No ProblemN. R. Kleinfield — April 16, 1998
  42. 42newsStrawberry Gets The Apple to RiseMurray Chass — April 16, 1998
  43. 43newsMets Take An Opener For the AgesGeorge Vecsey — April 1, 1998
  44. 44newsFor Openers, Zilch Phils Fall in 14th Without a RunJim Salisbury — April 1, 1998
  45. 45newsA Midsummer Classic in March as Mets Nip PhilliesJason Diamos — April 1, 1998
  46. 46webGreat Moments at Shea StadiumMarty Noble — Major League Baseball Advanced Media — September 22, 2008
  47. 47newsMets Finish Two-Month Loss to CubsParton Keese — September 17, 1977
  48. 48webRemembering Shea stadiumRobert Cassidy — August 9, 2008
  49. 49newsUnruly Fans Mar Shea Farewell As Jets Lose, 34–7Gerald Eskenazi — December 11, 1983
  50. 50newsShea Housed The Jets For 20 SeasonsBrad Groznik
  51. 51newsSimpson Breaks Mark as Bills Rout JetsMurray Chass — December 17, 1973
  52. 52newsPortuguesa Upsets West Ham In Soccer at Shea Stadium, 6–3William J. Briordy — June 18, 1965
  53. 53webCosmos Homes Away From HomeDavid Kilpatrick — April 28, 2015
  54. 54newsSoccer Team to Call Shea Stadium HomeAlex Yannis — February 21, 1980
  55. 56newsCosmos Win, 2–0, At SheaAugust 18, 1976
  56. 57bookThe Beatles Off The RecordKeith Badman — Omnibus — 2000
  57. 58magazineWhy Beatles' Shea Show Was Even Greater Than You KnewColin Fleming — August 14, 2015
  58. 59inline"Police play Shea Stadium". BBC. Retrieved January 26, 2014
  59. 60news'Last Play at Shea' Documentary Tells Stadium's StoryGlenn Gamboa — April 20, 2010
  60. 61newsPete Flynn, Mets groundskeeper for almost 50 years, dies at 79Daniel E. Slotnik — June 23, 2017
  61. 62newsAt Shea, A Moving GoodbyeAnna Quindlen — October 4, 1979
  62. 63webA spectator at a football game was killed by a flying model lawnmowerOctober 31, 2007
  63. 64webCape League All-Star Gamecapecodbaseball.org
  64. 65web10 moments in history that helped shape 'Mad Men,' from the war to assassinationsDavid Hinckley — April 27, 2015
  65. 66newsThe 10 rock comediesMark Kermode — February 1, 2004
  66. 67web02x49 - Catwoman Goes to College - Transcripts - Forever Dreaming
  67. 68newsSpider-Man to Wed ModelMichael Gross — June 2, 1987
  68. 69webHistory of Shea StadiumMajor League Baseball Advanced Media
  69. 70inlineTopel, Brett (2016) When Shea Was Home: The Story of the 1975 Mets, Yankees, Giants, and Jets. New York: Sports Publishing
  70. 71webOne Last Trip HomeJ. R. Moehringer — ESPN — September 29, 2008
  71. 72webThe Beatles at Shea Stadium
  72. 73webThe Ballparks: Shea StadiumJuly 28, 2020
  73. 74bookStoried StadiumsCurt Smith — Carroll & Graf — 2001
  74. 75newsDome Is Proposed for Shea StadiumCharles G. Bennett — March 18, 1965
  75. 76newsGlass Dome for Shea Stadium? Mets Object; Project Would Cost $9 Million and Add 14,000 SeatsPaul L. Montgomery — October 12, 1965
  76. 77webBe It Ever So Humble, There's No Place Like SheaPaul Lukas — ESPN — September 26, 2008
  77. 78newsFor Mets Fans, a Menu Beyond Peanuts and Cracker JackGlenn Collins — March 24, 2009
  78. 79newsMets' Home Run Apple Loved to CoreAnthony McCarron — April 21, 2008
  79. 80newsHome Run Apple A Core Value for Mets FansLaura Albanese — March 26, 2010
  80. 81newsShea Stadium Opens With Big Traffic JamLeonard Koppett — April 18, 1964
  81. 82newsSports of the Times; An Empty Patch in Right FieldIra Berkow — November 13, 1990
  82. 83newsNew York Awaits Robinson Tribute: President Will Lead Mid-Game CelebrationKevin Acee — April 14, 1997
  83. 84bookOfficial Major League Fact Book 2003 EditionSporting News — 2003
  84. 85bookThe Scouting Notebook 2005Thom Henninger et al. — Sporting News — January 10, 2005
  85. 86bookThe ESPN Baseball EncyclopediaPete Palmer et al. — Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. — 2006
  86. 87webBig, Bigger, Biggest of the Big LeaguesMark Newman — Major League Baseball Advanced Media — March 30, 2006
  87. 88newsJets Get City Offer On SheaMaurice Carroll — April 21, 1983
  88. 89webJones Has 17 Home Runs at Shea StadiumESPN — August 31, 2004
  89. 90webShea Stadium (New York) – Society for American Baseball Researchadmin
  90. 91newsGuard Commits to UConn Women's TeamNovember 5, 1992
  91. 92newsPirates' Shea Spitzbarth thought of being a fireman; now he puts out MLB firesJerry DiPaola — August 3, 2021
  92. 93webKevin James named his daughter Shea, as in stadiumNeil Best — January 9, 2009
  93. 94webLangeliers turns Citi Field into Shea's stadium with huge series