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Drillers Stadium Artifacts Up for Sale

Tulsa Drillers

Memorabilia and materials from Drillers Stadium are up for grabs, as the former home of the Tulsa Drillers (Class AA; Texas League) is being cleared before its demolition.

Drillers Stadium opened back in 1981 on the grounds of the Expo Square/Tulsa Fairgrounds complex. The ballpark’s establishment was significant to baseball in the area, as it allowed the Drillers to vacate the aging Oiler Park and move into a facility that was modern for its time. During the Drillers’ run at Drillers Stadium–which had a few other names during its history–the team won three league titles and featured several future major league stand outs, including Ivan Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, and Matt Holliday.

However, the ballpark was outdated by the late 2000’s, prompting the Drillers to move to downtown Tulsa’s ONEOK Field in 2010. In the years following that move, there were some discussions about keeping Drillers Stadium open, but ultimately the facility is being torn down in favor of a new headquarters for USA BMX . With the ballpark facing its final days, fans are taking the opportunity to recognize its legacy. More from KTUL.com:

“The prices were reasonable, the food was good, and it was a great place to take your family and enjoy a game. I was there for the first game, I was there for the last game and many hundreds of others in between,” said [Wayne] McCombs.

McCombs wrote a book about the history of the team and stadium. Fun facts include the 16,000 people crowd record in 1994 to George W. Bush’s visit before his presidency.

“I saw the longest home run hit in Driller Stadium—it went over the left field screen and landed in the street behind the Walgreens drugstore. It kept rolling down the street,” said McCombs. “Eighty-thousand people that came out to see a Garth Brooks concert over a four-day period. The Beach Boys played there, there was a high school football championship played there between Bishop Kelly and Tulsa Union.”

The auction for Drillers Stadium materials runs through November 30.

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