Dodgertown

Spring’s Eternal at Dodgertown

The Sporting News list of 100 Most Powerful People in Sports for the 20th Century, December 1999

  1. Pete Rozelle
  2. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis
  3. Roone Arledge
  4. Branch Rickey
  5. Marvin Miller
  6. David Stern
  7. Rupert Murdoch
  8. Avery Brundage
  9. Ban Johnson
  10. Muhammad Ali
  11. Walter O’Malley
  12. Steve Borstein
  13. Phil Knight
  14. George Halas
  15. Babe Ruth
  16. Walter Byers
  17. Lamar Hunt
  18. Ted Turner
  19. Paul Brown
  20. Michael Jordan
  21. Jackie Robinson
  22. Pierre De Coubertin
  23. Juan Antonio Samaranch
  24. Donald Fehr
  25. Tex Rickard
  26. Roy Hofheinz
  27. Horst Dassler
  28. Red Auerbach
  29. Bill France Sr.
  30. Arnold Palmer
  31. Al Davis
  32. Birch Bayh
  33. Billie Jean King
  34. Paul Tagliabue
  35. Charlie Finley
  36. Clarence Campbell
  37. George Steinbrenner
  38. Peter Ueberroth
  39. Bert Bell
  40. Jacob Ruppert
  41. Dick Ebersol
  42. Mark McCormack
  43. Al Neuharth
  44. Tex Schramm
  45. Bill Veeck
  46. Arthur Ashe
  47. Howard Cosell
  48. Fathers Theodore Hesburgh and William Beauchamp
  49. Don King
  50. Connie Mack
  1. David Falk
  2. John Wooden
  3. Andre Laguerre
  4. August Busch Jr.
  5. Peter Seitz
  6. Roger Penske
  7. Wilt Chamberlain
  8. Jack Nicklaus
  9. Bill France Jr.
  10. Bowie Kuhn
  11. George Preston Marshall
  12. Ed Barrow
  13. Abe Saperstein
  14. John McGraw
  15. Larry MacPhail
  16. Dick Schultz
  17. Gary Bettman
  18. Adolph Rupp
  19. Walter Brown
  20. Jesse Owens
  21. Deane Beman
  22. Phog Allen
  23. Wellington Mara
  24. Charles Comiskey
  25. Eddie Robinson
  26. Knute Rockne
  27. Arch Ward
  28. Jerry Jones
  29. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
  30. Bobby Orr
  31. Art Rooney
  32. Alan Eagleson
  33. Pele
  34. Bud Selig
  35. Tommie Smith and John Carlos
  36. Pat Summit
  37. Laurence Tisch
  38. Bobby Jones
  39. Tiger Woods
  40. Leigh Steinberg
  41. Henry Iba
  42. Bill Bowerman
  43. Anatoli Tarasov
  44. Albert “Happy” Chandler
  45. “The Voices of Baseball” — Mel Allen, Red Barber, Vin Scully, Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Ernie Harwell,Bob Prince, Etc.
  46. Sonny Werblin
  47. Ed and Steve Sabol
  48. J.G. Taylor Spink and C.C. Johnson Spink
  49. Wayne Gretzky
  50. The Famous Chicken
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ABC Sports ranks the Top Ten Most Influential People "off the field" in sports history as voted by the Sports Century panel in December, 1999

  1. Branch Rickey
  2. Pete Rozelle
  3. Roone Arledge
  4. Marvin Miller
  5. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis
  6. David Stern
  7. Avery Brundage
  8. Walter O’Malley
  9. George Halas
  10. Mark McCormack
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Attendance 1953-1957 Brooklyn Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Braves

Attendance 1953-1957 Brooklyn Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Braves
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The first major league exhibition game played at night was on March 28, 1968 at Holman Stadium as the Dodgers faced the Chicago White Sox. Forty percent improvement on candlepower at the field, designed by Dodger engineer Ira Hoyt, made it possible to play. Of course, the many minor league teams could partake, as well. On November 20, 1968, Vice President Fresco Thompson passed away, six months after assuming the responsibilities of General Manager from Buzzie Bavasi, who left the Dodgers to join the expansion San Diego Padres as their first President. It was the first change of O’Malley’s lieutenants in 18 years. The following spring, longtime scout Al Campanis was the new Vice President, Player Personnel and Scouting and William P. Schweppe was named Vice President, Minor League Operations. In 1969, Dick Crago worked his first spring as the public address announcer at Holman Stadium, a position he has held ever since. O’Malley purchased a restaurant near Dodgertown called “The Shed” and turned it into a dining establishment for players and the public known as “The Dodger Cafeteria,” which had a brief run.

O’Malley’s son, Peter, became the Dodger President on March 17, 1970 at Dodgertown. The symbolic changing of the guard was an important crossroads for them, as the senior O’Malley moved to Dodger Chairman of the Board. It gave Peter an opportunity to carry the brunt of the workload, while his father continued to serve on the all-important Major League Baseball Executive Council, on other boards and maintain his many charitable interests.

In 1965, Capt. Lew Carlisle took over the reins as pilot from Capt. H.R. “Bump” Holman. In 1971, the Dodgers purchased a 720-B Fan Jet from American Airlines and christened it Kay O’II, the second Dodger-owned aircraft named for O’Malley’s wife, which would make frequent visits to Dodgertown to haul major and minor league teams to and from the training base. Capt. Carlisle and his wife Millie became instant favorites of the O’Malley family and the rest of the Dodger organization.

The O’Malleys worked on a major renovation of Dodgertown which took place in 1972. That year, 90 modern villas for the players, coaches, executives and press were placed on property which would replace the old barracks. O’Malley and his wife always resided in villa number 162 on Sandy Koufax Lane located adjacent to the Olympic-size swimming pool.

Despite a mock “Save the Barracks” campaign headed by O’Malley and ballplayers like Ron Fairly, Don Sutton and Claude Osteen in 1969 and 1970, the two old Naval barracks were razed in 1973.

By 1974, the continuation of expansion included a 23,000-square foot administration building, which included the Major League clubhouse, medical department, dining room, kitchen, main lobby, broadcasting studio, photo darkroom, press room, lounge, training rooms, equipment room, minor league clubhouse and laundry room. In 1976, clubhouses were built for the two golf courses.

O’Malley’s vision of Dodgertown as a multifunctional and year-round destination was certainly taking shape when in 1977 he started the Dodgertown Conference Center and executed an agreement to have it managed by Harrison Conference Centers. This immediately brought corporate business seeking a top-notch place to hold important meetings, seminars and conventions. Attendees would live right on site, dine in the Dodgertown dining room and use the fields and Olympic-size swimming pool for recreational purposes. The Dodgers expanded their interests into other sports, as the National Football League New Orleans Saints initially utilized the camp to prepare for their championship season in 1974. Many more NFL teams would follow suit preparing for the playoffs.

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  • Walter O’Malley and son Peter at Dodgertown.Walter O’Malley and son Peter at Dodgertown.Los Angeles Times Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections
  • Capt. Lew Carlisle takes the reins as pilot of the Dodger airplane in 1965 from Capt. H.R. “Bump” Holman. Capt. Carlisle and his wife Millie were friends of many at Dodgertown.Capt. Lew Carlisle takes the reins as pilot of the Dodger airplane in 1965 from Capt. H.R. “Bump” Holman. Capt. Carlisle and his wife Millie were friends of many at Dodgertown.
  • A study in contrast as the old Naval barracks at Dodgertown are going to disappear as the 90 modern villas house the players, executives, staff and press beginning in 1972.A study in contrast as the old Naval barracks at Dodgertown are going to disappear as the 90 modern villas house the players, executives, staff and press beginning in 1972.
  • A tongue-in-cheek “Save the Barracks” campaign for the sentimental was spearheaded by Walter O’Malley and several players.A tongue-in-cheek “Save the Barracks” campaign for the sentimental was spearheaded by Walter O’Malley and several players.