1980s

The Dodgers move their Single-A team to Vero Beach to play in the Florida State League. The Vero Beach Dodgers reached the playoffs that first season. Legendary Stan Wasiak is the manager of the Vero Beach Dodgers. Wasiak, known as “The King of the Minors,” had a managerial career that spanned 37 seasons (1950-1986), seven of those in Vero Beach. He amassed 2,530 wins, the most in minor league baseball.

The Vero Beach Dodgers win their first Florida State League Championship by defeating the Daytona Astros in a best-of-five series, three games to two.

The first of the twice-yearly Dodger Adult Baseball Camps begins.

Holman Stadium undergoes an expansion with the installation of 6,474 chair-back seats. 

The Florida State League All-Star Game is played at Holman Stadium.

On February 28, the professional Samsung Lions of South Korea visit Dodgertown for training and instruction from the Dodger organization. The Samsung contingent contains 25 players, Manager Kim Young Duck and five coaches, plus front office personnel and five reporters. The Lions were guests of Dodger President Peter O’Malley, who said, “Baseball is rapidly growing throughout the world and this exchange between our two countries will help enhance the development of the game in Korea.” The Dodgers were the first professional team to host and play against a Korean professional team. The Dodgers opened their exhibition schedule against the Lions on March 9 at Holman Stadium. Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and the Commissioner of Baseball in Korea General Jyong-Chul Suh are guests at Dodgertown and take part in first pitch ceremonies. When the Lions left Dodgertown on March 14 and returned to compete in South Korea, they captured the first Korean League Championship. The Lions also returned for visits in 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1997.

On August 7, 170 acres of Dodgertown are annexed in the City of Vero Beach.

On December 17-21, the Green Bay Packers train at Dodgertown, while the Cleveland Browns trained at Dodgertown from December 28-31.

The Dodgers invite three Chinese national coaches (Song Ping-Shang from Beijing, Sher Wei-Ji from Shanghai and Tu Ming-Hui from Sichuan) to Dodgertown to observe Spring Training activities.

The Cleveland Browns prepare for postseason playoffs as they train at Dodgertown from December 30, 1986 to January 3, 1987.

The Buffalo Bills train at Dodgertown from January 6-11.

Dodgertown Elementary School in Vero Beach, formerly Clemann Elementary, is officially adopted and supported by the Dodger organization.

The New England Patriots train at Dodgertown from December 23-27.

The Cleveland Browns train at Dodgertown from January 2-5.

The Chunichi Dragons of Nagoya, Japan visited Dodgertown for Spring Training.

On March 7-10, Ramaz Goglidze, President of the Soviet Baseball Federation, visited Dodgertown. From February 22-26, baseball coaches Alexander Ardatov and Gela Cheehradze from Russia were guests of Peter O’Malley to observe the Dodgers’ training techniques and facilities.

On March 20, the Dodgers and the New York Mets play the first nationally-televised Spring Training game (on NBC) at Holman Stadium before 7,931 fans.  

Craig Callan is named Director of Dodgertown, overseeing the entire 465-acre complex.

Three pitchers from the Chunichi Dragons of Japan play for the Single-A minor league Vero Beach Dodgers and the Kissimmee Dodgers during the 1989 season. Yashiro Kawabata and Masaaki Kamanaka play for Vero Beach, while Koji Takahashi pitches for Kissimmee.

The Kansas City Chiefs train at Dodgertown from December 19-23.