Rosenblatt Stadium

Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium was home to baseball’s College World Series from 1950 until 2010. Future Major League stars played pro ball there in all but seven seasons during the same period. The venue also hosted barnstorming games, football games, concerts and a variety of novelty events in its lifetime.
The history of the stadium is told by people who lived it. Essays and recollections by players and coaches who competed there, organizers of the Series and other events, and fans who enjoyed more than six decades of entertainment establish Rosenblatt’s place in the American cultural landscape.

Kevin Warneke has worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, magazine editor, public relations executive, CEO of a nonprofit organization and fundraiser. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
Libby Krecek is a native Omahan who had attended many ballgames at Rosenblatt Stadium. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
Bill Lamberty is an assistant athletic director for media relations at Montana State University. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.
Gary Rosenberg is the former archivist at the Douglas County Historical Society. In the past few years he has assisted in the production of local architectural histories and written two Omaha neighborhood tourism guides.
David Cicotello is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and a contributor to its Deadball Stars volumes. An author and speaker, he lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Angelo J. Louisa is a researcher, writer, and community educator who lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

Edited by Kevin Warneke, Libby Krecek, Bill Lamberty and Gary Rosenberg

Series Editors David Cicotello and Angelo J. Louisa

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 306
Bibliographic Info: 88 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7770-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3814-0
Imprint: McFarland
Series: McFarland Historic Ballparks

A Note on the Ballpark’s Names vi
Acknowledgments ix
Foreword (John C. Manuel) 1
Introduction (Bill Lamberty, Kevin Warneke, Gary Rosenberg
and Libby Krecek) 3
Part I: History and Background
Baseball in Omaha Before Rosenblatt Stadium (Bruce Esser) 9
Johnny Rosenblatt and the Ballpark on the Hill (Gary Rosenberg) 27
Minor League Baseball at Rosenblatt Stadium (Robert P. Nash) 45
The College World Series Comes to Omaha (Dennis N. Mihelich) 60
The Greatest Show on Dirt: The College World Series Years
at Rosenblatt Stadium (Jeremy S. Bloch) 75
African American Baseball at Rosenblatt Stadium (David C. Ogden) 88
They Grew a Ball Field: Rosenblatt Stadium’s Icons (Devon M. Niebling) 100
They All Played at Rosenblatt Stadium (John Shorey) 121
Dingerville: South Omaha’s Annual Transformation (Bill Lamberty) 137
The Price of Growth: Rosenblatt Stadium and ­Big-Time Athletics (Sherrie L. Wilson) 149
Part II: Memories
Community Leaders 169
Minor League Baseball 174
College World Series 187
Fans 221
Media 243
Afterword (Mike Martin) 273
Appendix A: Rosenblatt Stadium Timeline 277
Appendix B: Minor League Teams at Rosenblatt Stadium, 1949–2010 281
Appendix C: NCAA College World Series Champions 284
About the Contributors 287
Bibliography 289
Index 291