The Harris-Stowe State University campus now has another field dedicated in honor of history, thanks to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. The Cardinals honor fields every year in honor of Negro League games that were played in the area years ago. Learn more about it in the article from Advantage News below.
The St. Louis Cardinals, in conjunction with Cardinals Care and Harris-Stowe State University, on Friday announced the dedication of Stars Park Field, on the southwest corner of the Harris-Stowe campus on the corner of Market Street and Compton Avenue.
Cardinals Team President Bill DeWitt III was joined at the dedication by Cardinals pitchers Jack Flaherty and Andrew Miller, former Cardinals catcher and Hall of Famer Ted Simmons, former Cardinals pitcher Scott Terry, Cardinals Vice President of Community Relations and Executive Director of Cardinals Care Michael Hall, Cardinals Community Relations and Cardinals Care Director Meghan Essman, Harris-Stowe Interim President Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith, Harris-Stowe Athletics Director Dorianne Johnson, Vice President and Curator of the Negro League Baseball Museum Dr. Ray Doswell, and President and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis Michael P. McMillan.
“Today is the culmination of a lot of hard work by many individuals who collaborated on this project,” Bill DeWitt III said. “Cardinals Care is proud to partner with Harris-Stowe State University to celebrate the memory of the St. Louis Stars by helping the Harris-Stowe baseball and softball programs improve their facilities.”
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the St. Louis Cardinals and Cardinals Care organizations for their generous donation to Harris-Stowe. Their continuous support of the university is appreciated,” Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith said. “Working together, we have fulfilled our commitment to provide our student-athletes with the tools and resources they need to succeed at the highest levels.”
The $1.2 million field renovation and construction project led by Clayco is the result of a seven-figure investment by Cardinals Care and six-figure investment by Harris-Stowe that includes fully irrigated fields, seating for 200 at the baseball field and 100 at the softball field, enclosed press boxes, enclosed NAIA level dugouts, and new scoreboards. The new state-of-the-art baseball and softball facilities broke ground last July during the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues and sits on the site of that served as the home field of the Negro National League’s St. Louis Stars from 1922-31.
“I am proud to celebrate the dedication of Stars Park Field, the site where the three-time champions of the Negro National League St. Louis Stars played so many years ago,” Jack Flaherty said. “There is still work to be done, but it is important that we keep the legacy of the legendary athletes who played in the Negro Leagues alive for younger generations.”
“I am thrilled to be here today to celebrate the legacy of the St. Louis Stars and the Negro League teams here in St. Louis,” Dr. Ray Doswell said. “On behalf of the NLBM, we thank Harris-Stowe State University and the St. Louis Cardinals for ensuring this landmark will remain dedicated to our great sport and the memory of the great athletes who played here.”
Negro League championships were played at Stars Park in 1924, 1928, 1930 and 1931, with the home team winning three out of the four. Three National Baseball Hall of Famers, including James “Cool Papa” Bell, Willie “El Diablo” Wells, and George “Mule” Suttles, called Stars Park their home field.
Stars Park is the 25th field dedicated by Cardinals Care since its inception in 1997. Prior to Stars Park, the Cardinals dedicated Matt Carpenter Field in August 2019, at the Pagedale Family Resource Center in Pagedale, Mo.
