Iowa Almanac
Iowa Almanac -- Monday, September 02, 2024
The ballpark gets a new name. More from the Iowa Almanac in a moment. The 57 AAA is here. Sweet, smooth and sassy. Your road trips will never be the same. When you're behind the wheel of an American legend, Cam Corregis is giving you the chance to win a 57 Chevy Bel Air Sportgoop. This is the car people turn their heads for. Get your raffle tickets now at camcorregis.org. Learn more and get your raffle tickets now for a chance to glide down the road in a classic 57 Chevy. Visit camcorregis.org. Garner W. Taylor became Sports Editor of the Des Moines Register in 1914. He was still on the job 51 years later when he died of a heart attack at the age of 78 in 1965. During that time, he shaped Iowans' impressions of sports. Generations recall the big peach sports section in the paper and his regular column, sitting in with the athletes. Prior to working at the register, he was secretary to the baseball team in St. Joseph, Missouri, and earned the nickname "Sec," which he used the rest of his career. And it was that interest in baseball that is behind today's story. Sec Taylor strongly believed that a city the size of Des Moines should have a strong minor league baseball team and pushed for the effort in his columns. In 1947, a new ballpark was built to house the Des Moines Bruins of the Western League. It was called Pioneer Memorial Stadium. The Bruins were in town for 12 years, followed by a three-year stint by the Des Moines Demons of the Three-Eye League. After the Demons' first season, on September 2, 1959, the ballpark got a new name, Sec Taylor Stadium, in honor of the newspaperman who supported Iowa sports so strongly. The ballpark has a corporate name now, but the field where the Iowa Cubs play is still named for him. Pioneer Memorial Stadium, the minor league baseball stadium in Des Moines, was renamed Sec Taylor Stadium, on this date, in 1959. And that's Iowa Almanac for September 2. There's more online at IowaAlmanac.com. Until tomorrow, I'm Jeff Stein.