Tournament Park

Pasadena
Location in the United States
A Tournament of Roses chariot race in 1911 at Tournament Park

Tournament Park is a park and athletics venue on the West Coast of the United States, located in Pasadena, California, a suburb northeast of Los Angeles. Currently maintained by the California Institute of Technology, it was simply known as the "town lot" before being renamed "Tournament Park" in 1900.[1] Tournament Park gets its name from the Tournament of Roses, and it served as a venue in the early 20th century for events associated with the Tournament, such as chariot races, ostrich races, and even a race between a camel and an elephant.[2][3] It is best known as the site of the first eight Rose Bowl Games (1902, 1916–1922).

Its seating capacity in 1922 was 43,000, many of which were in temporary wooden bleachers that the city deemed unsafe, thus necessitating the construction of the Rose Bowl stadium,[4] about two miles (3 km) northwest. Besides hosting Tournament of Roses events, the venue also hosted the Southern California Horse Show Association's annual horse show in the early 20th century.[5] Tournament Park hosted a handful of USC football games, chiefly against out-of-state opponents, in the 1910s and 1920s prior to the construction of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, since the park dwarfed USC's then on-campus venue of Bovard Field.[6]

Following the departure of the New Year's Day game to the new stadium in 1923, the facility's capacity was reduced substantially, though the parade route ended at Tournament Park for a number of years following the Rose Bowl's completion. Tournament Park, along with the Rose Bowl, served as the venue for Caltech's football team until the school dropped the program.

The stadium site, now known as South Athletic Field, is bounded by the Fox-Stanton Track (named after former Caltech football coach Fox Stanton), and continues to serve as Caltech's track and field venue. The surrounding park, which continues under the Tournament Park moniker, contains a playground and picnic facility.[7]

The elevation of the park is approximately 750 feet (230 m) above sea level.

Bowl games at Tournament Park

Panoramic shot of 1st Rose Bowl Game, held in 1902 at Tournament Park
The first Rose Bowl Game in 1902
1921 Rose Bowl

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tournament of Roses History". Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  2. ↑ Dan O'Sullivan. "1902 - Michigan 49, Stanford 0". ESPN. BCSFootball.com.
  3. ↑ "At Tournament Park: Hairs' Widths Avert a Row of Tragedies". Los Angeles Times. January 2, 1913.
  4. ↑ "Early Views of Pasadena". Pasadena Department of Water and Power.
  5. ↑ "With Splendid Showing and in Blaze of Beauty, Pasadena's Horse Show Opens in Idyllic Scene". Los Angeles Times. March 8, 1907.
  6. ↑ "USC Football History" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Tournament Park". California Institute of Technology, Facilities Management Department.
Preceded by
First site		 Host of the
Rose Bowl Game
1902, 1916-1922		 Succeeded by
Rose Bowl Stadium

Coordinates: 34°08′02″N 118°07′37″W / 34.134°N 118.127°W / 34.134; -118.127

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