DOTHAN & HOUSTON COUNTY – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow C 53
LEFT: Opened on October 12, 1928, Wiregrass Memorial Stadium is the oldest continuously operating recreational facility in Dothan. Portions of the original stadium remain today. The same year it opened, the stadium hosted the first football game for Dothan High School. The Tigers defeated Hartford 20-0. In 1946, area residents were treated to an exhibition game between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. Legendary hitter Ted Williams hit a home run out of Wiregrass Memorial Stadium. LEFT, BELOW : Over its long existence, the stadium has undergone several renovations. Over the last decade, it has been utilized mainly as a field for Dixie Youth League baseball for teenagers, as well as a practice field for girls softball. Note that the original concrete bleachers are still in use.
BELOW : The Dothan Browns played all of their home games in Wiregrass Memorial Stadium. Local boosters like Jim Waldington, Rip Hewes and Earl Pittman wanted Dothan to field a team for the new Class D minor league after World War II. The team had a contract with the St. Louis Browns, who sent them a few players to cultivate over the years. But mostly, the Browns were made up of locals. Most players on the team were paid $100 a month, a far cry from the immense salaries of today’s players. By 1950, it was all a distant memory. The Major Leagues stopped sending players to Class D combines and, with the rise of televised games, the crowds at the local games began to dwindle. There are still quite a few citizens of Houston County who remember fondly the years when the Browns played at Wiregrass Memorial Stadium.
Profile in Leadership C Founded in 1957, Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan is the largest healthcare institution in the Wiregrass area. Thanks to continued innovation and sustained operating and financial performance, the Center has achieved and maintained a reputation for providing the highest quality patient care and services in the area. – Full story page 112