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DOUG KINGSMORE STADIUM
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oug Kingsmore Stadium, the home of Tiger baseball since 1970, has seen many changes and DOUG KINGSMORE improvements over the years, but it has not lost its aesthetic beauty and unique feel on the west side of the Clemson University campus. Former Clemson baseball star and Board of Trustees Emeritus Doug Kingsmore gave the athletic department a $1 million gift towards renovation of Clemson’s baseball stadium, formerly known as Tiger Field. During the 2002 and 2003 offseasons, Doug Kingsmore Stadium underwent radical renovations, as over $5 million was spent. Since then, many other renovations have been performed to keep Doug Kingsmore Stadium among the best in the country. Kingsmore played for the Tigers for three seasons (1952-54). An All-ACC and All-District III outfielder in 1954, he became the first Tiger in history to hit 10 home runs in a season. He did that in 1954 while playing just 24 games. He led the ACC in home runs and runs (25) that year, and he led the Tigers in batting average (.371), slugging percentage (.742) and RBIs (27). Kingsmore played three years of professional baseball in the Baltimore Oriole organization before beginning a successful business career. He served three terms on the Clemson University Board of Trustees and became Trustee Emeritus when his elected term expired in 2002. Clemson was No. 9 in the country in average attendance (4,379) in 2014. It marked the Tigers’ 21st straight top-20 finish and 13th season in a row in the top 10 in the nation. Thanks in large part to that fan support, CollegeBaseballDaily.com rated Doug Kingsmore Stadium as the No. 7 stadium in the nation in 2013. This outstanding fan support from the Clemson community and the Upstate of South Carolina has contributed to the Tigers’ outstanding home-field record. Clemson has played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium for 45 years and has a winning percentage of over 79 percent. That includes a 362-107 record (.772) in ACC regular-season contests. The Tigers have had a winning record in all 45 seasons at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Clemson is 589-167 (.779) at Doug Kingsmore Stadium during Jack Leggett’s 21 years as head coach of the Tigers. Nine times during the 1994 season, an opposing top-20 team tasted defeat at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, and four times a team ranked in the top three lost to the Tigers. Seven wins against top-20 teams, including three victories over a top-10 Florida State squad, were recorded at home in the 1996 season. In 2000, the Tigers had an 8-3 record against top-25 foes at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. After Clemson won
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2015 BASEBALL MEDIA GUIDE
three games against No. 2 Florida State, Head Coach Mike Martin opined on how tough it is to play at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. “If you had told me in 1992 that we were going to go to a place where we’d be 2-13 over the next eight years, I would have gone to the administration and suggested we join another conference,” Martin told the Tallahassee Democrat. “Clemson is a very tough place to play...the toughest place to play of any place I’ve ever competed in all my years of college baseball. The good news is it’s 727 days before we have to go back to Clemson.” Martin echoed those sentiments 12 years later after his top-ranked Seminoles salvaged the series with their only win in the series in the finale at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2012. “That was one of the biggest wins of the year for us. I don’t care what anyone says...this is the toughest place that I have had to play a baseball game in all of my years of coaching.” Doug Kingsmore Stadium has seen steady improvement since its first season in 1970 and is now one of the top facilities in the country. Evidence of its high rating among facilities across the nation has been demonstrated in recent years, when Doug Kingsmore Stadium was named as a site for a regional and/or a super regional in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The renovations began during the summer of 2002, which has kept Clemson’s ballpark among the country’s best. The stadium has a brick façade that surrounds every entrance. A green roof that covers much more of the stands and a press box that is twice as large adds to the comfort of fans attending the game and the media covering it. The press box, which is accessible by elevator,
includes four large booths for broadcasting and a separate media center that accommodates 18 writers. There is also a patio area outside the press box that is above the existing stands along the first and third-base lines. The area is used for receptions and other events. Two ticket booths, concession stands with an adjoining picnic area and enlarged restrooms make the facility easily accessible and fan-friendly. A grand stairway leading from the McFadden Building parking lot to the stadium’s main entrance is an added feature from a convenience and aesthetic aspect. The players also realize improvements, as four batting cages were constructed beyond the right-field fence. The dugouts were almost doubled in length and width. Prior to the 2005 season, PawVision, the videoboard that was used in the football stadium, was moved to Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Prior to the 2008 season, new lights were installed, then a practice facility with field turf was built behind the batting cages in 2009. Additional chairback seats were also added behind the right-field fence. Prior to the 2010 season, the Thomas F. Chapman Grandstands were constructed behind the left-field fence, adding 1,000 seats. Chapman, who was a twotime All-ACC pitcher at Clemson (1963-65), gave $2 million to the University, $1 million of which went to the grandstands. Before the 2013 season, chairback seats were added in the main grandstand, replacing the bleacher seats. The videoboard was upgraded as well. After the 2013 season, the playing surfaced was re-leveled and an upgraded drainage system was installed. Home plate was also moved out 10 feet, creating more space behind home plate and shorter distances to the outfield fence.
THE TIGERS WERE NINTH IN THE NATION IN AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE (4,379) IN THE 2014 SEASON.