Description
In celebration of 100 years as Madison, Wisconsin’s field of dreams, the stadium’s charmed history is revealed at last in The Rise of Breese Stevens Field by David Michael Miller. More than just a book about a ballpark, it tells the story of the capital city’s struggle to build the athletic grounds that every other city had. Succeeding in 1926, Breese not only fulfilled its promise as a playfield for local schools and amateur teams, but brought the thrills of professional wrestling, boxing, soccer, softball, speed skating and midget auto racing to Madison. Sports legends like Satchel Paige, Red Grange, Elroy Hirsch and Jesse Owens competed there. The Rise of Breese Stevens Field brings the lore.
Also told for the first time is the story of the city’s own baseball team, the Madison Blues. The semi-pro club was key to Breese’s construction and for two decades represented the city throughout the Midwest, winning championships across multiple leagues. They also played an impressive percentage of their games against Negro league teams and international clubs. Eventually the Blues became a farm team for the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. Breese also helped lead the night-baseball revolution by being the first Wisconsin sports facility to install floodlights.
The Rise of Breese Stevens Field profiles the colorful personalities that shined with the stadium. Wry sportswriter Roundy Coughlin not only had an uncanny knack for picking winners, but he promoted the causes of field and team like no one else. There was also peppery Blues manager Eddie Lenahan who led his team through the streaks and the slumps for 17 seasons. And no local athlete was as colorful as Greek wrestler Jimmy Demetral, who made Madison his home and went on to win two world titles at Breese. He booked a steady flow of wild mat men there, along with Sailor Art Thomas, a black bodybuilder from Madison who became world heavyweight champion.
Ultimately, the book reveals how Breese rose to become the cherished center of the Madison community. The field saw the city through the Depression by using New Deal dollars to erect its limestone walls. It also became a gathering place during the Second World War. The arena has featured circuses, water follies, daredevil drivers, a rodeo, and even Shakespeare in the ballpark. Breese Stevens Field thrives today as the home of the Madison Forward FC and the Ultimate Frisbee Association’s Madison Radicals. It also features rock concerts, tasting events, bodegas, and live comedy in their Forward Club. With the field more popular than ever before, The Rise of Breese Stevens Field is happy to tell its origin story.
“It’s a great Madison story which David Michael Miller tells with a verve and nerve befitting its sporty milieu, dozens of well-chosen photographs and some hard-won statistics.” –Stuart D. Levitan, local historian and author of Madison in the Sixties
“David Michael Miller has made a lasting contribution to the city’s written history.” –Isthmus
