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Wild About AZ Cats

A different slant on Wildcat athletics

UPDATE: Muhammad Ali arguably the most famous figure to visit Hi Corbett

by on Jun. 03, 2012, under Sports

Javier Morales took first place in the 2010 Arizona Press Club’s Metro Sports Reporting category. For a different look at University of Arizona sports, check out Javier’s unique Web site: WILDABOUTAZCATS.net

Arguably the best basketball player to walk the earth — Michael Jordan — and “The Greatest” boxer — Muhammad Ali — have now visited Hi Corbett Field. With apologies to Barry Bonds fans out there, the top home-run hitter in baseball history — Hank Aaron — also played there.

“The Duke” — John Wayne — also graced Hi Corbett Field while filming movies such as Rio Lobo at Old Tucson. Legendary comedian Bob Hope, who was raised in Cleveland, was a part owner of the Indians when they trained in Tucson. He visited there often.

Muhammad Ali watched his Louisville Cardinals fall to Arizona 16-4 in the NCAA baseball regionals at Hi Corbett Field on Saturday night (ESPN3.com screen shot)

Ali — the Louisville Lip as he was once called — attended Saturday night’s 16-4 victory for Arizona over his Louisville Cardinals (he is a native of the Kentucky city). Jordan played a game at Hi Corbett Field during his baseball-experiment days in 1994 when he participated in the Arizona Fall League.

Hall of Fame players have come through Tucson and played either minor-league baseball or spring-training baseball at Hi Corbett. They include former Cleveland Indians standouts such as Bert Blyleven, Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby, Dennis Eckersley, Bob Feller, Ralph Kiner, Satchel Paige, Gaylord Perry, Frank Robinson, Hoyt Wilhelm and Early Wynn.

Aaron, who hit 755 home runs in his big-league career, played at Hi Corbett when the Atlanta Braves played some of their spring-training games Arizona in the early 1970s.

Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Ted Williams have also played there. Reggie Jackson played for ASU against Arizona at Hi Corbett Field in 1966, and he also took part in spring training games there while with the Oakland A’s.

Alex Rodriguez played against the Tucson Toros at Hi Corbett when he was playing in the Seattle Mariners minor-league system. Sammy Sosa also played there while in the White Sox organization. They also participated in spring-training games there.

An Associated Press story tells of Hank Aaron's banner day at Hi Corbett Field in 1970

The Colorado Rockies played their first spring-training game in 1993 at Hi Corbett Field. San Francisco, the Rockies’ opponent in that game, had a lineup that included Bonds, Matt Williams, Will Clark and Willie McGee. The announced attendance was 7,726.

Parts of the first “Major League” movie were filmed at Hi Corbett. The cast included Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes and Tom Berenger.

Lee Marvin reportedly attended Toros games while filming a movie at Old Tucson. Michael Landon, James Garner, Kevin Costner, Phil Harris, Robert Duvall, Pat Paulsen and other entertainment figures showed up in the grandstand at Hi Corbett Field.

The Doors played a concert in consecutive years (1967 and 1968) at Hi Corbett Field

Other entertainment legends have performed at Hi Corbett, including Jim Morrison and The Doors in concerts in 1967 and 1968, and Ray Charles in 1993.

According to DoorsHistory.com, after two songs in the 1968 concert, Morrison asked fans in the front row for a cigarette and the stage was bombarded by lit cigarettes. The band played “Break on Through” and then the power in the stadium went out. The power soon returned but the only light operating was the main spotlight.

Morrison pointed to people in the audience during the finale of “Light My Fire” and encouraged them to go on the stage. The security made a barricade in front of the stage but they were overtaken and the audience surrounded the stage while Morrison finished the performance sandwiched between the security guards.

With Ali, who now resides in Scottsdale, visiting Hi Corbett on Saturday, this is one man’s opinion of the top 10 figures to ever grace the stadium with their presence there:

1. Muhammad Ali

2. Michael Jordan

3. Hank Aaron

4. Joe DiMaggio

5. Jim Morrison

6. Ray Charles

7. John Wayne

8. Willie Mays

9. Ted Williams

10. Sandy Koufax

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 at 12:48 am and is filed under Sports. Tags for this post: , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3RGQVSDUYDSAH5Y7ASRMEQB7EM LiadsOlderBrother

    Sigh.

    “Famous” means well known and recognized.  Of the above list, Charlie Sheen is “arguably” the most famous.

    “Arguably” means “I really don’t know what the answer is.”  If you can’t come up with a headline that doesn’t say “arguably” then likely you shouldn’t have written the “news story” (lol) in the first place.

    Arguably it’s a good thing no paper was wasted on this “story”.

    E

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Wildaboutazcats-Beardown/1835061971 Wildaboutazcats Beardown

      LiadsOlderBrother, “E” or whoever this is (I am thinking it is a “journalist” in Tucson) …

      Charlie Sheen the most famous? Give me a break. I used the word arguably because as you have wrongly pointed out, somebody might differ with the opinion of Ali being the most famous. Charlie Sheen? What a laugh.

      And “paper”? Get with the times buddy. We are in the social media age. This is called a blog. And it makes me happy that you read it. Thanks for being one of the many that have done so!

  • America4America

    I shook hands with “the Duke” John Wayne and he gave me his autograph. He entered the park during the 7th inning stretch through an oppening in the left field wall. I think he was here filming Reo lobo at Old Tucson.
    the greatest!

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Wildaboutazcats-Beardown/1835061971 Wildaboutazcats Beardown

      Thank you America4America for the reply. Yes,  ”The Duke” was before my time, but his appearance at Hi Corbett should merit him breaking into that top 5.

  • issuesolver

    Hi Corbett arguement..

     in the fifties, my mother got the autograph of Bob Hope, and I witnessed Hank Aaron hit one of the centerfield wall in the seventies. 

    side note, my mother took autograph of Bob Hope and placed in family bible for safe keeping…….while attending Bob Hope Chrismas (64 & 65) shows in VN I would remember that day meeting him at Hi Corbett!

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Wildaboutazcats-Beardown/1835061971 Wildaboutazcats Beardown

      Thanks issuesolver. Bob Hope is legendary. I don’t recall Aaron playing at Hi Corbett Field or hitting a home run there. I will have to research that. Thanks again for the comment.

      • issuesolver

        Hammerin Hank was there for a spring training game following the year he broke the Babes record. Was hoping for HR that day but the double of the center field wall was exciting!

        Bob Hope was a Ohio native and I believe part owner of the Indians in the mid fifties and would frequent Hi Corbett often.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Wildaboutazcats-Beardown/1835061971 Wildaboutazcats Beardown

      Yes it is true. The Braves used to do their spring training in Arizona. Thanks for the head’s up, issuesolver.

      • issuesolver

        My Top Five:

        1)   Bob Hope, seen by millions of servicemen around the world an most of those shows were in a war zone!

        2)   Hammerin Hank, 

        3)   Muhammad Ali

        4)   Ted Williams

        5)   The Duke, John Wayne,

        Open for discussion……

  • Carolyn_Classen

    Wow, good report Javier. I didn’t know that “Major League” was filmed at Hi Corbett.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Wildaboutazcats-Beardown/1835061971 Wildaboutazcats Beardown

      Thanks Carolyn. Yep. I remember them filming the movie here.

  • CarlosJM

    Now this is what I want greeting me and my menudo on a Sunday morning!…Lots of interesting info I never knew but am sure glad I do now, a little banter back and forth to stir up interest AND a feel-good story to set the pace for the day ahead…Especially after the Cats have just taken one more giant step for UA-kind, one more even bigger leap for Tucson (and Hi Corbett) toward hosting a Super Regional final (come on St. John’s — one more time over the Heels!) en route to (one can hope) Omaha! 

    And BTW LOB, with 11 comments and most likely even more views this morning alone, any newspaper and website, for that matter, would love to have this kind of paper sales and/or traffic.  Try arguing that point.  I’m all eyes. 

  • CarlosJM

    Just pulled this off of Wikipedia:
     
    Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck was convinced by state senator and Tucsonan Hiram “Hi” Corbett to bring his team to the Old Pueblo in 1947. Veeck owned a ranch in Tucson at the time, and he and players sometimes rode his horses after the games. Veeck claimed that he moved the team’s training camp from Florida to Arizona in order to avoid Florida’s Jim Crow laws. Hi Corbett served as the spring training home of the Cleveland Indians from 1947 through 1992. Cleveland announced in 1990 that they would depart Tucson and the city tried to attract the Baltimore Orioles to move to Arizona.
     
    I bring all this up for 3 reasons Jay:
     
    1) Wonder what Veeck would think of the Arizona political climate today, although Tucson and Pima County in general are more — much more – forward thinking than other parts of the state?
     
    2) How in the world do we leave Veeck off this list of the most shining of luminaries to grace this jewel, this Baseball Mecca in the Sonoran Desert known as Hi Corbett Field?

    3) Imagine if the Oh Birds of Bal’more had made it to town…You, the quintessential fan of the orange and black feathered ones, would certainly be seen in them there parts every spring training, I know that.  

    It’s been fun. And informative. Keep up the great work Javier. 
     
     
     

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Wildaboutazcats-Beardown/1835061971 Wildaboutazcats Beardown

      Thanks Carlos for the information. I can include Veeck on the list but his name is not as global as most of these others. And, yes, I was depressed when I learned that Tucson was unable to sway Baltimore to Tucson. I am amazed at the history of the ballpark.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=569037863 Robert Griffith

    Well, that is an impressive list, but my favorite memory is going to a Tucson Toros game at Hi Corbett, then watching the Beach Boys afterwards.  Or it might have just been a concert – but it was a great memory.  I remember attending many games at Hi Corbett growing up in Tucson during the late 70′s and early 80′s.

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