Take a look back at Charlotte’s American Legion Memorial Stadium through the years
By Observer Staff Report
A rain-soaked crowd of 20,163 at Charlotte’s 24,000-seat Memorial Stadium watched the Carolina Lightnin’ win the American Soccer League championship, beating New York United 2-1 in double overtime in September 1981.
Observer File photo
Mecklenburg County will mark the opening of its new, $40.5 million American Legion Memorial Stadium near uptown Charlotte with a pro soccer match and fireworks on July 7.
The bowl-shaped stadium replaces its historic namesake that was built in 1936.
President Franklin Roosevelt arrives for a rally at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte on Sept. 10, 1936. Roosevelt, the stadium’s first speaker, told a packed stadium that the country would only do well if the “common man” prospered. Courtesy of UNC Charlotte
During the 1960s and 70s, thousands packed Memorial Stadium for the Shrine Bowl, a highlight of the high school football postseason and the holiday season. File photo via Aerial Photography Services
President Franklin Roosevelt delivered the first speech at the old stadium in September 1936, in the midst of the Great Depression. Since then, the stadium hosted high school and college football games for decades, including the Shrine Bowl. Major performers like Jimmy Buffett and Pearl Jam also performed there.
The Carolina Lightnin’, Charlotte’s original pro soccer team, won the 1981 American Soccer League championship in front of more than 20,000 fans.
More recently, the stadium was home to the Charlotte Hounds pro lacrosse team.
A worker uses a high-pressure washer to clean the benches and concrete at Memorial Stadium in June 1986. The work was part of a face-lift paid for with $700,000 in bonds approved in 1995. Observer file photo
A water pipe rupture caused bleachers in the horseshoe section at Memorial Stadium to collapse during the summer of 2009. The damage forced the closure of a popular site for community program and sporting events until mid-2010. David T. Foster III Charlotte Observer photo
A smaller Charlotte skyline appears in the background as Independence and West Charlotte take the field for a high school football game at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 30, 2007. Observer file photo
A fisheye lens photo of the Commemorative Classic CIAA college football game between Johnson C. Smith University and Livingstone College at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013. Historically, the teams squared off late in the season. Observer file photo
