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At one time, it was hard to tell that Qualcomm
Stadium was a multipurpose stadium, but after an expansion in 1997,
that changed. After years of having minor league teams playing
in San Diego, local sportswriter Jack Murphy began to build up
support for a new stadium in the mid 1960’s. If built it
would be the home to the San Diego Chargers (NFL) and an expansion baseball
franchise. Located in Mission Valley outside San Diego, construction
on the massive four tier stadium began in 1965. The first game was
played on April 19, 1967 between the Chargers and the Detroit Lions.
The Pacific Coast League’s Padres played at the stadium until 1969,
when MLB awarded the area a professional franchise. The expansion
San Diego Padres began playing at the stadium on April 8, 1969. Only 23,370
people filled the 50,000 seat stadium on opening day.
San Diego Stadium was the name of the ballpark
until 1981 when it was renamed after the late Jack Murphy. With its
natural grass field and multicolored seats, "The Murph" as it
was known, was one of the best looking stadiums in baseball. Open
beyond the right and centerfield bleachers, views of hillsides could
be seen until the stadium was expanded. The seating capacity
changed many times throughout the years. The right-field
bleachers were expanded after the 1983 season, enclosing the field
fully for the first time and bringing the capacity up to 59,022. The
most substantial change came when in 1997 when over 10,000 seats
were added in behind the outfield for the Super Bowl, bringing the
capacity to 67,544. The scoreboard has remained it the same place
behind the right-center field seats since the stadium opened. Jack
Murphy Stadium was renamed to Qualcomm Stadium in 1997. Today,
Qualcomm Stadium looks more like a football stadium than a baseball
stadium. The bullpens are located down both the first and third base
lines, and palm trees are beyond the outfield fence. By the mid to
late 1990's, like every other team in MLB, the Padres wanted a new
ballpark. A new ballpark for the team, Petco Park was built in
downtown San Diego. The Padres played their last game at Qualcomm
Stadium on September 28, 2003. The stadium continues to be the
home to the San Diego Chargers (NFL) and many other events.
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