The original stadium was built in 1930, using the payoff from the football team's participation in the 1929 Rose Bowl. The entire complex, which included three football practice fields, was named Rose Bowl Field. The complex stood behind a stone wall along 5th and Fowler streets. In 1971, the permanent grandstand was torn down to make way for the extension of 5th Street. Lights were added in 1983.
Original stadium
The stadium existed with only bleacher seats until 1985, when A. Russell Chandler, III funded construction of a new grandstand that opened in time for Tech's centennial year. Fans of Georgia Tech baseball affectionately called it "The Rusty C" due to its extensive use of aluminum as a construction material.
Current stadium
The stadium was completely rebuilt in 2002. The new stadium features more brick and less aluminum in its construction materials than the previous one, but "Beesball" fans still affectionately refer to it as "The Rusty C." The stadium is located on the Georgia Tech campus in the heart of Atlanta's midtown area and offers fantastic views of the Atlanta skyline. On April 9, 2008, the stadium set an attendance record of 4,609 for the Yellow Jackets versus the Georgia Bulldogs game held that night. The crowd totally eclipsed previous marks for both post-season and regular-season games. One ranking of college baseball stadium experiences ranks it three
Description
Field
Field Dimensions:
Left Field: either 328 or 329 feet, depending on whether you believe the official media guide or the foul line post.
Left Center: 391 feet
Center Field: 400 feet
Right Center: 353 feet
Right Field: 334 feet
Due to the asymmetric shape of the field, the deepest point is actually 409 feet and lies just to the left of center field. The fence height is a uniform 10 feet.
Seating
Seating capacity: 4,157 This figure includes 1,100 chairback seats and over 3,000 bleacher seats. There is room for additional expansion of the bleacher sections along the third base line that will bring the total seating capacity to over 5,000 seats, and there is ample spectator room adjacent to the bullpen along the first base line. In 2013, the Yellow Jackets ranked 42nd among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,525 per home game.
Facilities and features
The facility has a clubhouse and locker room, training area and team rooms, indoor and outdoor hitting cages, press box, lights for night play, bench and stadium chair seating, suites, entry plaza, concessions and restrooms.
Parking
There are no dedicated parking facilities for Russ Chandler Stadium. Recommended surface lots on the Georgia Tech campus in the vicinity of the stadium include the adjacent Klaus College of Computing Parking Deck, Peters Parking Deck, and the Alexander Memorial Colliseum lot. Limited street parking may be available on campus, but those parking along Fowler Street past the right field fence and wall could be subject to damage from long home runs. The O'Keefe lot and others nearby are no longer available due to construction or other campus projects. Consult The Georgia Tech Athletic Association, Rusty C, or Beesball.com website links provided in the "External links" section below for maps and more detailed information on recommended parking.
