The right-field fence, abutting the Midland Valley railroad tracks in the southeast corner of downtown Tulsa, was just 274 feet from home plate at McNulty Park, home of Minor League Baseball’s first team in Tulsa. the city.
WG Skelly, the founder of Skelly Oil Co., was an enthusiastic promoter of the town and its welfare. He donated money for the University of Tulsa’s Skelly Stadium and many other projects around the city.
Tulsa World Magazine File
The short field helped the Tulsa Oilers win five pennants and six batting titles in the 1920s. But it caused serious problems for the University of Tulsa football team, which also played games at home at the stadium.
A full-length grill would not fit, so the playing field was only 90 yards. Once the ball got closer to the end zone, the referees moved it back 10 yards to make up the difference. And if someone broke a big play, it was a judgment call on whether to count it as a touchdown.
Sometimes referees have ruled that a player would have been tackled behind the goal line if the goal line had been where it was supposed to be. But the fans didn’t always agree, and hardly a match went without controversy.
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Tulsa finally got a proper football stadium after oil magnate William Skelly pledged $125,000 if an additional $175,000 could be raised for the project.
As a teenager in Pennsylvania in the 1890s, Skelly had helped his father transport oil supplies in a horse-drawn wagon. Later he went to work as a tool dresser, earning $2.50 a day at the famous Venango oil field.
More than 13,000 football fans packed New Skelly Stadium for the University of Tulsa season opener and dedication of the new $300,000 facility to ‘the youth of eastern Oklahoma “.
Courtesy of the University of Tulsa
He moved to Tulsa in 1912 to pursue a career as an independent producer until he incorporated Skelly Oil in 1919, creating a fully integrated company that pumped oil from its own wells and sold gasoline at its own gas stations.
Much of his fortune came from the development of Burbank Field in Osage County, where Skelly developed a special relationship with the Osage Nation. The tribe made him an honorary member and gave him an Osage name, Wah-Tah-In-Kah, which means “saucy chief.”
He chose it over his other moniker, “Mr. Tulsa,” a title that would have made him wince in modesty. But he earned it thanks to the seemingly ubiquitous support of all the great charities and good causes in town. , especially the University of Tulsa.
Construction of Skelly Stadium began on May 11, 1930, and was completed in time for an October 4 game against Arkansas. TU recovered a fumble from Razorback on the opening kickoff, then scored a touchdown in the north zone on the first scrimmage play in stadium history.
An aerial view of Skelly Field at HA Chapman Stadium at the University of Tulsa.
Tom Gilbert, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILE
The stadium can now accommodate 30,000 people, roughly double its original capacity. The name changed to Skelly Field at HA Chapman Stadium in 2007 during an $18 million renovation.
50 things we love about Tulsa in 2022
Here’s a look at Tulsa World Magazine’s annual list of 50 things we love about Tulsa this year. Call it our recommended list of things to do, eat, see and experience.
