David Borges - The Pawtucket Red Sox

Mayor Thomas P. McCoy ran Pawtucket with an iron fist. According to the Rhode Island Free Press , McCoy created one of the most powerful and ruthless political machines ever forged in this state during his nine years as mayor. He died on August 15, 1945 (the same day the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, ending World War II), but not before leaving his lasting gift to the city: McCoy Stadium. (Courtesy Pawtucket Public Library.)

This is how McCoy Stadium looked in the late 1940s, when it served as the home field for the Pawtucket Slaters.

Professional baseball made its debut at McCoy Stadium in 1946 in the form of the Pawtucket Slaters, a Class-B affiliate of the Boston Braves. The Slaters were managed by Rip Collins and went 70-54 in their inaugural season, good for fourth place in the New England League. Among their star players was George Crowe (top row, fourth from left), the teams only African American player a year before Major League Baseball was integrated. Crowe did not get a shot in the majors until 1952; in 1957, at the age of 36, the big first baseman clubbed 31 homers, and he wound up playing 10 major-league seasons. The Slaters stayed in Pawtucket for four years (finishing fourth place two more times, then going 52-26 in the first half of the 1949 season and 31-17 in the second half) before the New England League folded in 1950. Professional baseball did not return to McCoy Stadium for another 17 years. (Courtesy Mike Pappas.)

This is McCoy Stadium as it looked in 1957. The outfield grass looks like the dusty terrain of a desert. (Courtesy Pawtucket Times. )

Graffiti lines the exterior doors of McCoy Stadium in this June 1961 photograph. In an accompanying article in the Pawtucket Evening Times , McCoy was called a shameful eyesore. (Courtesy Pawtucket Times. )

This is an aerial view of McCoy Stadium on September 1, 1966. Note the football gridiron spanning the field. McCoy served as the home for three different Pawtucket high school football teams at this time. (Courtesy Pawtucket Times. )

A full house packs McCoy to take in a Pawtucket Indians game on July 1, 1967. (Courtesy Pawtucket Times. )

Professional baseball returned to Pawtucket and McCoy Stadium in 1966, when the Pawtucket Indians came to town. A Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, the team struggled in its two years at McCoy, finishing 68-71 in 1966 (though that was good for second place in the Eastern League) and 67-71 in 1967 (fifth place). Pictured, from left to right, are the following: (first row) Randy Carroll, George Woodson, bat boy Pete Menard, Richie Scheinblum, Johnny Parker, and Dave Nelson; (second row) Jim Rittwage, Dick Almes, Sam Parrilla, Luis Isaac, Mike Hedlund, and Russ Nagelson; (third row) Jim Wingate, Gary Oring, Harold Gomer Hodge, Jerry Kelly, Steve Bailey, Harold Kurtz, and Bill Wolfe; (fourth row) June Raines, Gary Boyd, Fran Healy, Dick Brosagh, Tony Martinez, Roy Kuhl, trainer Bill Snell, and manager Clay Bryant. (Courtesy Mike Pappas.)