20 Years After the Vet: A Good, Bad, and Ugly Remembrance of Philly’s Storied Stadium

Once upon a time, a long time ago — before big venues became high-stakes, high-cost propositions brimming with luxury amenities — life was so much simpler. Those were the days when we camped out in line for Pink Floyd tickets instead of getting ensnared by online ticket fiascos that prompt federal investigations. When star players weren’t paid hundreds of millions of dollars to entertain us. When the city had to install a resident judge to try and keep fans in line. It was a time when we had … the Vet.

Veterans Stadium took forever to build. It wasn’t very pretty. Our teams didn’t always (or even very often) win inside its walls. But the Vet was ours in a way that its successors (we’re looking at you, too, 76 Place) never quite turn out to be. It was where we cheered loudly, booed even more loudly, and, yes, punched and pissed our way through the 700 level. In honor of the 20th anniversary of the 62-second implosion that brought it all tumbling down, we look back at that simpler — and far more affordable — time.

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When You Could See Madonna for $21

When Madonna played the Met on Broad Street in December of 2019, some mega-fans paid thousands for tickets. And that show was not at all good. But let us transport you back to 1987, when seats for Madonna playing at Veterans Stadium went for just $21. This wasn’t Madonna’s first tour — that would have been the Virgin Tour, which brought her to the Spectrum. This was the Who’s That Girl tour, her first really, really big show — and some fans bitched that the $21 tickets were too expensive. After all, the Virgin tickets went for $15.

Organizers defended the pricing, saying this was a much more ambitious production, with lots of costume changes and special effects. Then there was the fact that Madonna reportedly demanded a guarantee of $500,000 per show. As for the Veterans Stadium performance itself, thanks to the magic of the internet, there’s a clip from Channel 3 of her singing “Open Your Heart.” And, well, let’s just say it’s a little hard to listen to. Thank God that auto-tune now exists.

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I Had 700-Level Season Tickets And Lived to Tell the Tale

I walked into the Eagles ticketing office down at the Vet with my checkbook in my hand — this was 1996 — and told the lady behind the desk that I wanted cheap tickets, but that I didn’t want to get wet when it rained and I wanted to be able to see the Phanavision. She put me in 725, the last row. The seats were under the skyboxes, so if it did rain, we were dry. I wrote out a check for $460: $23 per ticket for two tickets to each game, 10 games. Can you imagine what they’d be worth today?

We were lured to the 700 level because of the tales we’d heard about the place. We were all kids who went to a very strict Catholic school where everything was about penmanship, being quiet, and standing in a ­single-file line. But we’d heard about this place where men could misbehave and get away with it. Keep reading …

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Who Else Camped Out For Tickets?

These days, when a big stadium show goes on sale, you sit at your computer, desperately waiting for a place in the queue — a queue that hopefully doesn’t crash. A queue that may very well lead to investigations by the state attorney general as well as the Congress of the United States (see: Taylor Swift ticket fiasco).

When the Vet was around, the ticket-buying experience involved basically zero technology and was a whole lot more fun, because we camped out for tickets down at the stadium all night. That’s right. We had tents. We had beach chairs. And we had lots and lots of drugs and alcohol, and there was always this wonderful sense of community. One Philly Mag staffer got so stoned camping out (in the rain!) for Pink Floyd tickets in 1988 that he asked his companion to take him to the hospital, which his friend refused to do because they’d lose their place in the, yes, queue. So much for that sense of community!

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By the Numbers

$63 Million

Total cost to build the Vet. Original estimates were around $23 million. The City Controller accused Mayor James Tate of being deceitful about the cost.

65,352

Capacity of Veterans Stadium. Citizens Bank Park holds 42,901, while the Linc squeezes in 67,594.

$10,000

Bribe that the city’s stadium liaison, Harry Blatstein, agreed to take from the seat supplier. (Yes, Harry was Bart’s dad.)

4:40 a.m.

Ending time of a Phillies/Padres game on July 3, 1993. Blame rain delays. It goes down in the record books as the latest ending time for any MLB game. (We won!)

$4.40

Cost of hot dogs, soda and ice cream for a family of four at the Vet in 1971. There were complaints, since the same meal bought in New York or Pittsburgh cost just $3.60.

$39,800

Average NFL QB salary in 1971, the year the Vet opened. We don’t know exactly what Eagles quarterback Pete Liske made that year. But eventual Eagles great Harold Carmichael, then in his rookie year as wide receiver, took home just $13,000.

$9,500,000

Donovan McNabb’s salary in 2004, the year we imploded the Vet. It was the fourth year in a row McNabb carried us to the NFC championship game.

$51,000,000

Jalen Hurts’s salary these days. With a first-class stadium like the Linc, you need first-class money, right?.

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Sometimes Seats Are Too Close to the Field

When you go to a sporting event, naturally, the seats closest to the field are among the most coveted. But when the Vet debuted, in 1971, some of the seats closest to the field were a little too close. The first row of seats at the Vet, behind the players’ bench, was at ground level. So you couldn’t see much of anything if players or staffers were sitting on or, worse, standing at the bench. State Senator Ben Donolow paid $8 for such a seat and immediately took to the floor of the state Senate to rail against the Eagles and threaten the team with legal action. Donolow told the press that the Eagles were willing to give him a new seat for the next game. But Donolow said “I’m doing this on behalf of the fans.”

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When There Were Lots and Lots of Stunts

Former Phillies owner Bill Giles loved him some stunts, so ridiculous ones became a regular part of Opening Day at the Vet. There was Kiteman, who year after year attempted to glide into the stadium and deliver the ball to the pitcher’s mound for the ceremonial first pitch. He rarely succeeded and once crashed so hard that Giles thought he’d died. Also gracing the place? Cannon Man. Rocket Man. The much-less-insane-sounding Parachute Man. And who can forget the World’s Largest Jumping Easter Bunny?

The most, er, esteemed of the various stunt performers was undoubtedly Karl Wallenda, the daredevil who walked across the Vet on a tightrope in 1972. The show almost didn’t go on when Wallenda complained the line wasn’t tight enough, but the Phillies added a bunch of staffers to pull on and stabilize it. In the midst of his performance, Wallenda had to sit down because the wire was swaying so much. He was eventually able to finish, even throwing in a headstand over second base. Alas, the Phillies lost the game that day.

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A Huge Eagles Cheerleaders Scandal

By 2001, Veterans Stadium was really falling apart, its dilapidated status noted by players, commentators and the general public alike. One problem that wasn’t discussed publicly: the holes and cracks in the walls of the visiting football team’s locker room. Why is that important? Because the visiting football team’s locker room was immediately adjacent to the Eagles cheerleaders’ dressing room, and — well, we think you see where we’re going with this.

A New York Times investigation revealed that this was a well-known secret among NFL players, who for years spied on the cheerleaders in various states of undress and, at times, completely naked. Teams would pass on the “tip” to other teams, and some players reportedly got into shoving matches to get a peep.

Dozens of Eagles cheerleaders eventually filed a combined lawsuit against dozens of teams and unnamed football players. (A giggly Mike Wells, then a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, assured the Chicago Fox affiliate that the allegations were true. Wells, who was released by the Bears right after the segment aired, is now a high-school football coach.)

Naturally, all of this caught the attention of Jon Stewart, who jested on The Daily Show, “Eagles management has since vowed that Vet Stadium will be torn down and replaced with a new stadium with luxury peepholes.”

The case was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount of money.

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Some South Philly Neighbors Said No to the Stadium

Amid the current controversy surrounding the proposed Sixers arena in Center City, it’s worth remembering: The Vet wasn’t exactly welcomed by its South Philly neighbors in the early days. A civic organization with the longest acronym ever (CCCOPSSSP, which stood for “Combined Citizens Committee Opposing the Proposed Stadium Site in South Philly” … whew!) held rallies to try to halt construction, with members carrying signs with messages like “100% Against Stadium,” “So. Phila Is No Dumping Ground,” and “Are We Expendable?” They even sued to try to keep the stadium out of their backyard. Obviously, they lost.

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The Great Metallica Parking Lot Concert of 1997

Getting things done in Philadelphia is rarely easy. Metallica learned that the hard way when they wanted to do a free outdoor show in 1997 to promote a forthcoming album. The heavy-metal band reached out to cities and towns all across the country but hit lots of dead ends. “We’ve been turned down by some of the finest municipalities in the country,” drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement. “We want this to happen, and we’re hoping that somebody out there can cut through all the bureaucracy and find a place for us to have a little fun with a few thousand of our closest friends.”

The band announced an 800 number and asked fans to call in with nominations for cities and venues. Radio stations got involved in an attempt to have their cities play host, and that included WYSP. Philly fans dialed the number in force, and Metallica came to an agreement with the management of the South Philly sports complex to hold the free performance in the parking lot right outside the Vet.

When neighbors and City Council got wind of this, they pressured complex management to move the show indoors, to the Spectrum (RIP). Metallica said hell no, and the dispute wound up in federal court. In the end, Metallica — and tens of thousands of their crazed fans — got their free parking-lot show. No riots broke out. No major arrests. In fact, the Daily News noted that the “heavy-metal mob … was tamer than the 700 level” had been at a recent Eagles Monday Night Football game.

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The Problem With Eagles Court

Bad behavior at the Vet became so infamous, particularly during Eagles games, that the city famously installed a holding cell and courtroom there in 1997, to deal with unruly fans in a hyper-expedited manner. One person in particular wasn’t too fond of Eagles Court, as it became known: John Street.

Just after its debut, the pugilistic then-City Council president fired off a letter to then-mayor Ed Rendell complaining that the court was far too easy on offenders relative to how they’d be treated elsewhere. “If some folks in North Philly or West Philly or Germantown or Kensington, if they get into trouble, they get arrested and taken to the … Roundhouse, and they have to go through the process,” Street said in an interview at the time. “It seems a little unfair to everyone else that these people who are equally obnoxious, if not more so, get a chance to go right down and pay a fine and sometimes get back to the rest of the game.” Eagles Court didn’t outlive the Vet. Arrests inside the Linc are handled the old-fashioned way, though they’re few and far between.

A single judge, Seamus McCaffery, ruled over the court at the stadium for a long time. Fans who misbehaved usually pleaded guilty, paying fines of between $150 and $300 and occasionally having to perform community service. In the final year of the Veterans Stadium jail, more than 300 NFL fans were arrested.

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The Scourge of the AstroTurf

AstroTurf was invented by Monsanto in 1965, so it was the hot new product when the Vet opened its doors in 1971. The gloriously green fake grass required little maintenance, but players soon learned to hate it.

The turf led to more injuries — 16 percent more than on natural grass, according to a later study. Plus, AstroTurf was susceptible to tears, rips and bulging, all of which could create an uneven playing surface that led to more problems.

The Vet’s AstroTurf controversies continue to this day, with concerns that the stuff contained chemicals that caused cancer in some players. Last year, a pair of enterprising Inquirer reporters had old Vet AstroTurf samples they’d purchased on eBay lab-tested for harmful substances, and sure enough, they found some, though it hasn’t been scientifically proven that those substances were directly tied to the cancers in question. The NFL Players Association, with the help of prominent members like our own Jason Kelce, has been calling on the NFL to rule that all football fields must be natural grass. The Linc and Citizens Bank Park both feature the real deal.

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A Timeline of Stadium Love and Hate

1954

The first proposal for a new sports stadium in the city comes as the Phillies and Eagles are sharing utterly run-down Connie Mack, built in 1909. The $10 million plan came from Fairmount Park commissioner John B. Kelly Sr. — father of Grace — who wanted to erect it near Brewerytown.

1957

As other potential locations are under discussion, officials consider Broad and Pattison for the first time. Estimated cost: $22.7 million.

September 28, 1958

Fed up with Connie Mack Stadium, the Eagles relocate to Franklin Field. “If we don’t get a new stadium soon,” then-mayor Richardson Dilworth warns not long after, “we’ll lose our major-league sports, and people will think Philadelphia is a creepy city.”

April 29, 1965

With debate over a new stadium now in its second decade, the Inquirer runs the headline “Other Cities Build … Phila. Talks 12 Years About Stadium”

December 3, 1965

With officials finally agreed on Broad and Pattison, architects release design drawings for the stadium, estimated to open in the spring of 1967.

October 2, 1967

A groundbreaking ceremony is held — five months after the stadium was originally projected to open. The estimated budget swelled to $38 million and then to $48 million, with one local pol speculating the real cost could exceed $100 million.

March 12, 1970

Under pressure from veterans’ groups, City Council votes 11-5 in favor of the name “Veterans Stadium.”

April 10, 1971

The public sees Veterans Stadium for the first time on Opening Day of the Phillies’ season. We beat the Expos.

September 26, 1971

The Eagles play their first game at the Vet, losing to, yep, the Cowboys — 42-7, no less.

October 21, 1980

The Phillies win the first World Series title in franchise history, beating the Kansas City Royals 4-1 in Game 6.

January 11, 1981

The Eagles win the NFC championship for the first time at the Vet, polishing off the Cowboys 20-7 and heading to the Super Bowl, where we lose to the Raiders. It was the only NFC championship we’d win at the Vet.

August 14, 1985

Vet Stadium sees its first concert, in the form of Bruce Springsteen. Two nights. Sold-out.

June 28, 2001

Groundbreaking for Citizens Bank Park

May 7, 2001

Groundbreaking for Lincoln Financial Field

March 21, 2004

It all comes tumbling down with a 62-second implosion. The Vet makes way for … a parking lot.

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A Phillies Hot-Pants Girl Tells All

These days, Arlene Nisson Lassin is a 68-year-old grandmother in Texas. But in the late ’70s and early ’80s, she was a member of the Phillies’ Hot Pants Patrol at Veterans Stadium. Here, she tells all. Keep reading …

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Stadium Locations That Wouldn’t Be

Officials sifted through a bevy of proposed locations before deciding on Broad and Pattison. One of the most controversial was 30th and Arch, where officials suggested building a stadium on stilts over the railroad lines. That idea was killed after the head of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce opined that a stadium there would attract “unsavory characters.”

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Stadium Names That Wouldn’t Be

The idea to name the stadium in honor of war veterans was controversial, seeing as the anti-war movement was at its height. Here, some of the alternate proposals:

• Independence Stadium
• Philadium
• William Penn Stadium
• Eisenhower Stadium
• Apollo Stadium
• Philadelphia Stadium
• Peace Park
• Love Park
• Pretzel Stadium
• Ye Olde Park

Alas, veterans affairs groups pressured City Council and convinced the city to go with Veterans Stadium. In retrospect, considering how much of a dump it became, maybe the veterans had some regrets.

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I Bought It on eBay

A survey of Vet memorabilia for sale on the auction site.

$3,000

A sign from the notorious 700 level, specifically for sections 703 through 705.

 

$1,200

A double-seated bench from the stadium. No word on whether it comes with dried-up beer spills.

 

$498

Unused ticket from the final Phillies game at the Vet. Original cost: $10. That’s some ROI!

 

$199

A piece of Veterans Stadium stationery signed by World Series champ Mike Schmidt.

$100

Dirt from the third-base area. Yes, dirt.

$53

Turf ripped out of the stadium. But before you go getting too close to it, be sure to scroll back up and read about said turf.

$13.99

A paperweight replica of the stadium that reminds you just how ugly it was.

 

Published as “Field of Dreams?” in the March 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.