Veterans Stadium became merely a memory Sunday when the building known for rabid fans, terrible turf and an in-house judge was reduced to a pile of rubble in just more than a minute.
Hundreds of people gathered to watch the demolition of the place where Mike Schmidt jumped into Tug McGraw’s arms after the Phillies’ only World Series championship and Dick Vermeil sent the Eagles to their lone Super Bowl.
It was also where a merciless crowd cheered the ambulance that carried off Dallas receiver Michael Irvin after a career-ending neck injury. Pete Rose met his future wife at the Vet when she was an Eagles cheerleader — years later, the women sued 29 NFL teams, claiming visiting players peeped on them in the dressing room.
About 3,000 pounds of explosives took down the concrete stadium, section by section in a clockwise direction as booms rang out.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you just witnessed history,” Vet public-address announcer Dan Baker told the cheering crowd. One onlooker played Taps on a silver trumpet.
Greg Luzinski, a slugger on the Phillies’ 1980 World Series team, and the Phillie Phanatic pushed a ceremonial red plunger as the explosions began to bring down a stadium that opened in 1971.
“That was a big one,” Luzinski said. “It took 2½ years to build it and it went down quick.”
A large area around the sports complex was closed off, and airspace above the stadium was restricted to a 1,500-foot elevation for a quarter-mile radius during the implosion.
Passing truckers blared air horns in salute. Dozens of bystanders tried to cross a police barricade but were pushed back by police. The detonation began after Mayor John Street’s 10-second countdown.
When it was over, a large cloud of dust rose over the site, home to the Phillies and the Eagles for more than 30 years. All that remained was a pile of concrete slabs and pillars.
Firefighters hosed down the rubble to contain the dust, which was so thick at some points that the implosion was obscured and only the thundering booms could be heard.
Workers eventually will begin breaking down the concrete pieces, which will amount to 70,000 cubic yards of material. Contractors will recycle debris on the site until July, and the spot ultimately will serve as a 5,500-space parking lot.
The Phillies plan to paint an outline of the Vet’s playing field across the new lot, and place granite markers where once stood home plate, the pitching mound and bases.
New baseball-only and football-only stadiums have been built nearby. The Eagles began playing at Lincoln Financial Field last year. The Phillies played their last game at the Vet in September; their season opener in Citizens Bank Park is April 12.
Like its predecessor Connie Mack Stadium, the Vet had become outdated. Team officials, players and fans agreed the concrete-bowl design stadium — much maligned for rats, leaky ceilings and insufficient amenities — was way past its prime.
The Vet earned a reputation as a fearful place for opponents, as much for its intimidating crowds as for its rock-hard artificial turf, voted the worst surface in the NFL by its players’ union.
Chicago Bears receiver Wendell Davis blew out both knees on one play on Oct. 10, 1993, a moment that became symbolic of the danger of a visit to the Vet.
In 2001, a preseason game between the Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens was canceled because of problems with the newly installed NexTurf playing surface.
The fans often caused other problems.
In a game against the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 10, 1997, an Eagles booster shot a flare gun into some empty seats and there were more than 60 fights. The rowdy behavior prompted the city to set up “Eagles Court” at the Vet to arrest and convict unruly fans.
“In some respects, Veterans Stadium became a relic,” Street said. “We really had to let it go.”
The most riveting memory of the Vet may have come at the end of Game 6 of the 1980 World Series, when mounted police pranced their horses onto the field while snarling German shepherds waited nearby.
It was at the Vet in 1981 where Rose passed Stan Musial for most hits in the National League. And it was at the Vet in 1993 where the Phillies lost to Toronto 15-14 in Game 4 of the World Series.
John Middleton, 20, was one of many fans gathered to pay last respects.
“It’s amazing how emotional you can get about a giant slab of concrete,” he said.
