On a cold and blustery day on October 28, 1961, shovels broke ground in Queens for the first stadium to be built in New York City since 1923. The steel and concrete structure that grew in Flushing was originally going to be named “Flushing Meadows Stadium” but in the fall of 1962, civic leader Bernard Gimbel spearheaded a campaign to rename the facility Shea Stadium in honor of the man (popular attorney William A. Shea) who was the driving force in bringing a National League team back to the Big Apple.
Shae Stadium
Shea Stadium (formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium) was a stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City. Built as a multi-purpose stadium, it was the home park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008, as well as the New York Jets football team from 1964 to 1983.
