Year opened: 1964
Capacity: 62,439
Names:
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, 1964-2009
Pro football tenants:
New York Jets (AFL/NFL), 1964-83
New York Giants (NFL), 1975
Postseason games hosted:
AFL Championship, Jets 27 Raiders 23, Dec. 29, 1968
AFL Divisional playoff, Chiefs 13 Jets 6, Dec. 20, 1969
AFC Wild Card playoff, Bills 31 Jets 27, Dec. 27, 1981
Other tenants of note:
New York Mets (MLB – NL), 1964-2008
New York Yankees (MLB – AL), 1974-75
Notes: Under terms of the lease negotiated with baseball’s Mets, prior to 1978 the Jets were unable to host their first home game at the stadium each year until the Mets had completed their season. In 1975, both of New York’s pro football teams and both major league baseball teams used the stadium as a home venue due to the major renovation of Yankee Stadium, but while the Yankees returned to the Bronx, the Giants were awaiting construction of a new stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Stadium named in honor of William A. Shea, the lawyer who negotiated the return of National League baseball to New York. Constructed at Flushing Meadow in Queens, which at the time of opening was the site of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, and at the time of ground-breaking was referred to as Flushing Meadow Park.
Fate: Demolished in 2009, the site is used as a parking lot for the new Citi Field.
