Yale renames field to honor former player George H.W. Bush
Yale announced Monday the renaming of its baseball field from Yale Field to George H.W. Bush Field, honoring one of its most historic and successful alumni, George Herbert Walker Bush, who graduated from the university in 1948 after captaining the Bulldogs’ baseball team his senior year.
“It is fitting that Yale will honor President George H.W. Bush in this way,” Yale University President Peter Salovey said in a press release on Monday.
“He was a distinguished student-athlete at Yale, and he remained a supporter of Yale athletics and was a champion of student-veterans throughout his life. He exemplified dignified service and leadership to this country. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of students at Yale.”
Along with the renaming and restoration of the field, the clubhouse will also be renamed to “Jim Neil ’76 Clubhouse” in honor of Jim Neil who was a friend and former teammate of Bill Von Hoene ’76.
“George H.W. Bush is synonymous with Yale Baseball and Yale Athletics. It is truly fitting that our baseball field be named after one of our greatest student-athletes and 41st U.S. President,” Yale athletic director Victoria M. “Vicky” Chun said in Monday’s release.
“President Bush is a wonderful example of what Yale student-athletes are capable of, and his name on our field will inspire current and future Bulldogs for years to
come. I would also like to thank the Nikki Zollar and Bill Von Hoene families for their gift to honor Jim Neil.”
An in-person field dedication ceremony, which will be open for all Yale baseball alumni and current student-athletes along with families and fans, will be scheduled once health and safety
protocols are determined.
After serving in World War II as a naval aviator, Bush’s Yale career started in 1945 as a first baseman. He was elected captain of the baseball team as a senior and helped the Bulldogs to the College World Series in both 1947, the first year of the event, and 1948.
In 1966, Bush was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served as an ambassador to the United Nations and
to China, later becoming the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
He served two terms as vice president under President Ronald Reagan before being elected the 41st President of the United States in 1988.
After Yale won the 2017 Ivy League baseball championship with a program-record 34 wins, Bush invited the team to his home in Kennebunkport, Maine, to present the players with presidential
pins.
Yale’s baseball field was originally constructed in 1927 and hosted its first game in 1928. The original stadium held 12,000 fans and has hosted some of baseball’s greats including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams.
In one of the last public appearances before his death, Ruth visited the ballpark in 1948 to give a copy of his autobiography to then-senior captain George
Bush.
The grandstand remained in its original form until 1993 when Yale first renovated the stadium.
The field has been undergoing restoration for the past year to recreate the exterior of the building to look more like the original stadium. The interior storage areas, restrooms and stadium signage have also been updated.