Grayson Stadium - Savannah Sand Gnats

Grayson Stadium Facts, Figures & Footnotes

Owned by the City of Savannah.

Referred to as Historic Grayson Stadium by the Sand Gnats.

Named in honor of William Leon Grayson, a Savannah born and bred military hero who briefly fought in the Spanish-American War and long served the city and state of Georgia in numerous official civic capacities. Grayson is credited with ensuring that the stadium would be rebuilt following the hurricane that destroyed most of it on August 11, 1940.

Was called Municipal Stadium from its opening until 1941, when the Savannah City Council unanimously voted to rename the stadium after William L. Grayson, who died the same year.

The cost to rebuild the stadium in 1941 was $150,000. Half of the total was provided by the federal government's Works Progress Administration (WPA), which was responsible for funding most stadiums built between 1935 and 1943, while the City of Savannah paid the rest of the tab.

Due to the outbreak of World War II, hurricane repairs to the stadium were never finished. Specifically, the brickwork on the third base side facade was never completed.

Hosted the first integrated game in South Atlantic League history when the Savannah Indians played the Jacksonville Braves on April 14, 1953.

Recent major renovations and upgrades to the stadium were completed prior to the 1995, 2007 and 2008 seasons. In 1995, the press box, sound system and bathrooms were enhanced. A new scoreboard with a nearly 300 square foot video board was the major addition to the stadium in 2007. The 2008 season saw the unveiling of a new playing field, which had a corresponding new irrigation and drainage system installed beneath it.

Can actually hold crowds of 8,000, but the Sand Gnats now list the stadium's capacity as half that.

Has two party decks, one each atop the first base and third base grandstand, that can hold up to 20 people.

Located within Daffin Park and surrounded by oak trees that are draped with Spanish moss.

Spring training tenant: Boston Red Sox (1932)

Minor league tenants: Savannah Indians (1926-1928, 1936-1942, 1946-1954), Savannah Athletics (1955), Savannah Redlegs (1956-1958), Savannah Reds (1959), Savannah Pirates (1960), Savannah White Sox (1962), Savannah Senators (1968-1969), Savannah Indians (1970), Savannah Braves (1971-1983), Savannah Cardinals (1984-1995), Savannah Sand Gnats (1996-present)

Used by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) baseball team for most of their home games. Savannah State University played two home games at Grayson Stadium in 2009 and 2010.

The view from within the main grandstand at Grayson Stadium

The view from within the main grandstand at Grayson Stadium