MIAMI-CALDER/PRO PLAYER ST, FL

Mailing Address:

Calder Race Course
P.O. Box 1808
Miami, FL. 33055-0808

Pro Player Stadium is located in the heart of South Florida, near the Dade/Broward line. Whether you are coming from South Miami or West Palm Beach, these easy-to-follow directions should get you to Pro Player Stadium in time for all the action.

Learn what time Pro Player Stadium parking lots open, and how much it's going to cost to park. Prices vary depending on the event.

Home of the teams

The Stadium History

Now in its 13th year of operation, the 75,000 seat, 115 million dollar, state-of-the-art, open-air facility, originally called Dolphin Stadium, was the first of its kind to be constructed entirely with private funds. The late Joe Robbie led the financing campaign to build "Joe Robbie Stadium" for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. JRS revolutionized the economics of professional sports when it opened in 1987. Inclusion of a Club Level, along with Executive Suites, helped to finance the construction of the stadium. Season ticket holders committed to long term agreements and in return they received first-class amenities in a state-of-the-art facility which is still used as a model for new facilities across the country.

On March 7, 1990, H. Wayne Huizenga, then Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Blockbuster Video and Huizenga Holdings Inc., agreed to purchase fifty percent of Joe Robbie Stadium and became the point man in the drive to bring Major League Baseball to South Florida. That effort was rewarded in July of 1991, when South Florida was awarded a National League expansion franchise. On January 24, 1994, Mr. Huizenga acquired the remaining fifty percent of the stadium to give him 100% ownership. Since 1991, several million dollars have been spent to upgrade and renovate the stadium. The improvement and revitalization of the building under Huizenga allowed the stadium to remain the finest sports and entertainment facility in the United States.

On August 26, 1996, Pro Player, the sports apparel division of Fruit of the Loom, sponsored the renaming of Joe Robbie Stadium as Pro Player Stadium. This industry leader, which specializes in licensed sports apparel, became the first sports marketing and products company to entitle a stadium or arena.

The first football game in Joe Robbie Stadium was held on August 16, 1987, when the Miami Dolphins met the Chicago Bears in a preseason battle. The game also marked the 22nd anniversary of the Dolphins franchise. The stadium hosted the National Football League's premier game, Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989. It marked the return of the Super Bowl to South Florida after a ten year absence. A second Super Bowl was hosted when Super Bowl XXIX was played in the facility on January 29, 1995. The Super Bowl returned to Pro Player Stadium on January 31, 1999, when the facility hosted Super Bowl XXXIII.

Major League Baseball officially began in South Florida in the spring of 1993 as the Florida Marlins opened their inaugural campaign as a National League team. On April 5, 1993, the "new" look of Pro Player Stadium as a baseball facility was unveiled to the public for the first time as the Florida Marlins hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Marlins began their existence by finishing the first day in first place with a 6-3 win over the Dodgers.

In 1997, Pro Player Stadium hosted four World Series games between the Marlins and the Cleveland Indians, including Game One on Oct. 18, 1997, the first Series game ever played at the stadium, and Game Seven on October 26, 1997, which the Marlins won, 3-2 in 11 innings, to capture their first World Championship.

Before the arrival of the Marlins, the stadium had played host to thirteen spring training games that attracted 370,000 fans and paved the way for baseball in South Florida.

Behind the scenes, Pro Player Stadium underwent renovations to accommodate Major League Baseball and the Florida Marlins. The conversion included the installation of retractable seating on the north side of the stadium, the construction of the baseball press box in the southwest corner of the facility, the building of the baseball dugouts, the addition of 660 new lights for suitable night play and the installation of a hyrdolic disappearing pitcher's mound. The stadium also features a synthetic warning track designed to absorb water. At the time, the only other facility to feature this type of track was Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles. The renovation also included the construction of the Florida Marlins clubhouse and other amenities to accommodate baseball at Pro Player Stadium.

On the field, Pro Player Stadium is equipped with a Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT) system which provides draining for its natural grass, and during February and March 1995, the old PAT system was removed, and a new advanced mechanical drainage system was installed. At a cost of one million dollars, the new system provides three times the drainage capacity of the old system and ensures a firm dry playing surface within half an hour's time after as much as a three inch per hour rain fall.