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Inland Empire 66ers Baseball Club
Sixty-Sixers History
The Inland Empire 66ers, San Bernardino's single-A minor league baseball team in the California League, has enjoyed tremendous success over the years, winning the hearts and minds of the Inland Empire in the process. The club, formerly known as the Stampede, has won league championships in 1995, 1999, 2000 and 2003. They became just the fourth team in California League history to win back-back titles when they won the crown in 2000. The 66ers moved into a state-of-the-art stadium in downtown San Bernardino at the end of the 1996 season and drew over 270,000 fans in its first full year in the ballpark, providing Inland Empire residents with a Crown Jewel for entertainment and value. Prior to the 2002 season, the 66ers and the city of San Bernardino signed a 10-year stadium naming-rights deal with Arrowhead Credit Union, a pillar in the Inland Empire business community. In doing so, the 66ers became the first team in the California League's history to secure a stadium naming rights deal. A new and aggressive promotional schedule in 2002 led to the team increasing its attendance by more than 50% from the 2001 season (to nearly 240,000), by far the biggest jump in the California League. In March, 2002, the 66ers parent club, the Seattle Mariners, played an exhibition game at Arrowhead Credit Union Park. It was the first time in 30 years that a major league team played a game in San Bernardino. The 66ers invited actor Kevin Costner to play in the game and he accepted. Costner played for the 66ers in that game and started at shortstop before finishing up with an inning on the mound. The highlight of the game came in the final inning, when Costner pitched to Seattle manager Lou Piniella. Costner battled Piniella right to the wire before issuing a walk. Arrowhead Credit Union Park even played host to a sold-out welcome home rally for former Inland Empire resident Derek Parra, who captured gold and silver in speed skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.
Preparation for Stardom
During the first half of the 20th century, four attempts were made to establish minor league baseball in San Bernardino. It wasn't until 1987, after a 39-year sports drought, that baseball returned to the Inland Empire with the San Bernardino Spirit. In 1988 the Spirit entered a five-year growth period affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. Many talented young athletes played in San Bernardino on their way to the major leagues, most notably Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Hampton. Griffey spent 58 games in a Spirit uniform on his fast track to Seattle. San Bernardino got into the "Spirit," helping the club set a then-league attendance record, but following the 1992 season the franchise moved to Rancho Cucamonga. Four months later, the Salinas Spurs claimed San Bernardino as its new home, along with the Spirit name. The franchise was soon sold to Dave Elmore and Donna Tuttle. With the vassistance of several major league organizations, the Elmore Sports Group quickly constructed an independent squad for the 1993 season.The Elmore magic has been helping the team ever since. A "blue era" dawned in 1995 when the club became affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That same year, construction on the new stadium began.
A Beautiful New Stadium
After three years of planning and construction, the San Bernardino ball club christened its new home in August, 1996. Originally, the stadium was known simply as The Ranch to tie in with the western-style of the architecture. Arrowhead Credit Union Park, as it is now named, seats 5,000 with grass seating that can accommodate several thousand more fans in comfort. The stadium was designed by HOK, the same firm that created Baltimore's Camden Yards and Coors Field in Denver. The facility has all of the modern amenities, including 12 spacious luxury skybox suites, each with a private outdoor balcony equipped with stadium-style seating, two large outdoor picnic areas that overlook the playing field, a high-tech scoreboard that features a full-color video board, the only one of its kind in the ten-team California League. The seats are all angled toward home plate, so there is not a single bad seat in the house.
Commitment to Community Service
Every member of the 66ers organization knows that the team depends on the surrounding communities for support. Inland Empire citizens are discovering that the team supports them as well. The team has sponsored a baseball league for underprivileged children in conjunction with the San Bernardino Housing Authority and the San Bernardino Police Department. The 66ers have also put together numerous fund raising programs to benefit local foundations and charities in the Inland Empire and will continue to do so, knowing that the team's success is ultimately tied to the success of the local communities and businesses that work with the 66ers.
The Future is Ours
With a shiny new stadium, several championships on the field, and renewed enthusiasm about the 66ers from businesses and citizens alike, the 66ers has established itself as one of the Inland Empire's most popular institutions. The future bodes well for exciting professional baseball and entertainment in the ever-growing Inland Empire.
The Inland Empire 66ers, San Bernardino's single-A minor league baseball team in the California League, has enjoyed tremendous success over the years, winning the hearts and minds of the Inland Empire in the process. The club, formerly known as the Stampede, has won league championships in 1995, 1999, 2000 and 2003. They became just the fourth team in California League history to win back-back titles when they won the crown in 2000. The 66ers moved into a state-of-the-art stadium in downtown San Bernardino at the end of the 1996 season and drew over 270,000 fans in its first full year in the ballpark, providing Inland Empire residents with a Crown Jewel for entertainment and value. Prior to the 2002 season, the 66ers and the city of San Bernardino signed a 10-year stadium naming-rights deal with Arrowhead Credit Union, a pillar in the Inland Empire business community. In doing so, the 66ers became the first team in the California League's history to secure a stadium naming rights deal. A new and aggressive promotional schedule in 2002 led to the team increasing its attendance by more than 50% from the 2001 season (to nearly 240,000), by far the biggest jump in the California League. In March, 2002, the 66ers parent club, the Seattle Mariners, played an exhibition game at Arrowhead Credit Union Park. It was the first time in 30 years that a major league team played a game in San Bernardino. The 66ers invited actor Kevin Costner to play in the game and he accepted. Costner played for the 66ers in that game and started at shortstop before finishing up with an inning on the mound. The highlight of the game came in the final inning, when Costner pitched to Seattle manager Lou Piniella. Costner battled Piniella right to the wire before issuing a walk. Arrowhead Credit Union Park even played host to a sold-out welcome home rally for former Inland Empire resident Derek Parra, who captured gold and silver in speed skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.
Preparation for Stardom
During the first half of the 20th century, four attempts were made to establish minor league baseball in San Bernardino. It wasn't until 1987, after a 39-year sports drought, that baseball returned to the Inland Empire with the San Bernardino Spirit. In 1988 the Spirit entered a five-year growth period affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. Many talented young athletes played in San Bernardino on their way to the major leagues, most notably Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Hampton. Griffey spent 58 games in a Spirit uniform on his fast track to Seattle. San Bernardino got into the "Spirit," helping the club set a then-league attendance record, but following the 1992 season the franchise moved to Rancho Cucamonga. Four months later, the Salinas Spurs claimed San Bernardino as its new home, along with the Spirit name. The franchise was soon sold to Dave Elmore and Donna Tuttle. With the vassistance of several major league organizations, the Elmore Sports Group quickly constructed an independent squad for the 1993 season.The Elmore magic has been helping the team ever since. A "blue era" dawned in 1995 when the club became affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That same year, construction on the new stadium began.
A Beautiful New Stadium
After three years of planning and construction, the San Bernardino ball club christened its new home in August, 1996. Originally, the stadium was known simply as The Ranch to tie in with the western-style of the architecture. Arrowhead Credit Union Park, as it is now named, seats 5,000 with grass seating that can accommodate several thousand more fans in comfort. The stadium was designed by HOK, the same firm that created Baltimore's Camden Yards and Coors Field in Denver. The facility has all of the modern amenities, including 12 spacious luxury skybox suites, each with a private outdoor balcony equipped with stadium-style seating, two large outdoor picnic areas that overlook the playing field, a high-tech scoreboard that features a full-color video board, the only one of its kind in the ten-team California League. The seats are all angled toward home plate, so there is not a single bad seat in the house.
Commitment to Community Service
Every member of the 66ers organization knows that the team depends on the surrounding communities for support. Inland Empire citizens are discovering that the team supports them as well. The team has sponsored a baseball league for underprivileged children in conjunction with the San Bernardino Housing Authority and the San Bernardino Police Department. The 66ers have also put together numerous fund raising programs to benefit local foundations and charities in the Inland Empire and will continue to do so, knowing that the team's success is ultimately tied to the success of the local communities and businesses that work with the 66ers.
The Future is Ours
With a shiny new stadium, several championships on the field, and renewed enthusiasm about the 66ers from businesses and citizens alike, the 66ers has established itself as one of the Inland Empire's most popular institutions. The future bodes well for exciting professional baseball and entertainment in the ever-growing Inland Empire.