MINOR LEAGUE

Land Shark Stadium
Miami, FL

Opening in 1987, Land Shark Stadium (then called Joe Robbie Stadium) was the first stadium built primarily for football, and later used permanently for baseball. Miami Dolphins (NFL) owner Joe Robbie first lobbied for a new stadium in 1984 for the Dolphins. After a site was selected, construction began on December 1, 1985. The first football game was played in August of 1987. Three levels of seats enclose the entire stadium. When the stadium was built for the Dolphins, Joe Robbie insisted on a rectangular grandstand layout that was wider than needed for football believing that baseball would possibly come to Miami. The stadium hosted 13 pre season baseball games prior to having a team and has had several names over the years. Originally known as Joe Robbie Stadium, it was renamed Pro Player Stadium in 1996 and renamed Dolphin Stadium in January 2005. In May 2009, the stadium's naming rights were bought by Land Shark Lager, a beer that Jimmy Buffett markets in a deal with Anheuser-Busch.

In 1991, Major League Baseball awarded South Florida a baseball franchise. In order to accommodate baseball several changes were made at Land Shark Stadium. Retractable seating on the north side of the stadium was added, a baseball press box in the southwest corner of the facility was constructed, dugouts were built, and a hydraulic disappearing pitcher's mound was installed. On April 5, 1993, the Florida Marlins played their first game at the stadium.

Land Shark Stadium is one of the most colorful stadiums inside with a total of 75,000 orange and teal seats. The outfield seats in the upper deck were once covered with blue tarps to lessen the effect of having empty seats during the baseball season. Being built mainly for football, the outfield fence has many quirks and crannies in it. An out of town scoreboard makes up the left field fence and two other JumboTron display screens are located in the upper deck. On Saturday nights, fans can be entertained by Latin music and Latin cuisine prior to the game. After Sunday home games, the Marlins allow children to run the bases. Overall, Land Shark Stadium can be a nice place to watch a ballgame except when it rains. Because of its massive size and location, the Marlins would like to have a new ballpark built in downtown Miami. In December 2004, Wayne Huizenga, owner of the Miami Dolphins and the stadium announced that the Marlins would be evicted from the stadium after the 2010 season. Along with renaming the stadium to Dolphins Stadium in January 2005, Huizenga announced major expansion and renovation plans for the stadium. They include remodeling the club level, new scoreboards, better traffic access to the stadium, and eventually a dome or retractable roof. These renovations will total $300 million and will be completed in three phases over the next several years. The second and third phases can not be completed until the Marlins move out of the stadium. Over the past several years, the Marlins have tried continually to get a new ballpark built in the greater Miami area. Several efforts have failed and the team has explored possibly relocating to a new city. However, the team is still trying to work with local officials in building a new ballpark.

BALLPARK MERCHANDISE

2009 Opening Day Land Shark Stadium Poster with Signatures
12"x20" Limited to 2,009

Land Shark Stadium Poster
Sizes Vary, Framed or Unframed

Land Shark Stadium Medallion and Infield Dirt Coin
Limited to 5,000

LAND SHARK STADIUM FACTS AND FIGURES

2009 MARLINS SCHEDULE

LAND SHARK STADIUM PICTURES