DANVILLE, IL (Chambana Today) – Grab yourself some Cracker Jacks, popcorn and a cold beverage and come on out to Danville Stadium to enjoy a family fun tradition and root for the home team with the Danville Dans.
The Dans have been a major source of historic family fun dating back to 1947. Along with that — comes a lot of history, not only for the Dans, but for Danville Stadium itself. The two, go hand-in-hand, and the people of Danville and Vermilion County, enjoy this time-honored past time.
The team, originally named the Danville Dodgers, started their humble beginning with the help of Robert “Kish” Bookwalter who decided it was time to build a stadium in 1945 and chose Danville as the place.
His vision became reality after what became known as the Black Sox scandal of 1919. Kish was acquainted with baseball’s first ever commissioner, Kenesaw “Mountain” Landis who made an agreement with Kish to find a location to build a minor league stadium in the Midwest. The pay-off? Landis promised to bring the Brooklyn Dodgers Farm Club to play, said Jeanie Cooke, Co-owner of the Danville Dans.
Cooke said that Landis became commissioner because of all the cheating going on in baseball at the time. “It nearly collapsed the game, so he wanted to start his own minor league.” That’s when Danville Stadium was born and the beginning of the Danville team.
In 1947, rising new minor league players, who later went on to the Majors, came and played at Danville Stadium just as promised, with the likes of Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider and Gil Hodges, all who in later years, became Baseball Hall of Famers.
Since the beginning of the team, many young new players that have called Danville Stadium their home, have gone on to the major leagues where their names have also been recognized on a wall at the stadium. Those players include, most notably, Jason Anderson, a Dan (1998-99) and a Danville native who played for the Yankees and the Mets, Chris Coghan, (2004) who played for the Cubs, Marlins, A’s, and Toronto Blue Jays. Zach Walters, a 2008 Dan, played for the Indians, the Dodgers, the Rockies, White Sox, Padres and the Braves. Jon Knott, (1999) played for the Padres.
The Danville Dans are part of the Collegiate summer Prospect League (College team), where approximately 32 young men come from around the country and chosen by their coaches. Dans games have brought crowds of over 4,000 fans at one game.
In the 1980’s Danville Stadium fell in dis-repair where the stadium fell silent for several years, until Cook and partner/co-owner Rick Kurth, found a way to help bring the love of baseball back to the stadium and fans with a partnership with the City of Danville in 1988, who owns the Stadium. Baseball then made its return full force to the fans and players alike.
“After all these years, we’re still going strong,” Cooke said “With thanks to the City of Danville, our mayor and local legislators, we were able to do a total renovation of the building under the stands starting in May, which included new locker rooms for the players and new restrooms. That’s wonderful for our players and for the public. We are thankful for that, she’s come a long way,” she added.
Cooke said the reason that baseball and the stadium has lasted so long, is because of community support. “The fans are very important to keeping the history of the team and Danville Stadium going.”