NOTE: The fourth in a series of tracking down lost or forgotten sports venues, trophies and artifacts in the Old Pueblo.
Elysian Grove was the first baseball diamond in Tucson to have grandstands. Located just west of current day Carrillo K-5 Magnet School, Emanuel Drachman constructed the field and the corresponding Pavilion in 1907.
Tucson High practiced and played there as did the University of Arizona in the early days of James Fred “Pop” McKale. The site was torn down in 1930 ending a very important part of Tucson’s past.
In 1909, the World Champions Chicago White Sox defeated an All-Star team from Tucson at Elysian Grove on their way back to Chicago from Spring Training.
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Andy Morales was recognized by the AIA as the top high school reporter in 2014, he was awarded the Ray McNally Award in 2017, a 2019 AZ Education News award winner and he has been a youth, high school and college coach for over 30 years. He was the first in Arizona to write about high school beach volleyball and high school girls wrestling. His own children have won multiple state high school championships and were named to all-state teams. Competing in hockey, basketball, baseball and track & field in high school, his unique perspective can only be found here and on AZPreps365.com. Andy is the Southern Arizona voting member of the Ed Doherty Award, recognizing the top football player in Arizona, and he was named a Local Hero by the Tucson Weekly for 2016. Andy was named an Honorary Flowing Wells Caballero in 2019, became a member of the Sunnyside Los Mezquites Cross Country Hall of Fame in 2021 and he was a member of the Amphi COVID-19 Blue Ribbon Committee and he earned a Distinguished Service Award from Amphitheater. Contact Andy Morales at amoralesmytucson@yahoo.com
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