10 Never Before Seen Facts on Angel Stadium

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Which of the 10 Never Before Seen Facts on Angel Stadium Anaheim Will Impress You the Most? Those 10 Facts on Angel Stadium Anaheim are…


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10 Never Before Seen Facts on Angel Stadium

Angel Stadium is one of the west coast’s must-visit stadiums every baseball fan has on their bucket list. In fact, the Angels ballpark opened in 1966 and last hosted the All-Star Game in 2010. Any Anaheim fan that bleeds Angels Red will know every information possible, from the team winning the World Series in 2002 to Shohei Ohtani winning the MVP Award in 2021. However, there are new Angel Stadium facts that many baseball supporters never knew or never heard of in their lives. For details on what facts baseball fans rarely knew about, please refer to 10 Never Before Seen Facts on Angel Stadium below!

10: Philadelphia Eagles Practiced at Angel Stadium

During the 2017 season, the Philadelphia Eagles held football practices at Angel Stadium. What were the Eagles practicing at the Angels’ ballpark? Philadelphia came to Anaheim to get ready for the upcoming game vs. Los Angeles Rams at the L.A. Coliseum. Most importantly, the Eagles were on a two-game west coast trip in December where they lost the previous contest vs. Seattle Seahawks 24-10. Instead of flying cross-country to Philadelphia and then heading back out west, the football squad set up shop at Angel Stadium. 

The Angels ballpark proved to be a good luck charm for the Eagles for two things: One is that Philadelphia went on to beat the Rams 43-35. The second thing is that the Eagles went on to capture their first ever Super Bowl title vs. New England Patriots. The rare occurrence for the Eagles playing at Angel Stadium was the first NFL appearance at the ballpark since the Rams played there (1980-1994) before moving to St. Louis. 

9: A Major Earthquake Damaged Angel Stadium

The Halos ballpark has gone through ups and downs throughout its 50+ year existence. In fact, the venue saw a 2002 World Series championship along with three managerial changes since 2018. But did you know that Angel Stadium was hit hard by an earthquake? Well, it all happened in 1994 in a year where the entire baseball playoffs were canceled due to a players’ strike.

In January 1994, a 6.6 earthquake struck the Southern California region that included Los Angeles and Anaheim. The earthquake damaged left field signage and seats, including the “Big A’ sign. Even though the natural disaster resulted in over $3 million in damages, not a single person was injured or killed. This was because both the Angels and the Rams were in their off-seasons. Angel Stadium eventually relocated the “Big A” sign next to the highway and added new signage to left field. 

8: Owners Did Not Know of Life-Sized Mike Trout Bobblehead Until it Came to Angel Stadium

Mike Trout is one of baseball’s most popular players of the 21st century. He won three MVP awards (2014, 2016, 2019), a Rookie of the Year trophy (2012), and earned nine All-Star selections. Believe it or not, the development of the life-sized Mike Trout bobblehead was so top-secret that even the team owners knew about it. Well, this all started when John Rozak (Angels Senior Marketing Manager) attended the “Sourcing Fair” in China.

At the event, he met a structure firm that would make a human-sized bobblehead to honor the MVP winner. The bobblehead, which was made of fiberglass and clay, was soon shipped across the Pacific Ocean in time for the 2015 season. When the life-sized bobblehead arrived at Angel Stadium in Summer 2015, the team owners were surprised as they were not expecting such a structure to be installed in their ballpark. 

7: David Bowie, U2 & Rolling Stones Have Played the Most Shows at Angel Stadium

It is not uncommon that live show concerts are taking place at baseball stadiums. Interestingly, there are teams that previously hosted live music shows. Those teams were the following: Brewers, Cardinals, Rangers, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, and many more. But did you know that British Singer David Bowie as well as European Rock Bands U2 and Rolling Stones have played the most shows at Angel Stadium? 

For David Bowie, he performed in front of a sold-out crowd in 1983 and played two other shows in 1987. Meanwhile, the Bono-led U2 played at Angel Stadium three times in the stadium’s history: 1992 and 2011. Finally, the Rolling Stones played four shows at the ballpark in 1978, 2002, and 2005. By the way, pretty much all of these shows were not a part of the Angels’ Postgame Concert Series. 

6: The Centerfield “California Spectacular” was a Sneak Peak to Disney’s California Adventure Park®

Angel Stadium of Anaheim has all the sights and sounds every baseball fan wants to encounter. Not only can baseball supporters watch the game from the dugout suites, but they can also see the California mountains from the top level. Perhaps the most popular attraction at Angel Stadium is the centerfield geyser structure called “California Spectacular.” The area, which contains a water stream as well as trees and a geyser that shoots out water, was added during the late 1990s. In addition, the structure has a rock formation that is shaped like a “Big A” and shoots out fireworks for every Halos home run and victory. 

But did you know that the “California Spectacular” was built as a preview for the then-constructed theme park Disney’s California Adventure Park®? When Disney® owned the Angels from 1997 until 2005, the media giant wanted to bring a piece of its theme park ambiance to the stadium. When their new theme park opened in the early 2000s, Disney® had a couple sets of rock construction similar to the Angels’ “California Spectacular.” First, there is a mountain with a carved head of a large bear. The next example is that rock construction was incorporated for one of its rides: Radiator Springs Racers®. 

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5: Harlem Globetrotters® Made a Trick Shot at Angel Stadium from the 300 Level

The Harlem Globetrotters® usually play their shows in arenas across the country. The basketball team is known for its gameplay mixed with comedy. But did you know that the Globetrotters® made a rare appearance at Angel Stadium? In early 2017, the team was playing a couple shows at the nearby Honda Center (home of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks). During their stay in the Southern California city, Harlem paid a visit to the Angels ballpark.

One of the players decided to try to make a trick shot from the 300 level. He was trying to make a basketball shot from the highest level of the venue to the basketball hoop located on ground level near home plate. The player threw like a Hail-Mary ball pass, and it landed through the basketball hoop from more than a dozen feet. If anyone noticed the shot, Angel Stadium was being used for the Monster Jam® giant truck show. 

4: Before Angel Stadium, the Site was Used for Farmland

Dodger Stadium occupies land originally used for a housing project, while Wrigley Field takes over the site of the church & priest school. PNC Park sits on the property previously owned by industrial businesses, while Fenway Park lies on the land formerly used by a garbage landfill. But did you know that before Angel Stadium, there used to be a site for agricultural land?

In the years leading up to the 1960s, the property was the home for many superfood crops: corn,  alfalfa vegetables, and oranges. In addition, the farmland was managed by multiple local families. The agricultural land was soon cleared to make way for groundbreaking on the new ballpark in 1964. But today, the use of the “farm” can be seen at Angel Stadium. Located in left field, there’s a seating section called Trout Farm. 

3: The Stanley Cup Made a Rare Appearance at Angel Stadium

Whenever a local hockey team wins the Stanley Cup, they celebrate by having a parade through downtown. But sometimes, the NHL champion would visit a nearby ballpark to bring Lord Stanley and throw out the first pitch. Well, the NHL’s most prized trophy made a rare and surprising appearance at Angel Stadium in 2014.

However, the Kings did not make the trip to Anaheim for the occasion due to territory rights from the Ducks. When Lord Stanley came to Angel Stadium, the trophy sat in the dugout with Halos star Mike Trout. This was not the only time the Stanley Cup appeared in Anaheim as the Ducks won the 2007 NHL Finals vs. Ottawa Senators. 

2: The “Big A” Sign was not Always Located Near the Highway (57 Freeway)

The “Big A” Sign is perhaps the most popular sight to see when driving by the stadium on the highway. The iconic structure is known for lighting the halo feature every time the Angels win at home or on the road. But believe it or not, the “Big A” Sign was not always located near the highway (57 Freeway). In fact, the sign made its debut in the leftfield section of the ballpark. Also, the structure’s appearance was white rather than the red color we see today. The “Big A” 

Sign stood at left field until the Los Angeles Rams moved into Angel Stadium in the early 1980s. The football team wanted to add more seats to the outfield, so the venue relocated the sign outside the ballpark beyond left field. Nearly a decade and a half later, the “Big A” Sign was shifted to its current highway location for two reasons. One was the 1994 earthquake that damaged the left field seating section and signage. Second was when the Rams decided to move to St. Louis in time for the 1995 season. 

1: The Oversized Red Hats at Home Plate Entrance were Originally Blue

When the team renovated Angel Stadium during the 1990s, they added the centerfield rock structure called the “California Spectacular.” And soon afterwards, the ballpark developed an eye-catching home plate entrance with two oversized baseball hats. The red hats would provide shade from Anaheim’s hot summer days as well as sun relief for those who don’t want to get sunburned. Also, the gigantic structures would be used as rain protection in a rare situation where a weather delay occurs.

But when those oversized hats were first added, their original color was blue. That was because the team was branded by Disney® as “Anaheim Angels.” However, the hats were changed to red following the club’s rebrand from blue to red in the early 2000s. 


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