Paterson Field
Montgomery, AL
Review by Gary
The Montgomery Rebels nickname was used by many minor league franchises in numerous leagues from the early 1900s until 1980. After playing at Cramton Bowl right across the street since 1938, the Double-A Rebels would move into their new baseball-only stadium after the 1949 season and play here for the better part of 30 seasons (1950–1962; 1965–1980). Originally built to hold 5,000 Rebellious fans when it opened in 1949, Paterson Field would expand its seating to 7,500 in 1953.
The Rebellion achieved acclaim in the mid-1980s, when the 1984 Tigers would go on to win the World Series, led by Rebel alumni and future Tiger Hall of Famers Jack Morris, Lou Whitaker, and Alan Trammell. In 1975, pitching phenom Mark Fidrych would don the Rebel kit for a year before earning the American League Rookie of the Year as a Tiger in 1976.
With a short fence of 380’ to center field, Paterson Field is an inviting ballpark for home run hitters. The grass field and grounds are nicely cared for by the city. The Rebels departed for Birmingham’s legendary Rickwood Field to become the Barons in 1981. The stadium remained mostly unused until 1985, when the NCAA began to hold its Division II baseball championships here. That annual event was played at Paterson thru 2004 when the tournament moved to the new digs down the street at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium (Dabos Park).
Paterson Field’s concourse is close to the main parking lot and is entirely covered. The ticket booth and concessions are underneath the grandstand. When built, wood seats were covered by a roof behind home plate. Both the deteriorating roof and seats were removed in 2001 and aluminum bleachers and some individual reserved seats were installed. These renovations reduced the now-roofless stadium’s capacity to 6,000, making the ballpark a suitable place to host high school and college baseball.
A smallish press box sits atop the seating, which is divided by a walkway that runs around the entirety of the raised grandstand. All the seating at Paterson Field runs from first to third base and overlooks a tree-lined outfield. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the stadium to recognize the history of the Rebels nor the future Tigers who played here for thirty years. For that, one must drive a few blocks toward the Montgomery riverfront district to see some of that history at the current home of the Montgomery Biscuits. Thanks to the stadium groundskeepers for letting me perambulate around Paterson Field to imagine seeing all those greats play here.
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2026
305
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