National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Jul 1, 2010 9:13:49 AM

OMAHA, Nebraska – The Division I Baseball Committee believed it was important for the 2010 Men's College World Series to pay the proper respect to the emotional ties that the citizens of Omaha have for Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.

That mission was accomplished when the last run of the CWS crossed the plate in the bottom of the 11th inning of South Carolina's 2-1 win over UCLA Tuesday night. Rosenblatt's 60-year tie to the College World Series ended with excitement – and dignity.

Throughout this year's CWS, the recurring theme of honoring the past while holding a top-caliber NCAA championship for the current players was evident.

For example, a Legends Team was announced, individuals who worked tirelessly behind the scenes were honored, and eight members of Texas and Washington State teams who played in the first final at the stadium in 1950 were saluted.

"Our committee was aware of the nostalgia and the bittersweet feelings the fans experienced this year," said chair Tim Weiser, deputy commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. "We understand the difficulty of letting go of something that has been so familiar and comfortable for a long time."

The finality of this year's CWS made everyone more aware of the surroundings and atmosphere that has occurred in Rosenblatt.

Weiser said committee member Chris Monasch, director of athletics at St. John's, walked around Rosenblatt to take a good look around.

The walk confirmed that there isn't a bad seat in the stadium, and he also noticed how many kids were in attendance.

"From my days as an athletics director, I was constantly worried about how you create the next generation of fans," said Weiser, who has guided the athletics departments at Austin Peay, Eastern Michigan, Colorado State and Kansas State in his career. "The next generation of fans appears to exist here. They will have memories of Rosenblatt, and they will be in position to develop memories of the new stadium. That's an important piece of the event going forward."

All the coaches and players who competed in the 2010 event were aware of the uniqueness of advancing to this stage for the last CWS in Rosenblatt.

"I was sitting down the third-base line for the opening ceremonies with the other teams," said South Carolina coach Ray Tanner. "I was thinking, ‘What an atmosphere and what a history.' It dawned on me that it would be wonderful to go deep in this (tournament) and be around for the end."

Tanner and his team lived that moment by capturing their program's first NCAA baseball championship.

National runner-up UCLA left disappointed, but the Bruins headed home knowing they also were part of history.

"Every coach's dream is to coach in Omaha at Rosenblatt Stadium," said UCLA's John Savage. "Being able to come here in the last year it is held in this venue was a dream come true for our players, fans, our families and our coaching staff."

Rosenblatt, which held a sellout 24,390 fans for its final CWS game, will still be in use for several months. The Omaha Royals will finish their Pacific Coast League season, and the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League will play there in the fall.

But plans call for Rosenblatt to be torn down. The Omaha zoo has plans to create a scaled-down version of the park that will likely be the size of a Little League park.

The CWS will be played at 24,000-seat TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in 2011. Creighton will use the new facility for its home games, and the UFL team will also call the stadium home.

"It is important to remember that they call this ‘The Road to Omaha,' for a reason," said Jack Diesing, Jr., president of local organizing committee College World Series, Inc. "It is a win-win situation for the community. The zoo is the largest tourist attraction in the state, and they have a plan to honor the memories everyone has from time spent in the stadium. This year was a celebration of what we've accomplished to date."

Weiser added: "Change is the one constant in all our lives. Next year at this time we'll be talking about the great new stadium and building the new memories there. I'm fortunate to have the experience of being the last chair on the committee for the last one to be played at the old stadium, and I'll be chair when the first one is played at the new stadium."