Bradner Stadium • Olean, New York
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Bradner Stadium • Olean, New York According to city records, in 1913, a group of influential and wealthy city residents began discussing Olean's need for its own stadium. In 1919, they formed a private organization called the Olean Park Improvement Association (OPIA). By 1924, they had 40 acres of land. The land included a former basin that was part of the Genesee Valley Canal near the confluence of Olean Creek and the Allegheny River. The basin was used for loading and unloading canal boats and for turning the boats around. In February 1925, OPIA offered the land to the citizens of Olean at cost. Marsha Boardman Bradner and her husband, John Howe Bradner, offered to finance the construction of the stadium. On May 10, 1926, construction of the stadium began. The engineering department of A.G. Spaulding and Brothers designed the stadium and its athletic fields. The design included a baseball diamond, football field, track and tennis courts. Havens Construction Co. of Olean was the general contractor. Bradner Stadium opened June 20, 1927 with a seating capacity of 6,000. Around 1928 James F. "App" Driscoll formed the Olean Nationals baseball team. The team called Bradner Stadium their home until it disbanded in 1938. The Olean Oilers were originally a minor-league baseball team that played in the New York-Pennsylvania League from 1939-1951 and from 1955-1958. During 1939-1956 the Oilers played in the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League. The Oilers were affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the St. Louis Browns and the Philadelphia Phillies. When the Oilers were a farm club for the Dodgers, the Oilers brought regular minor-league baseball games to Olean, along with annual exhibition games featuring the major-league Dodgers. The Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the majors. This year’s exhibition game was held June 8, 1947. Playing first base and batting third, Robinson collected three hits, including a long double, two RBI and a run scored to lead the parent Dodgers to an 8-0 one-hit triumph over the Oilers. The game was played before 4,000 eager fans inside Bradner, many of whom had scaled the fences ticketless just to catch a glimpse of the big-league opponent. Local high schools without athletic facilities would use the stadium for football, baseball and track meets. Community events were held including car shows, flea markets and - of course - the Fourth of July fireworks that have been held annually in Bradner since 1947. The Olean Common Council started major renovations in 1969, which included a new entrance, new lights, and a blacktop sidewalk. In 1970, a $150,000 drainage tile system was installed beneath the field. The true return of major events came when top touring music acts began playing at the stadium. Charlie Daniels, the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, the Four Seasons, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eddie Money and Joan Jett were just a few of the big names that played Bradner Stadium. Mayor David Carucci during his term in office started the renovation process at the stadium. The grandstand, which contained the locker room, was torn down. These efforts created an effect of planned future restorations. In 2009, the semi-professional Southern Tier Diesel of the Northeastern Football Alliance relocated from Wayland to begin play at the stadium. In 2012, the Olean Oilers team was reinvented in the collegiate, wood bat development team with the NYCBL (New York Collegiate Baseball League), which is affiliated with Major League Baseball. Brian and Rene O'Connell moved the Olean Oilers to their historical home at Bradner Stadium in 2014. The Olean Oilers won back-to-back NYCBL championships in 2015 and 2016 with manager Bobby Bell at the helm. Began with Mayor Carucci, continuing through Mayor Linda Witte’s term, and completed during Mayor William Aiello’s term, the Bradner Stadium was constructed into the field of dreams it is today. Renovations included a complete overhaul of the tunnel entrance under East State Street, as well as the installation of a baseball diamond and a permanent dugout. Also completed were the replacement of the original 1925 electrical switchgear and transformers, the installation of safety netting around the backstop area, and the replacement of a dangerous sidewalk around the top walking area of the stadium. Nearly 70 years to the day, an exhibition baseball game made its return to Bradner in the form of the New York Collegiate Baseball League All-Star game, held on July 13, 2017. .