A quarter-century ago, AutoZone Park gave Downtown a jump-start
On April 1, 2000, the Redbirds opened AutoZone Park at Third Street and Union Avenue in Downtown Memphis by playing the Cardinals in an exhibition game before a full house. (The Daily Memphian file)
After decades of decline, Downtown started to rebound — and perhaps nothing spurred the comeback quite like the 2000 opening of AutoZone Park at Third and Union. The whole atmosphere changed. Or as now-retired AutoZone executive Ray Pohlman remembers: “Downtown was cool ... it just flourished.”
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AutoZone Park Downtown Memphis Redbirds Ray Pohlman Allie Prescott Paul Young Kevin Kane Craig Unger Ben Johnson Subscriber Only2025 is almost over. Now is the time to support your trusted local news source.
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Don Wade
Don Wade has been a Memphis journalist since 1998 and he has won awards for both his sports and news/feature writing. He is originally from Kansas City and is married with three sons.
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