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 OnlyWe’re in the final countdown of 2025. ⌛🪩🎉
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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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