Baseball Time in Special Collections

Texas Rangers fans' excitement came to a fever pitch with the final out in the 2023 World Series, clinching the first title for the Arlington baseball club. 

Evan Spencer, a public services archivist, stated to honor that monumental moment in baseball, UTA Libraries Special Collections has a special exhibit on display. The exhibit highlights the club’s history, starting in 1961 as the Washington Senators to the present day. 

"With the Rangers being in the World Series, we decided that we wanted to highlight materials from Special Collections that deal with the Rangers history," Evan said. "We did that by looking back and trying to briefly tell the history of the Rangers, starting with them moving from Washington D.C. to Arlington." 

Evan stated the exhibit features a photograph of Turnpike Stadium, later renamed Arlington Stadium, along with photos from its first Rangers game on April 21, 1972.  

Arlington Stadium was the ball club's home in Texas from 1972 to 1993. The Rangers moved to The Ballpark in Arlington, now Choctaw Stadium, for the 1994 season. 

"Moving forward through time, we have game programs and media guides from the 1980s and 1990s. That gives you a window into what the team was like then," Evan said. "We have got some photographs of Nolan Ryan, obviously one of the best pitchers of all time who played for the Rangers in the 1980s and 1990s." 

The two previous World Series runs in 2010 and 2011 are documented in the exhibit with a program that features American League Championship logos on them. 

"It is awesome to be able to put together something with Special Collection materials that students are especially interested in," he said. "Being able to connect Special Collections materials to that sort of present excitement is awesome." 

The Texas Rangers exhibit is on the sixth floor of the UTA Central Library next to the Special Collections Department. The exhibit will be up through Friday, Nov. 10.   

There are also several photo galleries in the UTA Libraries Digital Gallery that show historic photos of Arlington Stadium and the Texas Rangers. 

If you miss the chance to see the exhibit in person, stop by the Special Collections Department, and they will be glad to show you these important artifacts in the Rangers' history.