Joe Engel

Joe Engel. The Washington Senators professional baseball team named William Joseph “Joe” Engel president of the Chattanooga Lookouts, its farm team, in 1929. By February of 1930 he had a new $150,000 ballpark, Engel Stadium, which was said to be the finest in the Southern League. Engel and his innovative promotional ideas quickly made him a fixture in Chattanooga. He hosted major league exhibition games, a faux “elephant hunt,” house raffles, and even a female pitcher, Jackie Mitchell. Notable players such as Babe Ruth, Harmon Killebrew, Lou Gehrig, “Satchell” Paige, and Ferguson Jenkins all played at Engel Stadium. During Engel's 35-year tenure, he set Southern League attendance records in 28 seasons and saved the team from being sold., Engel Stadium and Andrews Field have a long history with Negro League baseball, dating back to the Chattanooga Black Lookouts in 1920 and 1926-27 and the Chattanooga Choo Choos, circa 1940. Even Willie Mays aspired to play for the Choo Choos; he practiced with them while in high school. In April 1952, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and the Brooklyn Dodgers played the Boston Braves in an exhibition game at Engel Stadium. This was the first time a crowd at Engel had experienced integrated baseball teams. The stands and entrances were segregated, but the fans seemed focused on simply seeing a good baseball game. By 1963 the Chattanooga Lookouts fielded a fully-integrated team.