Saturday’s football game between Montclair State University and William Paterson University was set to be another edition of a classic New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) matchup. This go-around however, the teams came together to pay homage to the history of a once-lost local treasure.
The Red Hawks faced the Pioneers at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson. After closing its doors in 1996, the stadium was revamped and reopened for play in 2023.
For years, Hinchcliffe Stadium laid vacant, growing weeds and collecting dust, even being subject to vandalism. This was until 2018, when newly elected Mayor, André Sayegh, took it upon himself to prioritize the restoration process as he saw what it meant to the city of Paterson.
On Oct. 1, 2019, Paterson’s City Council was finally able to approve an agreement to transform the stadium. It soon became a 7,800-seat athletic facility with a vast amount of amenities, adding a museum to celebrate those who played in the Negro Leagues and the memories they left on the field.
Hinchcliffe is one of the two surviving Negro League ballparks. The historic landmark served as the home of the New York Black Yankees and the New York Black Cubans in the 1930s.
Many legends got to take the field at this stadium, including the likes of Paterson’s own Larry Doby, the first black player to play in the American League, Bob Gibson, Monte Irvin, “Cool Papa” Bell, Judy Johnson, and Satchel Paige.
It is also likely that Jackie Robinson played there with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945. Whether or not Robinson made an appearance, it remains true that there is no shortage of legendary names who have taken the field in Paterson.
The New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League were the first team to play at what is now a fully functioning Hinchliffe Stadium. On Saturday, it will be Montclair State’s turn to make their own memories as they seek to grab their third victory of the season over William Paterson.
Saturday’s game marked the first college football game at the stadium in 80 years. In addition to baseball, the venue has hosted boxing, soccer matches, concerts and auto racing.
Locally, the venue is known for hosting the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between local high school rivals Eastside and John F. Kennedy High School.
If nothing else, through this event, Montclair State and William Paterson both gained the opportunity to honor and recognize a local landmark; one synonymous with the roots of one of the most diverse states in America.
Both Montclair State and William Paterson have incredibly diverse demographics, most of which are from surrounding areas in New Jersey. The town of Montclair also played host to Doby, for four decades until his death.
The stadium was not revived merely to provide a home to an independent league baseball team. Hinchliffe Stadium stands as a place to inform, admire and appreciate a once integral part of a trailblazing community. When the Red Hawks and the Pioneers took the field on Oct. 25, it stood for not just a game, but a testament to the impact that the Negro Leagues had on the trek toward diversity and inclusion in the United States.
