1980 – 1989
1981
Enterprising baseball promoter Art Clarkson, backed by local Birmingham businessmen _____ and Jack Levin, bring the Barons back to Birmingham and Rickwood Field.
Though Clarkson’s eight years at Rickwood were marked by waning attendance and the aging Rickwood Field facility, fans still saw great baseball … and none more impressive than local hero Vincent “Bo” Jackson.
1987
The news that the Barons were moving to a shiny new baseball park in the suburb of Hoover was celebrated by the fans, but also the sad realization that grand old Rickwood, the scene of so much baseball history, would once again sit empty.
1988
Most games were now at night, with Rickwood’s unique light towers casting a unique almost magical glow on the old ballpark.
1988
Birmingham Park Board takes over Rickwood, and leases facility to the Birmingham Board of Education Athletics Department, who hosted high school and middle school baseball and football games.