From Ballpark to Community Hub: The Lasting Legacy of Choctaw Stadium

When the Ballpark in Arlington opened its gates in 1994, it wasn't just a new home for the Texas Rangers. It was a bold architectural statement and a feat of engineering that TDIndustries helped bring to life. The stadium was built in just 24 months, an impressive timeline for a project of its size. The stadium houses more than 52,000 seats and a four-story office complex beyond center field.

The Ballpark in Arlington was a structural achievement. Carbon steel storm risers were hidden within the stadium's steel framework, and design changes were coordinated and implemented on the fly. TD's craftmanship and expertise ensured that functionality met aesthetics. TD Senior Vice President JimBo Bunnell, a superintendent on the project at the time, recalls the unique challenges: "Everything we installed was exposed, so we put a lot of emphasis on quality. We wanted every pipe and piece of equipment to look right, be square with the building, and blend in with the architecture." Safety was also a priority as crews learned to adapt to high-elevation work while implementing rigorous fall protection measures - new territory for many at the time, according to Bunnell, who has been at TDIndustries 46-plus years.

Fast-forwarding to today, the Rangers have made Globe Life Field their new home - another triumph of engineering that TD helped to build and continues to maintain. The Ballpark in Arlington, now called Choctaw Stadium, remains a vibrant part of DFW's city life and culture. Currently, it hosts football for the XFL's Dallas Renegades and local high schools, soccer for North Texas Soccer Club, rugby matches, baseball for UT Arlington and major concerts.

This transformation underscores its enduring value, not just as a ballpark, but as a community hub bringing families and friends together to create lasting memories.