The Estadio Francisco Montaner (English: Francisco ("Paquito") Montaner Stadium) is a multi-use stadium

Stadium

A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

 in Ponce

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. It is home to the Leones de Ponce

Leones de Ponce (baseball)

This article is about the Ponce baseball team. For the basketball team of the same name, see Ponce Lions .The Leones de Ponce are a baseball team in the Puerto Rico Baseball League. The organization is based in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The team plays at the Francisco Montaner Stadium...

 team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League (LBPPR) and FC Leones

FC Leones

FC Leones is an association football team in Ponce, Puerto Rico that plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League. Their debut took place during the 2011 season, in which they placed second during the regular season and later, during the Playoffs Cup, became the 2011 PRSL champions.-Players...

 of the Puerto Rico Soccer League

Puerto Rico Soccer League

The Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico. It is the first unified football league in the island's history, and had a total of six teams for the 2011 season. Association football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to...

 (PRSL). The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats. Construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it opened on October 15, 1949. Montaner has the distinction of being the first stadium in Puerto Rico that installed an artificial surface field. The stadium lies next to the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium

Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium

The Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns , formerly, Coliseo Juan Pachín Vicéns, is a sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...

, where the Ponce Lions (basketball)

Ponce Lions (basketball)

The Leones de Ponce are a BSN basketball team based in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Lions are one of the BSN's most successful franchises, having won a total of twelve championships...

 hold their games. The Stadium was named to honor Francisco "Paquito" Montaner

Francisco "Paquito" Montaner

Francisco "Paquito" Montaner was a Puerto Rican pitcher from Ponce. He was the first Puerto Rican baseball player to throw a "no-hitter." He is honored with the name of one of the largest stadiums in Puerto Rico, Francisco Montaner Stadium in Ponce...

, one of the greatest Puerto Rican

Puerto Rican people

A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

 pitchers of all times.

Uses

The PRPBL's regular playing season runs from November through January. From February to August, the venue is transformed into a track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 stadium, and also serves as a venue for other activities such as a host of the Mustang Auto Daredevils. It has also been used for intramural competitions and other academic sporting events. The track is completely covered during baseball season and then it is elevated via a hydraulic system for the track and field events. The stadium is also used for winter training by many United States Major Baseball League

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 players.

Championships

Montaner has seen a total of 12 championships: four in BSN basketball (1952, 1961, 1964 y 1965), one in Double A (AA) baseball in 1957, six in Professional Baseball (68-69, 69-70, 71-72, 81-82, 03-04 and 08-09), and one in football in 2007.

Athletics

Montaner has also seen some great events in athletics. The Primeros Juegos Ponceños, the Frankie Colón Memorial, the Justas Intercolegiales (intercollegiate games), the Central American and Caribbean Games

1993 Central American and Caribbean Games

The 17th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. The Games were held from November 19 to November 30, 1993 and included 3,570 athletes from 32 nations.-Organization and Planning:...

 (“Ponce 93”), and the Iberoamerican Games, all took place here. There have also been athletics competitions at the Masters category and, more recently, the famed Ponce Grand Prix

Ponce Grand Prix

The Ponce Grand Prix de Atletismo is a track and field competition held yearly in Ponce, Puerto Rico at the Francisco Montaner Stadium. The event started in 2007, after the successful hosting of the 2006 Ibero-American Championships.-Competitions:...

.

Other events

For many years Montaner was the venue of the finals of the Guantes Dorados de Boxeo Aficionado (Amateur Boxing

Amateur boxing

Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...

's Golden Gloves), national as well as U.S.-based Professional Wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

 billboard

Billboard

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

s, bull runs, concerts by internationally renowned artists, as well as the site of various major religious conventions.

Baseball

Through Montaner, Ponce has been able to see giants in the world of sports such as Francisco ‘Pancho’ Coímbre

Francisco Coimbre

Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre Atiles , more commonly known as Pancho Coimbre, was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. He was born in the municipality of Coamo and moved to Ponce early in his life. It was in Ponce where he would begin to actively participate in sports, both in sprinting and...

, Felo Guilbe, Tomás ‘Planchardón’ Quiñones, Luis Rodríguez Olmo

Luis Rodríguez Olmo

Luis Francisco Rodríguez Olmo is a former major league baseball outfielder and right-handed batter. Olmo played in the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves .-Early years:...

, ‘Canena’ Márquez, Carlos Bernier, José Guillermo ‘Pantalones’ Santiago, Luis ‘Tite’ Arroyo

Luis Arroyo

Luis Enrique "Tite" Arroyo, , is a former major league baseball pitcher.-Baseball career:Luis Arroyo, from Peñuelas, Puerto Rico, made his Major League Baseball debut on April 20, 1955. A stocky left-hander, he spent one season primarily as a starter with the St. Louis Cardinals...

, Víctor Pellot

Victor Pellot

Victor Pellot a.k.a. "Vic Power" was the second black Puerto Rican to play in Major League Baseball and the first Puerto Rican to play in the American League...

, Roberto Clemente

Roberto Clemente

Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...

, Orlando ‘Peruchín’ Cepeda

Orlando Cepeda

Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes is a former Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first baseman.Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Cepeda, was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, which influenced his interest in the sport from a young age. His first contact with professional baseball was...

, Willie Mays

Willie Mays

Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...

, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...

, José Rafael ‘Palillo’ Santiago, Steve Carlton

Steve Carlton

Steven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...

, John Boozer

John Boozer

John Morgan Boozer was an American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies ....

, Otoniel Vélez Franceschi

Otto Vélez

Otoniel "Otto" Vélez Franceschi was a Major League Baseball outfielder from to . He was nicknamed "The Swatto"....

, Roberto Alomar

Roberto Alomar

Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez is a former Major League Baseball player , regarded by many as one of the best second basemen in MLB history. During his career he won more Gold Gloves than any other second baseman in history, and also won the second-most Silver Slugger Awards for a second...

, Santos Alomar, Sr.

Sandy Alomar, Sr.

Santos "Sandy" Alomar, Sr., or in the Spanish naming system Santos Alomar Conde is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves , New York Mets , Chicago White Sox , California Angels , New York Yankees , and Texas Rangers . Alomar was a...

, José ‘Cheo’ Cruz

José Cruz

José Cruz Dilan is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is also the former first base coach for the Houston Astros. During his 19-year baseball career, he played from 1970-1988 for three different teams, playing primarily for the Astros...

, Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henley Henderson is a former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner...

, José ‘Pepe’ Mangual

Pepe Mangual

José Manuel "Pepe" Mangual Guilbe is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Montreal Expos and New York Mets.-External links:...

, Luis ‘Mambo’ De León, Joey Cora

Joey Cora

Jose Manuel Cora Amaro was a baseball player known as "The Rooster" with an 11 year career in the MLB spanning the years 1987 and 1989-1998. He played for the San Diego Padres of the National League and the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians of the American League...

, Juan ‘Igor’ González, José Vidro

José Vidro

José Angel Vidro is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. Though he never officially retired, Vidro has not played since .-Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals:...

, Iván Rodríguez

Iván Rodríguez

Iván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher...

, José Molina, Raúl Casanova

Raul Casanova

Raul Casanova was a Major League Baseball catcher from 1996 to 2008 with the exception of 1999 and 2006.-Minor leagues:He was drafted 220th overall, in the eighth round of the draft by the New York Mets....

, Javier López

Javier López

Javier Alfonso López is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants. López previously played for the Colorado Rockies , Arizona Diamondbacks , Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates . He is a left-handed specialist known for his sidearm delivery...

, and Javier Vázquez

Javier Vázquez

Javier Carlos Vázquez is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Previously, he pitched for the Florida Marlins , Atlanta Braves , Chicago White Sox , Arizona Diamondbacks , New York Yankees and Montreal Expos . Vázquez was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico...

. Various “No Hit No Run” were played in this stadium, in particular the ones by ‘Pantalones’ Santiago, Hank Behrman

Hank Behrman

Henry Bernard Behrman was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1946-1949 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants...

, José Luis ‘Witito’ Martínez, and the rare “no hitter”, by Giancarlo Alvarado

Giancarlo Alvarado

Giancarlo Alvarado is a former minor league pitcher currently with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan's Central League....

 against the fearful Indios de Mayagüez

Indios de Mayagüez

The Indios de Mayagüez are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League . Normally based in Mayagüez, the Indios have won 16 national championships and two Caribbean World Series...

.

Basketball

When basketball games were also played here (since 1972 they have been played at the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium

Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium

The Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns , formerly, Coliseo Juan Pachín Vicéns, is a sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...

), various games made history.
Fans still remember the very first championship of the Leones de Ponce (baseball)

Leones de Ponce (baseball)

This article is about the Ponce baseball team. For the basketball team of the same name, see Ponce Lions .The Leones de Ponce are a baseball team in the Puerto Rico Baseball League. The organization is based in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The team plays at the Francisco Montaner Stadium...

 in 1952, and the electrifying plays by Tomás ‘Guabina’ Gutiérrez, Antonio ‘Toño’ Morales, “El Barco” Salvador Dijols, Ángel ‘Conejo’ García, César Bocachica, and Joe Hatton

Bobby Joe Hatton

Roberto José Hatton Negron is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. Hatton has most notably played for Marist College in the NCAA and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico with the Arecibo Captains, San Germán Athletics, and the Ponce Lions...

, and the maneuvers by the best Puerto Rican basketball player of all times Juan ‘Pachín’ Vicens, in particular, the night when he became the first player to reach the 5,000 points in Puerto Rican basketball.

Other players

Montaner also witnessed the speed of Juan ‘Papo’ Franceschi, and the techniques of Arnaldo Bristol, Cuban Javier Sotomayor

Javier Sotomayor

Javier Sotomayor Sanabria is a Cuban former track and field athlete who specialized in the high jump and is the current world record holder. The 1992 Olympic champion, he was the dominant high jumper of the 1990s; he is the only person ever to have cleared 8 feet . He is widely regarded as the...

, Reinaldo ‘Pochy’ Oliver, Edgardo Guilbe

Edgardo Guilbe

Edgardo Guilbe is a retired Puerto Rican sprinter who specialized in the 200 metres. His personal best time was 20.53 seconds, achieved in July 1989 in San Juan....

, Emilio Navarro Jr., Félix Martínez

Felix Martínez

Félix Martínez Mata is a former Major League Baseball shortstop for the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.-External links:...

, and Javier Culson

Javier Culson

Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of...

.