325 VFW Historic Ln, Reno, NV 89509

Jack Tighe Memorial Fields

Park Description:

Jack Tighe Memorial Fields is an 8-acre Reno park with restrooms (opened seasonally: late April-early October weather permitting).

Park Amenities:

Baseball/softball fields.

Park Contact Information:

City of Reno - Parks & Facilities (775) 334-2417

Park Highlights

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Park History

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Ball Fields

The story of the ball fields begins in 1964 when the city first developed a plan for the Jack Tighe Memorial Fields. The first phase included a baseball diamond, as well as a picnic area to serve as a noise buffer between the park and the neighborhood. Reno’s Continental Little League was the first organization to use the field, and they still use it today. League officials, along with Reno city officials, sponsors, and the public attended the dedication ceremony on May 18, 1964.

The park hosted the 1965 Little League Western Regional Tournament. By the next year, the ball field was upgraded with a second Little League field and a Babe Ruth ball field plus fencing, irrigation, and two scoreboards donated by a local business. The original lighting for night games was installed in 1968.

In 1969, the city expanded the park to eight acres by purchasing land behind the Moana swimming pool; the pool no longer exists—it is now part of the parking area. Over the years the city has installed new lighting, restrooms, concession stands, improved scoreboards, and a tee-ball field. Many local businesses have donated free services, equipment, or money for the upkeep and improvement of the field.

Image:
Little League practice. Source: Reno Continental Little League, Facebook.

Jack Tighe

The ball fields are named in honor of Jack Tighe, a prominent sports figure in Reno and friend to youth athletics, who died in a 1963 car accident, the year before the ball fields opened. Tighe was native to Scranton, Pennsylvania, born in 1923. He had a very notable athletic career for much of his life. At Penn State College (now Penn State University) he was most known for his boxing prowess. As a welter and middleweight boxer, he earned and defended his four titles as national champion in the 1940s. He was a lineman on their Sugar Bowl team. As one of the college’s star athletes, he was awarded Outstanding Athlete in 1948.

Tighe served and fought in the Army in WWII and again in the Korean War. He coached boxing for several champions, including Olympians. After arriving in Reno in 1957 he became involved in youth sports as commissioner for Sierra Nevada Amateur Athletic Union and was appointed to the Nevada Athletic Commission. He was named Sportsman of the Year in 1959. Besides sports, he worked for the Universe Life Insurance Co. and had a master’s degree from the University of Illinois.

Image:
Logo for the Amateur Athletic Union.

Moana Hot Springs

The property on which the ball fields reside was once the “world famous” Moana Hot Springs resort. In the early 1900s, people thought the hot mineral springs found under ground in the Truckee Meadows area (and throughout the west) promoted good health. With that in mind, three entrepreneurs opened a health and pleasure resort in 1905 which piped hot mineral water into several pools.

Now all that’s left is the historical marker, which states that the resort was bought by Louis Berrum in 1913 and hosted more than swimming…such as dances, rodeos, boxing matches, trap shoots, circuses, and aviation exhibitions. To cater to many visitors, the Berrum family built a trolley line from downtown Reno.

Reno purchased the property in 1956 and tore down the buildings to create a recreational complex, including an indoor swimming pool. It too was eventually torn down and is now a parking lot.

Image:
Bath house at Moana Springs. Source: Jed Black, The Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection.