Originally built in 1926, Point Stadium has a long and distinguished history as one of Johnstown’s crown jewels. The Point has served as host of the AAABA Tournament since 1945.
In 2018, Sargent’s Group signed a five-year deal with the City of Johnstown for naming rights of the stadium, which now is Sargent’s Stadium at the Point.
The stadium has been home to professional and amateur sporting events as well as concerts and community events. The Point played host to the second night game ever in baseball history on August 4, 1930. U.S. President Harry S. Truman delivered a major speech at the stadium in 1948.
The list of all-time great athletes to have once played at the Point is long. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Pete Vuckovich, Orel Hershiser, John Smoltz, Joe Torre, and Al Kaline are only a few baseball players on the list.
Football Hall of Famer Jack Ham, Pete Duranko, Jeff Hostetler, Geroy Simon, Artrell Hawkins Jr., LaRod Stephens-Howling, Andrew Hawkins and Carlton Haselrig are among the gridiron stars to play at the Point.
The 1983 motion picture “All the Right Moves” starring Tom Cruise, Lea Thompson and Craig T. Nelson was filmed at the Point. The University of Pittsburgh football team used the stadium for training camp scrimmages during the 1980s, and the Pittsburgh Steelers held training camp in Johnstown during the NFL strike year of 1987.
The stadium has been home to several professional baseball teams, most notably the Johnstown Johnnies of the Mid-Atlantic League and later the Johnstown Steal/Johnnies of the Independent Frontier League from 1995 to 2002.
The Point underwent major renovations in 1995 in advance of the Johnstown Steal’s arrival in the city. In 2005, most of the original stadium was demolished and $11 million in renovations led to the opening of the “new” Point for the 2006 AAABA Tournament.
Artificial turf was installed in time for the 2007 AAABA Tournament.
Point Stadium now may hold approximately 7,500 fans in the new design, which included upgrades to the massive left-field wall affectionately known as the “Big Screen Monster” due to its resemblance to Fenway Park’s famous Big Green Monster.
Current dimensions are 290 feet down the left-field line, which includes a massive wall and screen that extends 60 feet; 336 feet in left-center field; 409 feet in center field; 395 feet in right-center field; and 290 feet down the line in right, which includes a fence that extends to the second level, making a short home run more challenging.
Point Stadium also is the home of Bishop McCort Catholic High School athletic teams in football, soccer and baseball, and is the home field for the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown NCAA Division II baseball team.