Milbank, SD
Birthplace of American Legion Baseball
The American Legion Baseball league was first proposed at an American Legion state convention in Milbank, South Dakota, in 1925. More than 95 years later, American Legion Baseball continues to be one of the most successful and tradition-rich amateur athletic leagues.
Today, the program has teams in all 50 states plus Canada. Since its inception in
1925, countless Legion Baseball players have gone on to play college and professional baseball, with 68 inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. More than half of current major-league players played Legion Baseball and so did almost every working MLB manager, along with several former commissioners.
In Milbank, the birthplace of American Legion Baseball, the school district owned the original property the Legion ball field was on. In 2018, they decided to expand their school campus, and as a result, the baseball facility was torn down.
The City of Milbank has pledged 1.2 million dollars to jumpstart the building of a new, state of the art baseball facility. They are working together with the community of Milbank and American Legion Post 9 to fund the remaining amount.
This project will not only build a new baseball complex, it will build upon the legacy of Milbank and Legion Baseball to create a memorial that pays respect to the thousands of young men who have participated in the program since 1925.
To find out how you can leave your mark at the birthplace of American Legion Baseball, click below.
