History
The stadium opened on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1937, and was completed and named for Mayor J. Fred Manning in June 1938. It was home to Lynn's high schools and hosted NFL exhibitions, including the Boston Yanks' 1945 win over the champion Giants, as well as the Harry Agganis All-Star Classic.
The last game was played on November 25, 2004. The Manning Bowl was demolished in 2005 and Manning Field was built on the site.
Why it matters: Large municipal football bowl that hosted pro exhibitions and the first televised high school football.
Timeline
- November 24, 1937Opened[1]
English beat Classical 13-6 in the Thanksgiving game that opened the stadium.
- June 21, 1938Completed and named[1]
The stadium was completed and named for Mayor J. Fred Manning.
- September 18, 1945Boston Yanks beat Giants[1]
The Boston Yanks beat the NFL champion New York Giants 14-3.
- 1948Televised high school football[1]
Lynn became the first city to televise high school football.
- November 25, 2004Final game[1]
English beat Classical 28-8 in the last game.
- 2005Demolished[1]
The stadium was demolished.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Manning Field, built on the same site |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Lynn Classical High School | 1937–2004 |
|---|---|
| Lynn English High School | 1937–2004 |
| Boston Rovers | 1967 |
| Bay State Titans | 1990 |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Location | 76 Locust St, Lynn, Massachusetts, Lynn, Massachusetts[1] |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Football, Soccer |
| Level | High school, NFL (exhibitions) |
| Opened | November 24, 1937[1] |
| Last used for sports | November 25, 2004[1] |
| Demolished | 2005[1] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Final capacity | 21,000[1] |
| Closure | Demolished and replaced by Manning Field. |
Documented details
- The Chicago Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 there in the 1959 Cardinal Cushing Charity Game.[1]
Sources
- Manning Bowl, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, coordinates, demolished, events, opened, teams
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- The Holy Cross-Dartmouth game is dated September 26, 1953 in the text but its citation is dated September 27, 1953.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.