Over sixty non-baseball events were held at Fenway Park in 1932, including football, lacrosse, soccer, boxing and some very interesting wrestling matches. Despite a mid-season managerial change, the Red Sox had another poor season and Fenway Park attendance averaged a paltry few thousand per game in 1932.

The Red Sox

Record: 43-111, 8th in American League
Manager: John F. (Shano) Collins (11-44), Martin J. McManus (32-67)
Attendance: 182,150

At the start of the 1932 season, Red Sox manager Shano Collins proclaimed, "the boys have lost their inferiority complex," but the year began on a tragic note when pitcher Big Ed Morris was fatally stabbed at a spring training send-off and fish-fry in Alabama.

As late as June 3, the Red Sox had still not managed to win two games in a row and had a record of 7-35. On June 13, the team traded star Earl Webb to the Tigers for Dale Alexander and Roy Johnson. Alexander was hitting just .250 at the time of the trade, but caught fire with the Red Sox and ended the season with a league-leading .367 average.

On June 18, Collins called it quits. The team was 11-44 and Collins wired owner Bob Quinn that he was too discouraged to continue. Collins recommended popular second baseman Marty McManus to take his place. Though the team played better for McManus, they only won 43 games, the lowest season total in franchise history. For the ninth time in 11 years the Red Sox finished in last place in the American League, while averaging just 2,365 fans per game at Fenway Park.

On more than one occasion in 1932, The Sporting News editor J.G. Taylor Spink suggested that New York return the favor and turn a couple of good players over to the Red Sox to create more balance. Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert replied, "There is no charity in baseball."

Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park

Fenway Park hosted a tripleheader on September 6, 1932 with three Boston Park Department finals games being played that day.

1932 Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park
July 14	All-Scholastics 2, Milford High 2 (Tie)
September 6	Sullivan Square Palledoes 5, East Boston Neptunes 2 (Boston Park Department Finals)
September 6	Roslindale Tuskaroras 5, Hyde Park Sunnyside A.C. 2 (Boston Park Department Finals)
September 6	Holy Name Midgets 3, Roxbury Cubs 2 (Boston Park Department Finals)
September 10	Filene's 6, Houghton & Dutton 3
September 11	Hyde Park Town Team 5, Sons of Italy 4
September 18	Post Office Clerks Local 100 Team 9, Old-Timers Team 1

More Than a Ballpark™

Starting with the annual war memorial service, 1932 was Fenway Park's busiest year of non-baseball events to date. During the summer, when the Red Sox were on the road, several lacrosse, boxing and wrestling matches were held at the ballpark. The wrestling events were particularly eventful, with a referee being knocked out during the June 22 bout, and an unconscious wrestler (George Myerson) winning his fight on July 20 thanks to an illegal stranglehold applied by his opponent. In the fall, football returned to Fenway Park, including a series of doubleheaders throughout the later months of 1932.

1932 Non-Baseball Events At Fenway Park
May 29	War Memorial Service*
May 29	Boston Shamrock Lacrosse Club Works Out at Fenway
June 2	Boston Shamrocks 9, New York Giants 5 (Lacrosse)
June 9	Boston Shamrocks 13, New York Yankees 3 (Lacrosse)
June 15	Paul Adams Defeats George Myerson (Wrestling)
June 17	Baltimore 7, Boston Shamrocks 5 (Lacrosse)
June 18	Boston Shamrocks 12, New York Giants 7 (Lacrosse)
June 22	Paul Adams Defeats Ted Germaine (Wrestling)
June 28	Ad Zachrow Defeats Nap Proulx (Boxing)
July 7	Leo Larivee Wins over Odonne Piazza (Boxing)
July 12	Paris Apice Defeats Pancho Villa (Boxing)
July 13	Mephisto of Germany Defeats Steve Passas (Wrestling)
July 20	George Myerson Defeats Ted Germaine (Wrestling)
July 26	Leo Larivee Defeats Odonne Piazza in Rematch (Boxing)
August 2	Maxey Rosenbloom Retains Light Heavyweight Crown against Joe Barlow (Boxing)
August 10	Paul Adams Beats Louis Poplin (Wrestling)
August 16	Nap Proulx Beats Manny Davis (Wrestling)
August 23	Dave Shade Beats Norman Conrad (Boxing)
August 24	Mephisto Pins, Defeats Art Flynn (Wrestling)
August 30	Walter Cobb Knocks Out Jack Sigmore in 4th Round (Boxing)
August 31	Steve Passas Defeats Sahib Seibeg (Wrestling)
September 6	Kid Chocolate beats Steve Smith (Boxing)
September 13	"Unknown" Winston Floors Walter Cobb in Second Round (Boxing)
September 27	East Boston 12, Brighton High 0 (Football)
September 27	Roxbury Memorial 6, Charlestown 6 (Football)
September 29	Jamaica Plain 7, Mechanic Arts 0 (Football)
September 29	Trade School 6, Hyde Park High 0 (Football)
September 30	Dorchester High 0, South Boston High 0 (Football)
October 4	Charlestown High 0, High School of Commerce 0 (Football)
October 4	Brighton High 19, Mechanic Arts 0 (Football)
October 5	Hyde Park High 20, Roxbury Memorial 7 (Football)
October 6	East Boston 6, Trade School 0 (Football)
October 6	Jamaica Plain 6, South Boston 0 (Football)
October 7	Boston College High 7, Boston Latin 7 (Football)
October 12	Boston Trade School 7, Boston English 0 (Football)
October 12	Dorchester High 21, Mechanic Arts 0 (Football)
October 13	Hyde Park High 13, Brighton High 0 (Football)
October 13	Roxbury Memorial 7, South Boston High 0 (Football)
October 14	Jamaica Plain High 20, Charlestown High 0 (Football)
October 14	East Boston High 0, High School of Commerce 0 (Football)
October 21	Boston English 6, Roxbury Memorial 0 (Football)
October 21	Dorchester 6, Trade School 0 (Football)
October 25	Boston Latin 16, High School of Commerce 7 (Football)
October 25	Hyde Park High 6, Charlestown High 0 (Football)
October 28	Boston English 7, Charlestown High 0 (Football)
October 28	Roxbury Memorial 0, Jamaica Plain High 0 (Football)
October 31	Hyde Park High 27, South Boston High 0 (Football)
October 31	East Boston High 13, Charlestown High 0 (Football)
November 1	Boston Trade 7, Boston Latin 2 (Football)
November 1	Brighton High 0, Roxbury Memorial High 0 (Football)
November 2	Jamaica Plain 19, Dorchester High 0 (Football)
November 2	High School of Commerce 19, Mechanic Arts 0 (Football)
November 4	Boston English 12, Boston College High 0 (Football)
November 9	High School of Commerce 6, Boston Trade 0 (Football)
November 11	Boston Latin 7, Dorchester High 0 (Football)
November 11	Boston English 19, Mechanical Arts 0 (Football)
November 14	Hyde Park High 0, East Boston High 0 (Football)
November 15	Roxbury Memorial High 6, Dorchester High 0 (Football)
November 16	Boston Latin 33, Mechanical Arts 0 (Football)
November 16	Charlestown High 0, Brighton High 0 (Football)
November 17	High School of Commerce 7, Boston English 6 (Football)
November 21	Boston Trade School 7, Mechanical Arts 6 (Football)
November 22	South Boston High 0, East Boston High 0 (Football)
November 24	Boston Latin 18, Boston English 7 (Football)
November 24	High School of Commerce 12, Dorchester High 0 (Football)
November 27	Providence Steamrollers 3, Pere Marquette 0 (Football)

*Started in the 1910s, a late May memorial service coinciding with the Memorial Day weekend was often held at Fenway Park through the mid-20th Century.