BROWARD COUNTY COMMISSION
NEWS RELEASE
Parks and Recreation Division ▪ 950 N.W. 38th St., Oakland Park, FL 33309
Phone: 954-357-8100 ▪ Fax: 954-561-5359 ▪ www.broward.org/parks
For Immediate Release
Date: October 1, 2009 Phone: 954-357-8115
From: Michael Mills E-mail: mmills@broward.org
Happy Birthday, Brian Piccolo Park!
- Park named after legendary athlete turns 20 -
WHAT: It was 20 years ago in October that Brian Piccolo Park opened, and in those two decades the park has established itself as one of the Parks and Recreation Division’s primary centers for athletic activity. This is only fitting for a park named after one of the top athletes in South Florida history.
By the time he graduated from Fort Lauderdale’s Central Catholic High School (now St. Thomas Aquinas High) in 1961, Piccolo had distinguished himself in both baseball and football, which he also later played at Wake Forest University. (The Piccolo family moved to Fort Lauderdale when Brian was 12.) It was in football that he made his mark, however, going on to play for the Chicago Bears for four seasons before dying of cancer at age 26 in 1970. His story inspired the acclaimed 1971 made-for-TV movie Brian’s Song, with James Caan as Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams as his friend Gale Sayers.
Among Piccolo’s legacies is this 175.2-acre park in Cooper City. Its many athletic facilities include two lighted basketball courts, two cricket fields, four lighted softball fields, four lighted multipurpose fields, three lighted football/soccer fields, a practice field, and four horseshoe courts. There are three biking/jogging paths with lengths of one mile, one and a quarter miles, and two miles. A tennis/racquetball center offers 12 clay tennis courts, six lighted four-wall racquetball courts, and a pro shop.
The park also boasts a velodrome, which opened in March 1992 and comprises a 333.3-meter cycling track and a 200-meter banked track for in-line skating. Bike rentals are available, as well as a variety of programs and classes. The facility regularly hosts national and international competitions. The adjacent skate park, which opened in August 1999, provides 35,000 square feet of wooden ramps and courses for skateboarding, in-line skating, and BMX biking (Monday and Thursday evenings only). Memberships are available.
Other park amenities include one large picnic shelter (capacity 61-90), picnic areas with tables and grills, playgrounds, snack bars, and an 825-square-foot meeting room (capacity 50) available for rental. Fishing is permitted during daylight hours (licenses required for ages 16 and up), with catch-and-release encouraged.
WHERE: Brian Piccolo Park
9501 Sheridan St., Cooper City
954-437-2600
For further information, call the park at 954-437-2600.
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Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in County programs, services, and activities must contact the Special Populations Section at 954-357-8170 or TTY 954-537-2844 at least ten (10) business days prior to the scheduled meeting or event to request an accommodation.
