LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The 57th annual Dirt Bowl wrapped up Sunday on the courts at Shawnee Park.
The event, organized by Metro Parks workers, has become a summer tradition that blends high-level basketball with family cookouts, neighborhood pride and west Louisville history.
Players represented their neighborhoods as 34 teams competed.
Founded in 1969 during a time of civil unrest, the grassroots tournament is one of the longest-running outdoor basketball tournaments in the country.
Over the years, legends like Darrell Griffith, Butch Beard, Artis Gilmore and Rajon Rondo have played on its courts. So have hundreds of kids chasing dreams and representing their neighborhoods.
"Louisvillians feel like this is ours," Dirt Bowl organizer Ravon Churchill said. "Hoopers feel like this is ours. You come earn your chops in the Dirt Bowl if you can play basketball. You know, like Louisville and basketball and bourbon and Derby, they all go together, but basketball is right there in that group."
Ahead of last year's annual summer event, vandals damaged the court. Surveillance video showed a black Dodge Challenger doing burnouts on the playing surface early one morning. The vehicle had been reported stolen earlier that morning, according to police.
Metro Parks and Recreation was able to resurface the court last year, and added some new bleacher seats around the area.Â
The most recent upgrade to the park are 5,000-pound stones that not only provide more seating for fans going to watch the Dirt Bowl, but serve as barriers for cars.
The stones, which came from the McAlpine Locks where they once supported the Louisville and Portland Canal, were placed around the court this spring.
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