For years, the Montclair State baseball team had established itself as one of the premier programs in the “friendly confines” of Pittser Field. But in 1997, a new stadium was built as part of a public/private partnership with Floyd Hall Enterprises and New Jersey’s Educational Facilities Authority, and would eventually be named for Lawrence “Yogi” Berra, the legendary New York Yankee catcher, who is a long time resident of Montclair, NJ. The honor was bestowed upon Berra not only for his unparalleled baseball career but also for his humanitarian work on behalf of disabled children. After serving as the home for the New Jersey Jackals of the Independent Northeast League, the Red Hawks would get their first opportunity to play in their new home on March 26, 1999 against Rensselaer. Sophomore Scott Allan would get the honor of being the starting pitcher in that game which the Red Hawks would win 5-1. Dan Wydner would get the first hit by an MSU player and freshman Brian Ellerson drove in the first Montclair run. The Red Hawks would go 12-9 in the first season at the new ballpark, which would host the NJAC and NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament.

In 2004, the Montclair State indoor track and field team was in the middle of another outstanding season. The Red Hawks, who enjoyed perhaps its best season a year earlier, were poised to duplicate that success when tragedy struck. Gerald “Bennie” Benson, the head coach who had turned MSU into a national-caliber program, passed away from a heart attack at age 36 on February 20. In his nine years of coaching the Red Hawks, Benson quietly built the program into a New Jersey Athletic Conference power with three Division III national title winners, 42 All-Americans, and 50 conference champions. The loss was devastating for the Red Hawks, who were scheduled to compete in the NJAC Indoor Championships less than 48 hours later. Mourning the loss of their beloved coach the team decided to honor their fallen mentor by competing in the conference meet. With heavy hearts, the Red Hawks would do their coach proud as the men’s team finished third overall while individually, Montclair won several events. Senior Ed Hamilton was named the Outstanding Male Track Athlete of the meet as he captured the 400 meters while helping the 1,600-meter relay team to a victory. Sophomore Hashan Johnson won her second straight long jump title as she broke her own meet record. When it came time to vote on the NJAC Men’s Coach of the Year, there would be no discussion as to who would be the recipient. In one of the more touching moments, Benson was unanimously voted. "When it was brought up at the meeting, we all said it would be a hell of a tribute to a hell of a coach,” said then New Jersey City head coach Mark Griffin.