1987 Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins star in Ron Shelton's Bull Durham, most of which is filmed at DAP and surrounding Triangle locations. The movie's release in 1988 brings the Durham Bulls national attention. After months of talks, a 10.28-acre site occupied by University Ford on the southern edge of downtown Durham emerges as the city's favored location to build a new ballpark. The 4-0 win is believed to be the only opening day perfect game in the history of organized baseball. June 1989 City agrees to pay for a new ballpark using certificates of participation.
Voters reject the bond issue for the new stadium.
Wolff grants Jim Goodmon, president of Capital Broadcasting Co., an option to buy the Bulls. Goodmon announces plans to move the Durham Bulls to Triangle Central Park, a sports complex he envisions in eastern Durham County, near the Raleigh-Durham Int. A crowd of 6,202 at DAP pushes Durham's attendance to 300,499, the first Carolina League team ever to pass the 300,000 mark. Their application fails to make the first cut in January 1991. March 1991 Goodmon, after purchasing the Bulls from Wolff, shifts the site for the new ballpark a half-mile to the east, onto land recently annexed by Raleigh, after Durham refuses to support a regionally financed ballpark located in Triangle Central Park.