From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stanford Stadium
Location	Galvez Street Stanford, California 94305
Broke ground	1921
Opened	1921 2006 (reopening)
Owner	Stanford University
Operator	Stanford University
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	USD 200,000 (original cost) USD 90 million (2005-06 renovation)
Architect	Hoover and Associates (2005-2006 renovation)
Tenants
Stanford Cardinal (NCAA) (1921-Present)
Capacity
60,000 (1921-1924) 70,200 (1925-1926) 85,500 (1927-2005) 50,000 (2006-present)

Stanford Stadium (capacity 50,000 as of 2006) is a stadium on the Stanford University campus. It was built in 1921 and is the present home for Stanford football.

Contents 1 History 2 2005 Renovation 3 Renovated Venue 4 Image Gallery 5 External links

Built partly in competition with the University of California, Berkeley to see who could build a football stadium first, Stanford Stadium was built in four months and opened its gates on November 19, 1921. The first game was against California, who defeated Stanford 42-7. Seating capacity was originally 60,000, with a 66-row, U-Shaped structure second only to the Yale Bowl in size at the time. In 1925, 10,200 seats were added to the stadium, nearly enclosing the horseshoe while still keeping the overall height of the facility intact. Finally, in 1927, 14 additional rows of seating were added. [1]

Renovations in the mid 1920s increased the Stadium to its maximum capacity of 85,500, with 80 rows of seating. In 1960, a press box was added, while the first, and last athletics track was installed in 1978.

In January of 1985, Super Bowl XIX was held in Stanford Stadium, bringing a renovated press box, increased restroom facilities, and new locker rooms to the venue. (In the game the Bay Area's own San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-16.) Stanford Stadium is one of two venues (the Rose Bowl being the other) to host a Super Bowl without previously serving as the home stadium of an NFL team.

On October 22, 1989 a San Francisco 49ers home game was played here due to damage suffered to Candlestick Park following the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Other high profile events hosted at Stanford Stadium include Herbert Hoover's acceptance speech for the 1928 Republican Presidential nomination, and international soccer matches for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. Each event resulted in additional changes to the stadium, including a new press box and aluminum bench seating.

In 1935, Stanford Stadium set a record for single-game attendance, with 94,000 spectators filling the Stadium for a 13-0 victory over Cal.

In June 2005, the university Board of Trustees authorized plans for the stadium's extensive renovation that would both reduce its size and bring it up to date with present standards for sporting venues. Various justifications for the renovation included poor sightlines in the existing stadium (rendering the bottom 14 rows unusable), long stairways, and lack of adequate restroom facilities.

The capacity of the renovated stadium was set to be approximately 50,000. Work began literally minutes after the Cardinal's last home game of the 2005 football season, a close loss to Notre Dame on November 26. Bulldozers began tearing out the natural field turf in a ceremony held while attendees were still in the stadium for the game.

The reduction in capacity was a strategic decision by Stanford's Athletics Program to boost season ticket sales and create a more intimate playing atmosphere while sacrificing the ability to host large world-class events, such as the FIFA World Cup or NCAA Football Bowl Games in the future. This is partially the result of San Francisco's failure to secure a bid for the 2012 Olympics, which would have featured a renovated Stanford Stadium as the main Olympic Venue.

On June 22, 2006, a construction worker fell 23 feet to his death on site. Emergency personnel responded within 5 minutes, but were unable to revive the worker.

The renovated stadium was originally to make its debut in Stanford's game against San José State on September 9, 2006, but the game had to be relocated to San Jose due to an unusually wet winter and resulting construction delays.

The stadium opened on September 16, with Stanford losing their first game in the new stadium to Navy 37-9. Pre-game festivities included the following:

• Ceremonial "World's Largest Ribbon-Cutting", featuring a stadium-wide card stunt.
• Flyover by Navy Jet Aircraft
• Parachute Jumps by the Official U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs
• Fireworks and other Pyrotechnics

One noticeable omission from the pregame festivities was the Stanford Band, which was not permitted to play at any athletic events in the month of September due to accusations of vandalism to a temporary trailer which formerly served as their rehearsal facility. Instead, the Navy band performed at halftime and played throughout the game, even playing Stanford's fight song on occasion.

As of August 22, 2006, 75% of the Stadium's 50,000 seats were accounted for via season ticket sales, amounting to a 136% increase over the previous year's sales. [2]

The current Stanford Stadium occupies 18.4 acres, with a footprint of 601,128 sq.ft., and a playing surface 29 feet below ground level. The stadium has 43 rows on the sides, 22 rows on the endzones, and 30 rows below the skybox. The skybox also has 437 spectator seats, more than double the number of the previous press box.

During construction in 1921

Artist's Rendering of the venue in the 1920's

View of Hoover Tower from stadium

• Stanford Stadium Homepage, with construction gallery and photos of old stadium
• Stanford Cardinal: Stanford Stadium
• Press Release discussing death of Worker

Coordinates: 37°26′04.32″N, 122°09′40.08″W

	Leland Stanford Junior University
Athletics	Stanford Cardinal • The Stanford Axe • Big Game • The Play • Stanford Stadium • Maples Pavilion • Sunken Diamond • NACDA Director's Cup •

Football Stadiums of the Pacific Ten Conference
Arizona Stadium (Arizona) • Autzen Stadium (Oregon) • Husky Stadium (Washington) • Martin Stadium (Washington State) • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Southern California) • California Memorial Stadium (California) • Reser Stadium (Oregon State) • Rose Bowl (UCLA) • Stanford Stadium (Stanford) • Sun Devil Stadium (Arizona State)

Venues of the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA
Citrus Bowl (Orlando) • Cotton Bowl (Dallas) • Foxboro Stadium (Boston) • Giants Stadium (New York/New Jersey) • Pontiac Silverdome (Detroit) • RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.) • Rose Bowl (Los Angeles) • Soldier Field (Chicago) • Stanford Stadium (San Francisco)