Stanford Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the Stanford University campus. It is the
home of the Stanford Cardinal college football team as well as the site of the university's
commencement exercises. It originally opened in 1921 as a football and track stadium, an
earthen horseshoe with wooden bleacher seating and flooring upon a steel frame. Its original
seating capacity was 60,000, which grew to 89,000 by 1927 as a nearly enclosed bowl.
Immediately following the 2005 season, the stadium was demolished and rebuilt as a dual-deck
concrete structure, without a track.
Early history Stanford Stadium was built in four months
and opened its gates on November 19, 1921, replacing Stanford Field. 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. In 1927 14 additional rows of seating were
added, increasing the stadium to its maximum capacity of 85,500, with 80 rows of 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.
NFL In January 1985, Super Bowl XIX was held in
Stanford Stadium, with the Bay Area's own San Francisco 49ers defeating the Miami Dolphins
38–16. Stanford Stadium is one of two venues to host a Super Bowl without previously serving
as the home stadium of an NFL or AFL team. As of 2013, Super Bowl XIX is the only Super
Bowl where the host region saw its team win. 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. Notable events
Other high profile events hosted at Stanford Stadium include Herbert Hoover's acceptance
speech for the 1928 Republican Presidential nomination, and international association
football matches for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the 1999 FIFA
Women's World Cup. The stadium also hosted the 1962 version of the long-running series
of track meets between the United States and the Soviet Union.
1984 Olympic Football matches
1994 FIFA World Cup matches 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup matches
Modern renovations
The stadium has gone a number of significant renovations since the 1920s. In 1960, a press
box was added, while the first, and last synthetic athletics track was installed in 1978.
In 1985, prior to Super Bowl XIX, the press box was renovated, new locker rooms were installed,
a ticket complex and dressing room for game officials were added, and the number of restrooms
were increased. In 1994, prior to the 1994 FIFA World Cup,
the lower level of the press box was expanded and aluminum benches were installed throughout
the stadium. The crown of the playing surface was also reduced.
In 1995, a $10 million gift from Los Angeles insurance executive and 1935 Stanford graduate
Louis W. Foster enabled further updates to the stadium, including widening the concourse,
improving the restrooms, and replacing the remaining wooden seats. In honor of his gift,
Stanford named the playing surface the Louis W. Foster Family Field at Stanford Stadium.
2005-2006 demolition and reconstruction
In June 2005, the university Board of Trustees authorized plans for the stadium's demolition
and reconstruction that would remove the track, reduce the stadium capacity, and bring it
up to date with present standards for sporting venues. Various justifications for the renovation
included poor sightlines in the existing stadium, long stairways, and lack of adequate restroom
facilities. The track around the stadium had previously created a large distance between
the field and the spectators. The capacity of the new stadium was set to
be approximately 50,000 seats made by Ducharme Seating. 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 without sacrificing the ability to host large world-class events,
such as the FIFA World Cup in the future. This was 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. Construction began minutes after the Cardinal's
last home game of the 2005 football season, a 38-31 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. Construction proceeded quickly through the winter and spring
with the goal of opening in time for Stanford's game against San Jose State on September 9,
2006, but the game had to be relocated to San Jose State's Spartan Stadium due to an
unusually wet winter and resulting construction delays. In the summer of 2006, a construction
worker fell 23 feet to his death. The stadium opened on September 16, 2006 with
Stanford losing to Navy 37-9. The Stanford Band was not present at the stadium opening
since they were 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.
The facility occupies 18.4 acres, with a footprint of 601,128 sq ft., a playing surface 29
feet below ground level, and is now a rectangle shape stadium. 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.
In 2013, Stanford upgraded their scoreboards with twin high-definition video boards, making
Stanford Stadium the only stadium in college football with twin HD video boards. Also,
a 1,673-foot ribbon board was added, which displays out-of-town scores and real-time
statistics. References
External links Stanford Cardinal: Stanford Stadium - official
athletics site Oblique aerial photographs of Stanford Stadium