Husky Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the University
of Washington in Seattle, Washington, United States. It has been the home of
the Washington Huskies of the Pacific-12 Conference since 1920, hosting its
football games. The university holds its annual commencement at the stadium in
June. It is located at the southeastern corner of campus, between Montlake
Boulevard N.E. and Union Bay, just north of the Montlake Cut.
The stadium recently completed a $280 million renovation begun in 2011. Its
U-shaped design was specifically oriented to minimize glare from the
early afternoon sun in the athletes' eyes. The open end overlooks scenic Lake
Washington and the Cascade Mountains, including Mount Rainier. Prior to the
2011-13 renovation, its total capacity of 72,500 made it the largest stadium in
the Pacific Northwest and the 23rd largest in college football.
History The original stadium was built in 1920
by Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company with a seating capacity of
30,000. The first game at the stadium was the final game of the 1920 season, a
28-7 loss to Dartmouth on November 27. Husky Stadium replaced Denny Field,
which was located on the north end of upper campus, south of the intersection
of NE 45th St. and 20th Ave. NE. Husky Stadium has gone through four
remodels to expand the seating capacity. Just three years after its construction,
the stadium was the site of President Warren Harding's final address before
his unexpected death. In 1936, 10,000 seats were added around the rim. In
1950, an upper deck of 15,000 covered seats was added to the south side - the
new structure covered a portion of the lower seats.
In 1968, a few thousand more seats were added along the rim. In 1987, 13,000
covered seats were added with the upper deck on the north side. Similar to the
south side with a cantilevered steel roof, this structure also covered a
portion of the lower seats. The 1987 construction project made headlines in
February when the first version of the grandstand collapsed.
Husky Stadium was a primary venue for the 1990 Goodwill Games, where the crowd
saw an address by former President Ronald Reagan, as well as an address by
Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a performance by the Moody Blues & Gorky Park. The
stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the track & field
competition. Following the ceiling tile incident at
the Kingdome in July 1994, Husky Stadium was the temporary home of the Seattle
Seahawks for five games in 1994. After the demolition of the Kingdome in March
2000, the Seahawks played at Husky Stadium for two seasons, 2000 and 2001,
then moved into Seahawks Stadium for the 2002 season.
The playing field at Husky Stadium was originally dirt, replaced with natural
grass in 1938. In 1968, Washington became one of the first major college
teams to play on AstroTurf; at the time the Houston Astrodome and Neyland
Stadium at Tennessee were the only major facilities to use the surface. The
AstroTurf at Husky Stadium was replaced in 1972, 1977, 1987, and 1995. The next
generation of synthetic turf, FieldTurf, was installed in 2000, paid for by the
Seattle Seahawks. The first of its kind in the NFL, the surface was so popular
with the players that the Seahawks, who had planned to use natural grass at what
is now CenturyLink Field, instead installed their own FieldTurf surface in
the new stadium. The university replaced the field after nine seasons in 2009.
In addition to the new playing surface, other improvements were made to the
stadium by the Seahawks before it became an NFL venue for two seasons. A larger
scoreboard, with a 23' x 42' "HuskyTron" video screen, debuted in 1998. Improved
lighting for television, including corner lights, was added in 1999, and
official NFL goalposts in height) were installed in 2000.
During the 1980s and early 1990s the end zones were painted gold. Starting in
1995 the endzones became purple, then were changed to natural green in 2000
with the FieldTurf installation. This last lasted until 2009 when the endzones
reverted to gold. Purple end zones saw a return in the 2010 season. During the
November 18th, 2010 game against UCLA the endzones were painted black to
coincide with the Huskies' first "blackout".
On September 3, 2015 Alaska Airlines purchased naming rights to the field,
naming it Alaska Airlines field at Husky Stadium for $41 million, the largest of
its kind in college athletics. = The Wave =
Many claim that the first audience wave originated in Husky Stadium on Halloween
1981, at the prompting of Dave Hunter. Contrary to Hunter's account, former
Washington yell leader Robb Weller has also claimed credit for the first wave.
Weller was the guest yell-king during the Huskies' homecoming football game
against the Stanford Cardinal. His initial concept for the wave was for it
to travel vertically, from the bottom of the stands to the top, within the UW
student section. He claimed to have done this at games when he was yell king.
When that was met with limited interest, he then came up with the idea to move
the wave from top to bottom. This failed miserably, as it was necessary to turn
backward to see the wave progressing downward. Weller then gave up and
returned his attention to the game. However, some fan named Omar Parker
sitting on the open end of the stadium on the student side started yelling
"sideways". Weller did not hear him, but then many students tried to initiate a
"sideways" wave on their own. After a few attempts, and more yelling of
"sideways" by students, Weller took notice. He instructed the crowd to stand
as he ran past. _He moved along the track toward the open end of the
stadium, explaining to the student crowd what he would do, then ran along the
track toward the closed end of the stadium, in front of the student
section. After a couple of tries, this caught on, and continued around the
entire Husky Stadium, and was repeated throughout the rest of the game and the
season. Longtime UW band director Bill Bissell also claimed co-creator credit
with Weller, suggesting that the wave was devised by both of them prior to the
game. The following week Bill Scott started the wave in Husky Stadium and
then also started it at the Seattle Seahawks professional football game in
the Kingdome and has been a staple of sports ever since.
= Crowd noise = Husky Stadium has long been recognized
as one of the loudest stadiums in the nation. This is in part due to the
stadium's design; almost 70% of the seats are located between the end zones,
covered by cantilevered metal roofs that trap the sound.
At times, the high decibel levels typical of Husky games causes television
cameras to shake. During the 1992 night game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers,
ESPN measured the noise level at over 130 decibels, well above the threshold
of pain. The level reached is the highest noise level ever recorded for a
college football stadium. = Tailgating =
Husky Stadium is unusual in that fans can go to the football games by boat.
There can be upwards of 12,000 more people out on Lake Washington next to
Husky Stadium, some of which stay on the lake the entire weekend camping out.
Right before kickoff, the UW crew team offers shuttles to anyone that wants to
go to and from the boats and docks for the game.
The north and south parking lots are packed with cars and tailgaters. There
is currently controversy surrounding the south parking lot because the Pacific
Interchange Option for expansion to the SR 520 Floating Bridge would effectively
eliminate the south parking lot for tailgating.
Fans also gather at the Dempsey Indoor Facility just north of the stadium for
Husky Huddles. After the game, the Tyee Sports Council and the University of
Washington Athletic Department put on the 5th Quarter where fans can gather
and hear analysis of the game from UW Coaches and Husky Legends, and listen to
the Husky Marching Band. They can also enjoy refreshments and a raffle for
prizes. 2011–2013 renovation
The stadium had developed numerous structural problems, particularly in the
lower bowl, due primarily to having to withstand nine decades of Seattle's
moist weather. In November 2011, Husky Stadium began a $261 million renovation,
with the goal of being completed in time for the 2013 season. The demolition of
the roof began on December 20, 2011. The team played at CenturyLink Field during
the 2012 season. The stadium is the largest single capital project in the
history of the University of Washington. The new Husky Stadium was developed by
Wright Runstad & Company, designed by 360 Architecture, and constructed by
Turner Construction company. The steel decking was supplied by Profile Steel.
The new stadium is the first and primary income source of a completely remodeled
athletic district which includes a new $19 million Husky Ballpark, a new track
and field stadium, renovated soccer stadium, $50 million basketball
operations and practice facility and recently completed projects such as the
Husky Legends Center, the Connibear Shellhouse and Alaska Airlines Arena
renovations, and the construction of the Dempsey Indoor facility. This major
remodel of the athletic village is coinciding with construction for an
underground station for a northern extension of the Link Light Rail system
and a planned replacement of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge.
The stadium project consists of a new grand concourse, individual student
entry and seating section, enclosed west end of the stadium, replacement of
bleachers with individual seating, removal of the track, new press box,
private loge and suite seating, lowering of the field by 4 ft, video and audio
system, football offices, permanent seating in the east end zone, and new
and improved amenities, concession stands and bathrooms throughout.
Previous plans have called for open concourses allowing spectators to still
view the action on the field while browsing the concession stands. The
seating capacity was reduced from 72,500 to 70,138. Despite the reduction in
capacity, it is expected to be as loud as its predecessor; the metal roofs were
retained. Along with the Husky Stadium remodel, new parking garages were
constructed and facilities throughout the athletic village were renovated.
Seattle Seahawks The first residency of the NFL's Seattle
Seahawks at Husky Stadium was due to repairs to the interior ceiling of the
Kingdome in the summer of 1994. The second residency was because of the
demolition of the Kingdome in March 2000. The Seahawks' new stadium,
Seahawks Stadium would take over two years to complete, and was built in the
Kingdome's footprint. NFL exhibition games
Between 1955 and 1975, Husky Stadium hosted 12 NFL preseason games. The San
Francisco 49ers played six times at the stadium, the most of any team. Other
teams to make multiple appearances include the New York Giants, Los Angeles
Rams, Cleveland Browns, and Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals.
At one point after the 1970 NFL season, Ralph Wilson came very close to moving
the Buffalo Bills to Husky Stadium. The threat of relocation prompted the
developers in the Buffalo suburbs to construct what is now Ralph Wilson
Stadium, where the Bills have resided ever since.
References = Further reading =
Condotta, Bob. "Huskies hope this facelift takes them back to the top".
The Seattle Times. Condotta, Bob. "Will tickets to new
Husky Stadium cost a lot more?". The Seattle Times.
Condotta, Bob. "UW athletic director unveils new Husky Stadium drawings". The
Seattle Times. External links
Husky Stadium profile at Washington Huskies official website