Shotwell Stadium

Shotwell Stadium is a stadium in Abilene, Texas. It was built in 1959 [ [http://www.acu.edu/sports/football/shotwell.html Shotwell Stadium ] ] , using Rice Stadium as a model. [ [http://www.gochampionsclassic.com/gochampionsclassic/pages/shotwell.html GoFridayNight.com Champions Classic ] ] It was initially named the Public Schools Stadium. The first game played in the Stadium was in the fall of 1959. Shortly after the first season, the stadium was renamed Shotwell Stadium, after the late P.E. “Pete” Shotwell, a longtime football coach at Abilene High School. [ [http://www.aisd.org/information/facilities.asp#stadium AISD - Facilities ] ]

Uses

It is primarily used for American football and soccer. It is also the home field of Abilene Christian University. The stadium has a seating capacity of 15,000 people. In addition to ACU, Shotwell Stadium is also the home field of Abilene High School and Cooper High School football games. The Abilene High/Cooper High rivalry game is played here every year and always fills the stadium.

History

The longest field goal in the history of all levels of organized football was kicked at Shotwell Stadium. On October 16, 1976, Ove Johannson, the Swedish-born placekicker for Abilene Christian University, kicked a 69-yard field goal against East Texas State University in ACU's homecoming win against the Lions. [ [http://www.answers.com/topic/field-goal-football field goal: Information and Much More from Answers.com ] ] [ [http://www.acu.edu/acu-today/fall2001/second-glance.html ACU Today - Fall 2001 Second Glance ] ]

Improvements

In the spring of 2002, the Abilene ISD Board of Trustees approved an exclusive vendor contract with Abtex Beverage Corporation, which provided funding for major renovations to the stadium. The initial upgrades included the installation of SafePlay turf, the latest generation of artificial playing surface for athletic fields. The new turf, drain system, access ramps, goalposts, and other changes were completed in late summer of 2002, in time for the 2002 football season. In August 2003, as a result of corporate sponsorship, a state-of-the-art scoreboard with an integrated color animation screen was installed on the north end. The south end scoreboard was upgraded and integrated with the new scoreboard. As a result, Shotwell Stadium became one of only a few high school stadiums in Texas with two scoreboards. [ [http://www.aisd.org/information/facilities.asp#stadium AISD - Facilities ] ] Soon after, the parking lots were all paved and the dressing rooms were renovated. A new $479,080 40'-wide, 34'-tall scoreboard featuring a 14'x24' high-definition video screen that displays instant replays, AISD messages and advertising, complete with sound, was installed in 2007. It was installed on the north side of the stadium to replace to scoreboard placed 4 years prior, which had not functioned properly. [ [http://reporternews.com/news/2007/jul/13/shotwell-video-screen-to-air-commercials Shotwell video screen to air commercials : High School : West Texas High School Football Teams, Scoreboard and News :Go Friday Night ] ] [ [http://www.reporternews.com/news/2005/jun/17/sports-guide/ Sports Guide : Local News : Abilene Reporter-News ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.abilenevisitors.com/meeting_events/ShotwellStadium.html City of Abilene info on Shotwell Stadium]