Sam Boyd Stadium

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Sam Boyd Stadium
nickname =


location = 7000 E Russell Rd
Las Vegas, Nevada 89122-8338
broke_ground = 1927
opened = 1971 (renovated in 1999)
owner =
operator =
surface = FieldTurf (since 2003)
construction_cost = $3.5 million
(most recent renovation: $1.2 million)
former_names = Las Vegas Stadium (1971-77)
Las Vegas Silver Bowl (1978-84)
Sam Boyd Silver Bowl (1984-93)
tenants = UNLV Rebels (NCAA) (1971-Present)
Las Vegas Quicksilvers (NASL) (1977)
Las Vegas Bowl (1992-Present)
Las Vegas Posse (CFL) (1994)
Las Vegas Outlaws (XFL) (2001)
Las Vegas All-American Classic (NCAA) (2004-present)
Las Vegas team (UFL) 2009-
seating_capacity = 36,800 [ [http://unlvrebels.cstv.com/facilities/unlv-m-footbl-boyd.html unlvrebels.cstv.com] ]

Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The stadium is named after Sam Boyd. The stadium consists of an uncovered horseshoe-shaped single-decked bowl. Temporary seating is occasionally erected in the open north end zone as needed. The stadium is the home of the UNLV football team and was the former home of the CFL's Las Vegas Posse and the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws. The Stadium is also used for High School football championship games, and at times regular-season high school games for Bishop Gorman High School.

History

The stadium was completed in 1971 at a cost of $3.5 million. It was originally known as Las Vegas Stadium. The name was changed to the Las Vegas Silver Bowl in 1978 and then Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in 1984 and finally in April 1994 to Sam Boyd Stadium. The seating capacity was 15,000 from 1971 until 1977. The capacity was raised to 32,000 in 1978 and then to 36,800 in 1999. [http://www.cstv.com/printable/schools/unlv/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/unlv-m-footbl-boyd.html]

An $18 million renovation in 1999 raised the seating capacity to 36,800. It hosted the Las Vegas Posse of the CFL in 1994 and the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL in 2001. It was the site of all three Western Athletic Conference title football games (1996-1998). In 1999 it hosted the CONCACAF Champions Cup soccer tournament. Except from 1999 to 2002 the stadium has had an artificial turf surface.

During the 1990's, The Grateful Dead played 14 shows at the venue. [ [http://www.deadbase.com/homebase.html Grateful Dead setlists and more ] ]

Since 2000, the stadium has been home to the USHRA Monster Jam World Finals monster truck event, promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment. It is also home to the Supercross finale.On October 29, 2005, the grounds of the venue were host to the daytime portion of the two-day Vegoose music festival. This festival is an annual event(But will not be taking place in 2008).

Since December 18, 1992, the stadium has been the site of the annual Las Vegas Bowl. In recent years, the game has been very well attended. In 2005, the football team from Brigham Young University made its first postseason appearance since 2001. Excited BYU fans over-filled the stadium; the announced attendance for the 2005 game was a record 40,053 people. The following season, BYU returned to the Las Vegas Bowl as a nationally-ranked team. Additionally seating was arranged at Sam Boyd Stadium for the 2006 game; the resulting attendance of 44,615 was the largest crowd to watch a team sports event in the history of the state of Nevada. In 2007, BYU made its third straight appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl; attendance was 40,712.

In a Friday, February 21, 2008 interview with UFLAccess.com, Sam Boyd Stadium Facility Director Daren Libonati revealed that the proposed United Football League had entered into an agreement to play the league's inaugural championship game – the United Bowl – at Sam Boyd Stadium. Libonati also confirmed that an agreement had been drafted that would allow for a Las Vegas-based United Football League team to play in Sam Boyd Stadium during the UFL's first season, pending an ownership group being selected to control the franchise.

References

External links

* [http://www.cstv.com/printable/schools/unlv/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/unlv-m-footbl-boyd.html UNLV Sam Boyd Stadium reference]