- War Memorial Stadium (Wyoming)
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War Memorial Stadium "The War" Full name Jonah Field at
War Memorial StadiumFormer names Corbett Field Location E Grand Ave & N 22nd St, Laramie, Wyoming 82071 Coordinates 41°18′42″N 105°34′6″W / 41.31167°N 105.56833°WCoordinates: 41°18′42″N 105°34′6″W / 41.31167°N 105.56833°W Broke ground August 15, 1949 (grounds)
March 1, 1950 (building)Opened September 16, 1950 Renovated 2004, 2010 Expanded 1970, 1977 Owner University of Wyoming Operator University of Wyoming Surface Artificial turf (2005-present)
Grass (1950-2004)Construction cost $1,533,333
(combined with Fieldhouse), (2009-2010 upgrades) $50,000,000+Architect Porter and Bradley General Contractor The Spiegelberg Lumber and Building Company Capacity 29,181 Record attendance 34,745 (Wyoming vs. Colorado St., 1997) Tenants Wyoming Cowboys (NCAA) (1950-present) For other stadiums known as War Memorial Stadium, see War Memorial Stadium.Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the University of Wyoming in Laramie. It is the home field of the Wyoming Cowboys of the Mountain West Conference. It is the highest Division I FBS college football stadium in the nation; the playing field sits at a lofty elevation of 7215 feet (2199 m) above sea level.[1] The next highest Division I FBS stadium is Falcon Stadium at the U.S. Air Force Academy, about 600 feet (182 m) lower in Colorado Springs.
History
War Memorial Stadium was built (along with the War Memorial Fieldhouse) in the spring and summer of 1950. The stadium, which replaced tiny Corbett Field, originally sat 20,000 in grandstands on the east & west sides of the field. In 1970, the western upper deck, containing 5,500 seats and a new press box, was added, and in 1978 the eastern press box and northern bleachers were added, bringing capacity up to 33,500[2]. The playing field runs mostly in the traditional north-south configuration; it is slightly skewed to the NE-SW, about 10 degrees.
In 2001, a new video scoreboard was added, and the bleachers in the north end zone were moved to the south end zone. In 2004, the western stands were refurbished and the press box expanded, bringing the stadium to its current capacity. In 2005, the natural grass at War Memorial Stadium was replaced by infilled artificial turf, similar to FieldTurf. The new surface, known as "Desso Challenge Pro 60 Monofilament Synthetic Turf," is the first of its kind in Division I-A football[3]. The field itself was renamed "Jonah Field" in honor of the Wyoming gas fields owned by the primary benefactors of the turf project, the Martin and McMurry families.
Below the new north end zone scoreboard is a 62" (1.6 m) statue named "Cowboy Tough" by Chris Navarro. "Fanning a Twister", located to the north of the stadium at the main entrance to the athletic complex, is modeled after a photo of Guy Holt riding "Steamboat," the 1909 winner of "Worst Horse" at Frontier Park in Cheyenne.[4] In the 1920s, an equipment manager named Deane Hunton had found the picture. Thinking it embodied the spirit of the athletics program and the cowboy life, he stenciled an outline of it, which has become the familiar logo of the university (also found on state license plates and many other places around the state).[5][6]
In addition to UW home games, the stadium also hosted the WHSAA State Football Championships in 2009 and 2010. [7][8]
Capacity was reduced in 2004 to 32,580[9], in 2007 to 30,514[10]. Before the 2010 season, the new Wildcatter Stadium Club and Suites opened and capacity was reduced to 29,181. The Wildcatter features 12 individual suites along with a stadium-club area that contains 256 indoor seats[11].
References
- ^ Topographic map - UW campus from USGS The National Map
- ^ http://www.wyomingathletics.com/trads/50-facts.html
- ^ Wyoming Athletics.com - 2005 turf project - 2005-04-22
- ^ Art Inventories Catalog: "Fanning a Twister"
- ^ MacCambridge, Michael, ed. ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. New York: Hyperion Books, 2005. Pg. 1026.
- ^ 2006 Wyoming Cowboys Football Media Guide, pgs. 6-18.
- ^ Casper Star Tribune, WHSAA opens football championships to bid
- ^ Casper Star Tribune, WHSAA moves '09 football finals to Laramie
- ^ Michael C. Lewis (November 11, 2004). "Utah's punt block attempt irritates Lubick, Rams". Salt Lake Tribune. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SLTB&p_theme=sltb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=106591338BDB74DC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
- ^ "UW-Virginia game a sellout". Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. August 31, 2007. http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2007/08/31/local_news_updates/16local_08-31-07.txt. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
- ^ University of Wyoming Official Athletic Site, Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium
External links
Football stadiums of the Mountain West Conference Falcon Stadium (Air Force) • Bronco Stadium (Boise State) • Hughes Stadium (Colorado State) • University Stadium (New Mexico) • Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego State) • Amon G. Carter Stadium (TCU) • Sam Boyd Stadium (UNLV) • War Memorial Stadium (Wyoming)
College football venues in Wyoming Division I
FBSMountain West War Memorial Stadium (Wyoming)
Categories:- College football venues
- Wyoming Cowboys football
- Sports venues in Wyoming
- Laramie, Wyoming
- Buildings and structures in Albany County, Wyoming
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