Romney Stadium

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Romney Stadium
nickname =


location = 800 East 1400 North
Logan, UT 84322
broke_ground = 1968
opened = September 14, 1968
renovated = 1999, 2005, 2006
owner = Utah State University
operator = Utah State University
surface = SprinTurf
construction_cost =
architect =
former_names =
tenants = Utah State Aggies (NCAA) (1968-Present) | seating_capacity = 25,513 [ [http://utahstateaggies.cstv.com/school-bio/ust-romneystadium.html utahstateaggies.cstv.com] ]

Romney Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of Utah State University in Logan, Utah. It is the home field of the Utah State Aggies of the Western Athletic Conference. It opened in 1968 and currently has a seating capacity of 25,513.The SprinTurf playing field runs in the traditional north-south configuration, and sits at an elevation of 4710 feet (1435 m) above sea level. [http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=12&X=541&Y=5776&W=3&qs=%7cLogan%7cUT%7c]

Named for E.L. “Dick” Romney, Utah State’s all-time winningest football coach and former athletics director, Romney Stadium was officially dedicated on Sept. 27, 1969. The first game in Romney Stadium history came a season earlier in 1968, when Utah State defeated New Mexico State, 28-12 on September 14th.

There has been one major stadium addition since its opening. Thanks to a massive volunteer effort in 1980, 10,000 seats were added to the southern bowl which brought the capacity to its present figure. Prior to the 1997 season, approximately 4,000 chairback seats replaced wooden bleachers on the west side of the stadium.

Ahead of the 1999 season, new scoreboards were added at each end of the stadium and additional bleacher seats were installed as well. New aluminum bleachers replaced wooden bleachers on the lower sections of the east side of the stadium in 2001. In 2003 that project expanded to the upper sections.

In the summer of 2004, after 46 seasons, the bent bluegrass field was replaced with a state-of-the-art synthetic turf by SprinTurf, similar to FieldTurf. A new press box with luxury suites are planned for the future. In addition, a number of additional improvements are expected as soon as 2007, including a completely new north endzone complex.

The stadium was designed specifically for football with all seats, until the 1980 expansion, located between the 15-yard lines and all directed toward the 50-yard line. The first row of seats on the east, west and south sides are elevated eight-feet above the playing field and within 30 feet of the sidelines.

The glass-enclosed press box, located on the stadium’s west side, was renovated in 1997 and features closed-circuit television monitors for replays. The press box can comfortably accommodate 40 writers with facilities for radio and TV broadcasters.

The stadium was financed by a student body which believed in athletics to the extent of underwriting a special bonding assessment for both Romney Stadium and the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, which serves as home for Utah State’s basketball, gymnastics and volleyball teams. The continuing growth of Utah State’s campus prompted University planners to relocate the original Romney Stadium, which was built in 1927 on the grounds where the Health, Physical Education and Recreation building now stands. That facility was dedicated on Oct. 8, 1927, in recognition of Coach Romney’s lasting contributions to Utah State football. That structure served as Utah State’s home for 41 seasons (1927-67). Utah State played its final game in the old complex on November 11, 1967, as the Aggies defeated Montana, 20-14.

Romney guided the Aggies to four conference championships, compiling a 128-91-16 record (.579) in 29 seasons (1919-48). Over the past 33 seasons, Utah State has compiled a 94-69 mark (.577) winning percentage) in "new" Romney Stadium. Only nine times in the 33-year history of the stadium has Utah State experienced a losing record at home.

Utah State’s largest crowd to witness a game in Romney Stadium was 33,119 in a 45-17 loss to BYU on Oct. 4, 1996.

References

External links

* [http://utahstateaggies.cstv.com/school-bio/ust-romneystadium.html Utah State Aggies.com] - official athletics site - Romney Stadium
* [http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=12&X=541&Y=5776&W=3&qs=%7cLogan%7cUT%7c Terraserver.microsoft.com] - aerial photo (& USGS topo map) of USU campus