Memorial Stadium, Lincoln

Memorial Stadium
Tom Osborne Field
Location	10th St. & Stadium Dr. Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
Coordinates	40°49′14.3″N, 96°42′20.3″W
Broke ground	1923
Opened	October 20, 1923
Expanded	1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1998, 2006
Owner	University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Operator	University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Surface	FieldTurf
Construction cost	$430,000 (original structure)
Tenants	Nebraska Cornhuskers (NCAA) (1923–present)
Capacity	85,197

Memorial Stadium is located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, just north of downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. It is the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. The stadium holds an ongoing NCAA-record 288 consecutive sellout crowds; this streak began in 1962. When full, Memorial Stadium holds more people than any Nebraska city except Omaha and Lincoln, a fact that is often used to point out Nebraska's devotion to Husker football. It is even referred to as the Sea of Red. On November 24, 2006, a Memorial Stadium record crowd of 85,800 watched Nebraska play Colorado. In 1987, Memorial Stadium hosted Farm Aid III.

History

In the fall of 1922, a drive for $430,000 in funds to build a new football stadium was undertaken by faculty, students, alumni and friends of the university. The stadium was named Memorial Stadium to honor all Nebraskans who served in the Civil and Spanish-American Wars and the 751 Nebraskans who died in World War I. Later, the stadium would also honor the 3,839 Nebraskans who died in World War II; the 225 in Korea; and the 422 in Vietnam. Construction was completed in just over 90 working days; Memorial Stadium was dedicated on October 20, 1923. Inscribed on the four corners of the stadium are the following words, written by former Nebraska professor of philosophy Hartley Burr Alexander:

• Southeast: "In Commemoration of the men of Nebraska who served and fell in the Nation's Wars."
• Southwest: "Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory."
• Northwest: "Courage; Generosity; Fairness; Honor; In these are the true awards of manly sport."
• Northeast: "Their Lives they held their country's trust; They kept its faith; They died its heroes."

Expansion

The western facade of Memorial Stadium.

The eastern facade of Memorial Stadium.

Memorial Stadium has undergone several phases of expansion and renovation since its original construction. In its original configuration, the stadium consisted of stands on the east and west sidelines; it was modeled after Ohio State's Ohio Stadium; it had a seating capacity of around 31,000. (The east side is still in its original state; it has not been expanded, and the original architecture is still visible from the outside.) A series of four additions between 1964 and 1972 enclosed the stadium by adding seats above the north and south end zones, more than doubling Memorial Stadium's seating capacity to nearly 74,000. A major renovation in 1999 added 42 luxury boxes above the west stands; the stadium was rededicated and the playing surface was renamed after retiring coach Tom Osborne. Osborne, known for his trademark modesty, was notably embarrassed by this gesture. The playing surface was natural grass from its opening in 1923 through the 1969 season. AstroTurf was first installed in 1970, then replaced three times, in 1977, 1984 (with All-Pro Turf), and 1992 (AstroTurf-8) respectively. For the 1999 season, FieldTurf was installed. Memorial Stadium was the first college football stadium in Division I-A to install FieldTurf. A second FieldTurf installation featuring an alternating light green/dark green pattern every five yards was put in place prior to the 2005 season, to coincide with a removal of a fairly significant crown that had been in place prior to that. In 2004, construction began to renovate and expand the north end zone stands. Memorial Stadium now features an additional 13 luxury boxes above the north stands called the "Skyline Suites" and an additional 6,000 seats, increasing seating capacity to 81,067. Nebraska will have the second-largest video screen in college football, at 33 feet (10 m) tall and nearly 40 yards (37 m) wide. (When announced, the scoreboard was to be the largest in college football; since then, the "Godzillatron" built at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium has surpassed it in size. The first night game at Memorial Stadium took place on September 6, 1986, when Nebraska defeated Florida State 34-17. Beginning in the early 1980s, portable lighting had been brought in to allow for delayed kickoffs for late-autumn games shown on national television, usually involving the University of Oklahoma. Permanent lighting did not become a fixture at Memorial Stadium until well into the mid-1990s. It is now common practice for early-season non-conference home games to be played at night due to the late summer heat.

Memorial Stadium Expansions

1923: 31,080, original stadium, with stands on both sides, modeled after Ohio Stadium 1964: 48,000, south end zone bleachers erected, making stadium a horseshoe 1965: 53,000, center section of north end zone bleachers erected. 1966: 62,644, the rest of the north stadium bleachers finished. 1967: 64,170, New Press Box 1972: 73,650, south end zone bleachers extended 1994: 72,700, reduced capacity for handicapped seating, Husker vision installed 1999: 74,056, new press box that included new skyboxes, and club seating. 2000: 73,918, reduced capacity for more club seating. 2006: 85,157, bleachers extended again for north stadium, new skyboxes, new video boards, Tom and Nancy Osborne Training Facility, ADA-compliant seating and additional coaching offices for football and athletic department administration (designed by 360 Architecture in conjunction with The Clark Enersen Partners)

References

External links

• Memorial Stadium - University of Nebraska Athletic Department
  • Memorial Stadium Improvement Project Updates

Coordinates: 40°49′14.3″N, 96°42′20.3″W