Waldo Stadium

Dwight B. Waldo Stadium
Location	Stadium Dr Kalamazoo, Michigan 49006
Broke ground	1938
Opened	1939
Owner	Western Michigan University
Operator	Western Michigan University
Surface	FieldTurf
Construction cost	$250,000 USD
Former names	Western State Teachers College Field
Tenants	Western Michigan University Broncos (NCAA) (1939-Present)
Capacity	30,200

Waldo Stadium is a stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Western Michigan University Broncos. The stadium was built at a cost of $250,000, and it opened in 1939 with a 6-0 win over Miami University. The cost for Waldo Stadium also included the construction of Hyames Field, the school's baseball stadium directly west of the football field. The stadium is named for Dwight B. Waldo, first president of the school. In 2003, the stadium took on a new look with the completion of the 25 million dollar Donald J. Seelye Center. Also known as the "J", the Seelye Center rises 8 stories and houses an indoor practice field, weight and fitness rooms, and staff offices. It is located on the edge of the northeast endzone, allowing the Seelye club suites to get a view of the game. In a nice twist of fate, the Seelye Center incorporated the existing Oakland Gymnasium into the structure, allowing for a very modern entrance on one side, and a retro style on the other. The location of Waldo Stadium has been home for Western football since 1914. A field, without a stadium or modern seating, existed through 1938, until the construction and completion of the stadium in 1939. It originally included an 8-lane track, which has since moved to Kanley Track across the street. Financing came through private donations, and those who donated were awarded tickets to the inaugural game against Western Kentucky University. Over the years, WMU continued adding seating to the stadium, and a renovation in 1989 pushed the available seats to 30,200[1], its current capacity, which is one more than WMU's rival Central Michigan University's Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Focal renovations have included the Bill Brown Alumni Center and the John Gill pressbox, added to the main seating on the north and south sidelines. A state-of-the-art scoreboard and video screen were also installed in 2003, located at the southwest endzone. It was made possible through a donation from Coca-Cola. A Waldo Stadium-record crowd of 36,361 saw the Broncos defeat Indiana State University 56-0, in 2000. Indiana University was the first Big Ten school to play at Waldo Stadium in 2007. Over 32,000 fans saw IU defeat WMU in a rain-filled night game. Other major conference teams to visit Waldo Stadium are Virginia in 2003, and Virginia Tech in 2002. Waldo Stadium also holds two of the top four home attendance figures in Mid-American Conference history and five of the top 10 home crowds.

External links

• Official Site of Waldo Stadium at WMUBroncos.com (Includes Photo Gallery)
• Sattelite View of Waldo Stadium and Hyames Field, Courtsey of Microsoft TerraServer