Amon G. Carter Stadium
Encyclopedia
Amon G. Carter Stadium is an open-air football stadium
on the campus of Texas Christian University
in Fort Worth, Texas
. It is the home stadium of the TCU Horned Frogs football team
. It was named after Amon G. Carter
, a prominent Fort Worth businessman, newspaper publisher, and city booster.
The stadium in currently undergoing a $
164 million renovation, which began immediately after the 2010 football season and will be completed by the beginning of the 2012 season. A photo gallery of the stadium prior to its demolition and renovation can be found here
The removal of Clark Field necessitated the construction of a new field for athletic competition, especially in the sport of football. TCU played its first season of football in 1896, and since then had built a reputation of excellence garnering national attention, and joined the Southwest Conference in 1923.
In 1928 the school received a generous gift from local newspaper magnate and philanthropist Amon G. Carter
, and in 1930 the school opened Amon G. Carter Stadium, where the TCU football team still plays.
of 22,000. The stadium hosted its first football game on October 11, 1930, when TCU defeated the University of Arkansas
.
Under head coach Dutch Meyer
the TCU football team won a pair of national championships in the 1930's (1935 & 1938) and, despite the school's small enrollment, attendance steadily increased.
The first the expansion of the stadium took place in 1948, with construction raising the capacity by 8,500 to a total of 30,500. In 1951 and 1953, 2,500 and 4,000 more seats were added which raised capacity to 37,000 seats. An upper deck, topped by a two-story press box and highlighted with a large stylized "TCU," was added in 1956. This brought the stadium's capacity to 46,083.
In 1985 and 1991 improvements were made to the seating. This involved replacing the old seats in the lower bowl with aluminum bleachers. The upper-deck seats were later replaced in the same way. This reduced the stadium capacity to 44,008 spectators.
In 1992, the artificial turf, which had been in place since 1973, was replaced with natural grass. In 2002, the David E. Bloxom, Sr. Foundation helped install a new scoreboard and videoboard.
New club seats and luxury suites were added prior to the 2008 season, increasing capacity to 44,358.
" of collegiate football stadiums.
Work on the renovation, which is funded completely by donor support (no bonds nor debt), began with the implosion of the west stands on December 5, 2010. It will be fully completed in 2012 and will cost a total of $164 million.
.
The Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility, completed in 2007, is also located nearby. In August 2011 TCU opened a brand new state of the art weight room and training facility.
vs. Air Force
game; the announced attendance was 47,593.
Previous sell-outs occurred on September 25, 2010 against Baylor
, against the Utah Utes
in 2009, and then on September 16, 2006 when TCU defeated Texas Tech
12–3. Prior to the sellout against Texas Tech, the last sellout at Amon G. Carter was on November 17, 1984, when the 12th-ranked TCU fell to 10th-ranked Texas
in a regionally televised contest on ABC
. The attendance at the 1984 Texas game was listed as 47,280.
The highest ever recorded attendance at Amon G. Carter was 50,307, which occurred in 2009 against the University of Utah.
The Armed Forces Bowl
, previously the Fort Worth Bowl, has been played annually at Amon Carter Stadium since 2003. The bowl game was temporarily moved, however, to SMU's Gerald Ford Stadium in Dallas for the 2010 and 2011 bowl seasons due to the renovation.
Another bowl game, the Fort Worth Classic, was played at Amon Carter Stadium in 1920.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
on the campus of Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. It is the home stadium of the TCU Horned Frogs football team
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
. It was named after Amon G. Carter
Amon G. Carter
Amon G. Carter, Sr. was the creator and publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and a nationally known civic booster for Fort Worth, Texas. A legacy in his will was used to create Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum....
, a prominent Fort Worth businessman, newspaper publisher, and city booster.
The stadium in currently undergoing a $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
164 million renovation, which began immediately after the 2010 football season and will be completed by the beginning of the 2012 season. A photo gallery of the stadium prior to its demolition and renovation can be found here
History
In 1923 TCU received a generous donation from Mary Couts Burnett, the abused widow of a wealthy and well known Texas rancher. The Burnett donation constituted the egg for TCU's endowment. One condition of the Burnett donation was that a portion of it would be used for the construction of a new library, and it was decided to build the Mary Couts Burnett Library on top of the school's athletic field, Clark Field.The removal of Clark Field necessitated the construction of a new field for athletic competition, especially in the sport of football. TCU played its first season of football in 1896, and since then had built a reputation of excellence garnering national attention, and joined the Southwest Conference in 1923.
In 1928 the school received a generous gift from local newspaper magnate and philanthropist Amon G. Carter
Amon G. Carter
Amon G. Carter, Sr. was the creator and publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and a nationally known civic booster for Fort Worth, Texas. A legacy in his will was used to create Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum....
, and in 1930 the school opened Amon G. Carter Stadium, where the TCU football team still plays.
Expansion
Amon Carter stadium was constructed from 1929 to 1930 with an original seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 22,000. The stadium hosted its first football game on October 11, 1930, when TCU defeated the University of Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
.
Under head coach Dutch Meyer
Dutch Meyer
Leo R. "Dutch" Meyer was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Texas Christian University from 1934 to 1952, compiling a record of 109–79–13. His TCU Horned Frogs football teams of 1935 and 1938 have been recognized...
the TCU football team won a pair of national championships in the 1930's (1935 & 1938) and, despite the school's small enrollment, attendance steadily increased.
The first the expansion of the stadium took place in 1948, with construction raising the capacity by 8,500 to a total of 30,500. In 1951 and 1953, 2,500 and 4,000 more seats were added which raised capacity to 37,000 seats. An upper deck, topped by a two-story press box and highlighted with a large stylized "TCU," was added in 1956. This brought the stadium's capacity to 46,083.
In 1985 and 1991 improvements were made to the seating. This involved replacing the old seats in the lower bowl with aluminum bleachers. The upper-deck seats were later replaced in the same way. This reduced the stadium capacity to 44,008 spectators.
In 1992, the artificial turf, which had been in place since 1973, was replaced with natural grass. In 2002, the David E. Bloxom, Sr. Foundation helped install a new scoreboard and videoboard.
New club seats and luxury suites were added prior to the 2008 season, increasing capacity to 44,358.
2010-2012 renovation
In August 2010, TCU announced a $105 million renovation of the west side and north end zone of Amon G. Carter Stadium to better enhance football fans' experience, upgrade amenities and transform the historic Fort Worth icon into the "Camden YardsOriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...
" of collegiate football stadiums.
Work on the renovation, which is funded completely by donor support (no bonds nor debt), began with the implosion of the west stands on December 5, 2010. It will be fully completed in 2012 and will cost a total of $164 million.
Neighboring Facilities
In 2000 TCU completed construction of the nearby John Justin Athletic Facility which houses team offices, lounges, locker rooms, meeting rooms, and a museum housing TCU's many athletic trophies, including Davey O'Brien's Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
.
The Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility, completed in 2007, is also located nearby. In August 2011 TCU opened a brand new state of the art weight room and training facility.
Sellouts
Amon G. Carter Stadium most recently sold out for the October 24th, 2010 TCU2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by tenth year head coach Gary Patterson and played its home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas...
vs. Air Force
Air Force Falcons football
The Air Force Falcons are a college football team from the United States Air Force Academy, located just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA Division I and the Mountain West Conference.-Style:...
game; the announced attendance was 47,593.
Previous sell-outs occurred on September 25, 2010 against Baylor
Baylor Bears football
The Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.-History:...
, against the Utah Utes
Utah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
in 2009, and then on September 16, 2006 when TCU defeated Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders football
Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University . The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
12–3. Prior to the sellout against Texas Tech, the last sellout at Amon G. Carter was on November 17, 1984, when the 12th-ranked TCU fell to 10th-ranked Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
in a regionally televised contest on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The attendance at the 1984 Texas game was listed as 47,280.
The highest ever recorded attendance at Amon G. Carter was 50,307, which occurred in 2009 against the University of Utah.
Bowl Games
Armed Forces Bowl
The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is an annual postseason college football bowl game that was inaugurated in 2003 as the Fort Worth Bowl under corporate sponsorship of PlainsCapital Bank. In 2005, the game was without corporate sponsorship...
, previously the Fort Worth Bowl, has been played annually at Amon Carter Stadium since 2003. The bowl game was temporarily moved, however, to SMU's Gerald Ford Stadium in Dallas for the 2010 and 2011 bowl seasons due to the renovation.
Another bowl game, the Fort Worth Classic, was played at Amon Carter Stadium in 1920.
External links
- Amon G. Carter Stadium at GoFrogs.com