Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Encyclopedia
Major Expansions and Renovations
- 1926 - "HorseshoeHorseshoeA horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
" built on the north end for US$United States dollarThe 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....
125,000 raising capacity to 40,500 - 1948 - Two L-shaped sections added to the east and west stands, raising seating capacity to 60,130. General contractor for this work was Farnsworth & Chambers Inc. of Houston, Texas.
- 1955 - Lights added
- 1969 - Upper deck added to the west side raising seating capacity to 75,504 when completed in 1972; artificial turfArtificial turfArtificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
applied to field. General contractor for this work was a joint venture of two companies — Darragh & Lyda Inc. of San Antonio, Texas and H. A. Lott, Inc. of Houston, Texas. - 1977 - Track converted from 440 yards to 400 meters (437.4 yds.)
- 1986 - The Vernon F. "Doc" Neuhaus–Darrell K Royal Athletic Center completed at the south end of the stadium at a cost of $7 million; the Center was later renamed the W. A. "Tex" Moncrief, Jr.–V. F. "Doc" Neuhaus Athletic Center in 1997 after Royal's name was added to the stadium
- 1996 - Replacement of the stadium's artificial turf with natural grass (Prescription Athletic Turf); installation of a JumbotronJumbotronA JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
video system; scoreboards retrofitted - 1997 - Fourteen stadium suites added to west side; underside of the stands remodeled, adding a concession plaza and visitors' locker room. In recognition of UT law school alumnus and benefactor Joe JamailJoe JamailJoseph Dahr Jamail, Jr. is a Lebanese American attorney and billionaire. The wealthiest practicing attorney in America, he is frequently referred to as the King of Torts. As of 2011, his net worth was estimated by Forbes to be $1.5 billion, making him the 833rd richest person in the world.Jamail...
, the University named the football playing field Joe Jamail Field. - 1998 - 5,000-seat upper deck added on east side including fifty-two new stadium suites and a 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²) private club room
- 1999 - Track removed; new seats added to the west grandstand and the field was lowered seven feet to accommodate new front-row and field-level seats on the east and west grandstands, bringing capacity to 80,082
- 2002 - Prescription Athletic Turf replaced with TifSport Certified Bermuda grassCynodonCynodon is a genus of nine species of grasses, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Old World. The genus as a whole as well as its species are commonly known as Bermuda Grass or Dog's Tooth Grass.-Species:...
- 2005 - Bellmont Hall, located in the west side of the stadium, was upgraded to meet newer safety codes set by the Austin Fire Department, the upper deck structure received new water sealing, and the Centennial Room and eighth-floor press boxPress boxThe press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box. In general, newspaper writers sit in this box and write about the on-field event as it unfolds...
were expanded at a cost of $15 million. - 2006 - A 7370 square feet (684.7 m²) high-definitionHigh-definition videoHigh-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
DaktronicsDaktronicsDaktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...
LEDLEdLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
scoreboard, nicknamed "GodzillatronGodzillatron"Godzillatron" or "Adzillatron" is the nickname given to the scoreboard at the University of Texas at Austin's Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The official name of the board has not yet been decided; it is simply referred to as the "Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Scoreboard" by the...
", located in the south end zone, was installed as the centerpiece of $8 million worth of audio/visual improvements. The six large flag poles that previously displayed the Six Flags Over TexasSix flags over TexasSix Flags Over Texas is the slogan used to describe the six nations that have had sovereignty over some or all of the current territory of the U.S. state of Texas. This slogan has been incorporated into shopping malls, theme parks , and other enterprises...
were replaced by smaller flags located atop the new screen. The sound system was also updated and smaller video boards were installed on the east and west sides of the stadium. Also, 432 club seats were added to the west side and approximately 4,000 bleacher seats were added behind the south end zone expanding official seating capacity to 85,123. - 2007-2008 - see below
- 2009 - A $27 million project brought a new Football Academic Center, a new Hall of Fame, FieldTurfFieldTurfFieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
replaced the TifSport Certified Bermuda grassCynodonCynodon is a genus of nine species of grasses, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Old World. The genus as a whole as well as its species are commonly known as Bermuda Grass or Dog's Tooth Grass.-Species:...
, and the 4,000 south end temporary bleachers were replaced with the addition of 4,525 permanent bleacher seats bringing capacity to 100,119.
2007–2008 Expansion Projects
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....
149.9 million expansion plan (later increased to $179 million; includes the $15 million 2006 renovations) to include a new memorial plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
and new north end zone structure that was scheduled for completion in August 2008. The new outdoor plaza at the northwest corner is a memorial to veterans, with (the original 1924) bronze tablet honoring Texas World War I deaths, a monument, landscaping, and new stadium entry gates between two 115 feet (35.1 m) towers, like those in the east grandstand. The expansion also consisted of replacing the north end zone structure with a multi-level complex that includes additional seats with an upper deck, club space, suites, athletic offices, academic-advising areas and a basement with gym space. Demolition of the old north end zone began on December 8, 2006. This was necessary to move the north end seating closer to the field. Extremely unpredictable weather patterns, which included historic amounts of rainfall for much of the year and sleet and snow in January and April, delayed construction several times. However, construction crews worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and much of the new lower deck was ready in time for the first game of the 2007 season
2007 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2007 Texas Longhorn football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mack Brown, who received the 2005 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award...
. The south end bleacher seating was expanded for the 2007 season to seat approximately 6,400 fans.
An upper deck was added to the north end zone in time for the 2008 season
2008 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2008 Texas Longhorn football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mack Brown, who has a contract lasting through the 2016 season...
and the temporary south end seating was reduced back to 4,000 since the north end zone expansion was complete. The south end zone also became the new seating location of the Longhorn Band beginning in 2008. Overall, the stadium's official seating capacity increased from 85,123 to 94,113. With a current capacity of 100,119, this is the only 100k+ capacity stadium in the U.S. that is not a fully enclosed bowl, with room for continued large expansion in the south end zone area.
Future south end zone expansion
The final planned phase of the stadium's expansion includes the construction of permanent seating and an upper deck in the south end zone, completely enclosing the playing field. The stadium's seating capacity is expected to be between 115,000 and 120,000 once the south end zone is fully enclosed, which would mean DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium would supplant The University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
's Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
as the largest football stadium in North America. However, the date of the final construction phase to fully enclose the south end zone has not been set nor have any funds been raised.
Top 10 Largest Crowds
| Rank | Date | Attendance | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3, 2011 | 101,624 | Rice |
| 2 | September 25, 2010 | 101,437 | UCLA |
| 3 | November 21, 2009 | 101,357 | Kansas |
| 4 | September 11, 2010 | 101,339 | Wyoming |
| 5 | September 19, 2009 | 101,297 | Texas Tech |
| 6 | October 10, 2009 | 101,152 | Colorado |
| 7 | September 26, 2009 | 101,144 | UTEP |
| 8 | September 5, 2009 | 101,096 | ULM |
| 9 | November 7, 2009 | 101,003 | Central Florida |
| 10 | September 10, 2011 | 100,995 | BYU |
Sources
- Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at The Handbook of Texas OnlineHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
. Retrieved June 16, 2005.
External links
- Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at Mack BrownMack BrownWilliam Mack Brown is head coach of The University of Texas at Austin Longhorn football team.Prior to his head coach position at Texas, Brown was head coach at Appalachian State, Tulane, and North Carolina. Brown is credited with revitalizing the Texas and North Carolina football programs...
Texas Football - Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Timeline at www.Sports-Venue.info
- Microsoft PowerPoint Board of Regents presentation of new construction (also Adobe Acrobat format)