Fisher Field
Encyclopedia
Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium is a 13,132-seat multi-purpose stadium
in Easton, Pennsylvania
, United States. It opened in 1926 and it is home to the Lafayette College
Leopards football team
. Fisher Field, this past year, was voted the best gameday atmosphere in the Patriot League. A popular figure to Lafayette athletics is public-address announcer Jim Finnen. Finnen's silky smooth voice is famous, and just one of the many popular features of Fisher Field.
During 2006 and 2007 Fisher Field underwent a $23-million renovation. It reopened in time for the 2006 college football
season complete with new seating, JumboTron
, a new press box, FieldTurf
, and field lighting. Construction of a Football Varsity House beyond the western endzone commenced in Fall 2006 and was completed before the 2007 season. The renovations have made the stadium one of the best venues in all Division I-AA Football.
On September 1, 2007, Lafayette opened its season hosting the first ever night football game at Fisher Field. Lafayette throttled Marist College
of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
49-10. The win was capped with a fireworks display.
as part of the High School Showcase
(it was the last Thanksgiving high school football game ESPN has aired to date). Easton won that game, 100th meeting of the two cross-state teams, 21-7.
The facility seats 13,132, with additional seating for 2,075 added for the Nov. 18 meeting with Lehigh, which raised the capacity to 15,207.
Erected in 1926, Fisher Field was named for Thomas Fisher, Lafayette College Class of 1888, who almost single-handedly raised the $445,000 needed for construction through fund-raising efforts and a sizable personal contribution.
The first football game played in the 18,000-seat structure came on September 25, 1926, with a 35-0 Leopard victory over Muhlenberg College
.
Now entering its 72nd season, Fisher Field has been host to 343 Lafayette football games with the Leopards enjoying an overall record of 208 wins, 122 losses and 13 ties for a winning percentage of 62.5%. Of the previous 71 seasons, Lafayette has produced 12 undefeated home seasons with the most recent being the 1992 Patriot League champion Leopards that went a perfect 5-0—the first undefeated home season for Lafayette at Fisher Field since 1970. During the 1992 and 1993 seasons, Lafayette won 10 straight home games, tying the Fisher Field school record for consecutive wins first set by the 1926 and 1927 squads in the first 10 games ever played in the stadium.
In 1973, during the construction of Allan P. Kirby Field House, more than 4,500 seats were removed from the north stands to make room for the structure. Presently, Fisher Field has a permanent seating capacity
of 13,750 (12,000 in the south stands and 1,750 in the north).
Many times, when Lafayette College is host for The Rivalry with Lehigh University
every other year, more than 3,500 temporary seats are erected to accommodate the sellout crowd of 17,000. In the most recent event at Fisher Field, Lafayette lost the 2008 contest to Lehigh by a score of 31-15.
The Leopards posted their inaugural victory at Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium on Nov. 11, 2006, when Lafayette defeated Georgetown, 45-14. Lafayette wide receiver Joe Ort set the single-game school record with 274 yards receiving in that contest.
, due to the stadium being located on campus. There has also been criticism about the lack of restroom facilities on the away side of the stadium, however with the extensive renovations in '06, that has become less of an issue.
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
in Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
, United States. It opened in 1926 and it is home to the Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
Leopards football team
Lafayette Leopards football
The Lafayette Leopards football program represents Lafayette College in college football. One of the oldest college football programs in the United States, Lafayette currently plays in the Patriot League at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level...
. Fisher Field, this past year, was voted the best gameday atmosphere in the Patriot League. A popular figure to Lafayette athletics is public-address announcer Jim Finnen. Finnen's silky smooth voice is famous, and just one of the many popular features of Fisher Field.
During 2006 and 2007 Fisher Field underwent a $23-million renovation. It reopened in time for the 2006 college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season complete with new seating, JumboTron
Jumbotron
A 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...
, a new press box, FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf 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...
, and field lighting. Construction of a Football Varsity House beyond the western endzone commenced in Fall 2006 and was completed before the 2007 season. The renovations have made the stadium one of the best venues in all Division I-AA Football.
On September 1, 2007, Lafayette opened its season hosting the first ever night football game at Fisher Field. Lafayette throttled Marist College
Marist College
Marist College is a private liberal arts college on the east bank of the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, New York. The site was established in 1905 by Marist Brothers, and the college was chartered in 1929...
of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. MAAC teams compete in the NCAA's Division I. Most of the members are Catholic or formerly Catholic institutions; the only exception is the private but secular Rider...
49-10. The win was capped with a fireworks display.
Hosting the Easton-Phillipsburg game
Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium acts as neutral site for the traditional high school football rivalry between Easton Area High School and Phillipsburg High School. the 2006 edition was televised nationally on ESPN2ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
as part of the High School Showcase
High School Showcase
High School Showcase, known under its corporate sponsored name as the GEICO High School Showcase, is a presentation of high school football and high school basketball on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.. Since debuting in 2005, it primarily airs on Friday at 8pm ET on ESPNU, following ESPNU Recruiting...
(it was the last Thanksgiving high school football game ESPN has aired to date). Easton won that game, 100th meeting of the two cross-state teams, 21-7.
History
Lafayette's Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium, where the College's home football games have been played since 1926, has undergone a major $23 million transformation. New spectator seating has been built throughout the venue, including chair back seating in select areas, and additional visitor seating has been added. A state-of-the-art FieldTurf surface, lights, and a press box have been installed, and improved restroom and vending areas were also included. A 19-by-35 foot video matrix board, located in the northwest corner of the stadium, provides the Lafayette Sports Network telecast of the game and also features premium "in-house" entertainment for Leopard fans.The facility seats 13,132, with additional seating for 2,075 added for the Nov. 18 meeting with Lehigh, which raised the capacity to 15,207.
Erected in 1926, Fisher Field was named for Thomas Fisher, Lafayette College Class of 1888, who almost single-handedly raised the $445,000 needed for construction through fund-raising efforts and a sizable personal contribution.
The first football game played in the 18,000-seat structure came on September 25, 1926, with a 35-0 Leopard victory over Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
.
Now entering its 72nd season, Fisher Field has been host to 343 Lafayette football games with the Leopards enjoying an overall record of 208 wins, 122 losses and 13 ties for a winning percentage of 62.5%. Of the previous 71 seasons, Lafayette has produced 12 undefeated home seasons with the most recent being the 1992 Patriot League champion Leopards that went a perfect 5-0—the first undefeated home season for Lafayette at Fisher Field since 1970. During the 1992 and 1993 seasons, Lafayette won 10 straight home games, tying the Fisher Field school record for consecutive wins first set by the 1926 and 1927 squads in the first 10 games ever played in the stadium.
In 1973, during the construction of Allan P. Kirby Field House, more than 4,500 seats were removed from the north stands to make room for the structure. Presently, Fisher Field has a permanent seating capacity
Seating 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 13,750 (12,000 in the south stands and 1,750 in the north).
Many times, when Lafayette College is host for The Rivalry with Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
every other year, more than 3,500 temporary seats are erected to accommodate the sellout crowd of 17,000. In the most recent event at Fisher Field, Lafayette lost the 2008 contest to Lehigh by a score of 31-15.
The Leopards posted their inaugural victory at Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium on Nov. 11, 2006, when Lafayette defeated Georgetown, 45-14. Lafayette wide receiver Joe Ort set the single-game school record with 274 yards receiving in that contest.
Criticism
Parking is traditionally a problem during games with high attendance, such as "The Rivalry", versus Lehigh UniversityLehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
, due to the stadium being located on campus. There has also been criticism about the lack of restroom facilities on the away side of the stadium, however with the extensive renovations in '06, that has become less of an issue.