Kibbie Dome
Encyclopedia
The William H. Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center (more commonly known as the Kibbie Dome) is a multi-purpose indoor athletic stadium
in Moscow
, Idaho
, on the campus of the University of Idaho
. It is the home of the Idaho Vandals
of the Western Athletic Conference
and is used for intercollegiate competition in four sports: football
, basketball
, tennis
, and indoor track & field
.
The Kibbie Dome opened as an outdoor concrete
football stadium in 1971
, built on the same site of the demolished wooden Neale Stadium
(1937–68), seen in this early 1950s photo. In September 1975
, after a barrel-arched roof and vertical end walls were added, the stadium became an enclosed facility.
With just 16,000 permanent seats, it is currently the smallest home stadium for college football
in Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A). Since February 2001, the Kibbie Dome has been reconfigured for basketball games and is referred to as the Cowan Spectrum, seating 7,000. The elevation
of the playing surface is 2610 feet (795.5 m) above sea level.
and Idaho
was attempting to join, but political wrangling in the state legislature and subsequent budget cuts caused a change in the scope of the stadium project. This ensured that Idaho could not make the move to the PCAA; the Vandals remained in the Big Sky Conference
with the other state schools, Idaho State
and new member Boise State
.
The revised plan was for a smaller capacity football stadium, to be enclosed to allow use as a basketball arena (and indoor track and tennis as well). This multi-purpose concept had been recently used at Idaho State
in Pocatello
, where the Minidome
(now Holt Arena
) had opened in 1970
.
Construction on the concrete grandstands started in February 1971
,
after a fire destroyed the previously condemned wooden Neale Stadium
in November 1969
. The stadium, which opened in 1937
, had been condemned the summer before the 1969
season due to soil erosion beneath the grandstands. The Vandal football team played its limited home schedule for the next two seasons at WSU's
Rogers Field
in Pullman
.
After a fire significantly damaged Rogers Field's south grandstand in April 1970, WSU moved all of its 1970
and 1971
home games to Joe Albi Stadium
in Spokane
, but the Vandals remained at Rogers in Pullman for four "home" games in 1970. The Vandals' game with WSU on September 19 in Spokane was dubbed the "Displaced Bowl." A lopsided 44-16 win for the Cougars, it was WSU's only victory in a stretch of 22 games.
Back in Moscow
, weather-related construction delays in the spring put the new "Idaho Stadium" a month behind schedule. The 1971 Vandals
played their first two "home" games well away from campus, in Boise for the opener and Spokane two weeks later. Uncompleted, the stadium debuted on October 9th with a 40-3 victory over Idaho State before 14,200; it was the first football game on campus in nearly 3 years. The Vandals went 8-3 in 1971, which included a school-record eight game winning streak, and won the Big Sky
title. For its first four seasons (1971–74), the stadium was outdoors. In the summer of 1972
, a Tartan Turf field was installed, with a roll-up mechanism behind the west end zone. In November 1974, approval was finally granted by the board of regents to enclose the stadium. The arched roof and vertical end walls were completed in time for the 1975 football season's home opener on September 27, a deflating 14-29 loss to Idaho State in front of 14,079.
The enclosed stadium was renamed that year for William H. Kibbie, a construction executive from Salt Lake City
and a primary benefactor of the project; he contributed $300,000 in 1974 to initiate the funding drive. Bill Kibbie (1918–88), originally of Bellevue
in Blaine County
, was a UI
student for less than a month in 1936 when he withdrew due to family hardship. He entered the construction business, then served as a B-24
pilot in World War II
, and eventually headed Jelco, a major contracting company in Utah
. The acronym "ASUI" is for the "Associated Students of the University of Idaho," the student government.
When the university announced it would enclose its football stadium, the fledgling Trus-Joist Company of Boise
bid on and won the project. While steel
and aluminum were the products of the day for domes and large unsupported buildings, Trus-Joist saw the UI stadium as a chance to demonstrate the strength, durability, and economy of their engineered wood products. From the final design to the end of construction, the enclosure project took just 10 months and $1 million to complete. In 1976, the Kibbie Dome roof won the "Structural Engineering Achievement Award" from the American Society of Civil Engineers
. TJ International, the successor to Trus-Joist, was acquired by Weyerhaeuser
in late 1999.
The Kibbie Dome's roof spans 400 feet (121.9 m) from sideline-to-sideline, and its maximum height is 150 feet (45.7 m) above the hashmarks. (Holt Arena
, on the campus of Idaho State University
in Pocatello
, has an opposite geometry: its arched roof spans the length of the football field, rather than its width, resulting in a very low roof at the end lines and goal posts.)
Soon after completion, problems arose with the roof's exterior. The 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) outer surface was applied as a sprayed foam, and was found to be unsuitable for the extended annual temperature range of northern Idaho
. The significant expansion and contraction caused fractures; leaks were occurring and wood rot was a potential problem by 1980. After an extended period of finger-pointing and threatened legal action, an out-of-court settlement was reached. A new superstructure with a composite roof was built over the original. Completed in the summer of 1982, the second roof shielded the first and solved the problem.
in November 1989
, during the school's I-AA Big Sky
era. The football field runs east-west, but even with the new translucent upper end walls (2009
and 2011
), sun location is not a major visibility issue.
For two and a half seasons, 1999
-2001
, the Vandals used WSU
's Martin Stadium
in nearby Pullman
as its home field, as Idaho transitioned back to Division I-A from Division I-AA. When Dennis Erickson
returned as head coach in 2006
, there was talk of adding a second deck to the Kibbie Dome to increase the football seating to 25,000, and building a new basketball arena. In February 2007, the state board of education appropriated funds to study expansion possibilities. On December 6, the board approved funding to begin design work for $52 million in improvements, including an expansion to 20,000 seats, lowering the elevation of the playing field, and other various safety and spectator improvements.
When not used for football
, the former AstroTurf
football field was rolled up in about an hour to reveal 93,000 square feet (2.13 acres, 0.86 hectares) of polyurethane tartan surface, used for indoor tennis and track & field. The five-lane track is 290 meters (317 yd) in length, and 9 tennis courts are lined on its infield. Basketball and volleyball courts are also lined on the tartan infield. The AstroTurf was spooled onto a large field-width reel at the base of the west wall.
In 1990
, the original synthetic turf (Tartan Turf) of 1972
was replaced after 18 seasons. In the summer of 2007
, the Kibbie Dome's AstroTurf was replaced with RealGrass Pro, a next-generation infilled synthethic turf similar to Field Turf. Unlike the carpet-like AstroTurf, the infilled synthetic turf is not easily rolled up in a continuous reel, and must be removed in sections. The turf sections are five yards (4.6 m) in width, running from sideline to sideline, attached to each other with velcro
. Other stadiums with RealGrass Pro include Texas Stadium
(the former home of the Dallas Cowboys
), and the Alamodome
in San Antonio
.
Life and safety upgrades to the Kibbie Dome began in the spring of 2009. The west wall was replaced with a non-combustible construction assembly; translucent plastic panels on the upper half and opaque
metal siding on the lower. Concurrent with the end-wall replacement, a range of interior life safety work took place: field level exiting in the new west wall, addition of handrails in the seating aisles, provision of the required smoke exhaust systems; and other life safety and code mitigation improvements. The second phase of the project was completed in 2011 with the replacement of the east wall. A premium seating area (Litehouse Center) was established in 2011 in the former press box area above the south grandstand; a new press box was constructed above the north grandstand.
over the venerable Memorial Gym (built in 1928), a block to the east. The basketball court is positioned at midfield on the south sideline, in front of the press box and the south grandstand, with temporary seating on the north, east, and west. The main court was originally smooth tartan rubber, poured directly onto the concrete floor, resulting in very hard and unforgiving surface. After eight seasons it was replaced with a conventional hardwood floor in the fall of 1983.
During basketball games, the converted Kibbie Dome is now referred to as the Cowan Spectrum, named for Bob and Jan Cowan, who financed the current configuration. Since February 2001, the new basketball layout has been separated from the rest of the stadium by massive black curtains to give the court a more intimate "stadium-within-a-stadium" feel, with a reduced seating capacity
of 7,000. Temporary Daktronics scoreboards are placed over the north and south stands during games. (video)
During the early 1980s, with Don Monson
as head coach (the father of current Long Beach State
head coach Dan Monson
; both are UI
alumni), the Kibbie Dome was considered one of the 20 toughest home courts in college basketball
by Sports Illustrated
. Additional temporary seating was gradually increased on the north basketball sideline and attendance exceeded 11,000 for several games during the 1982-83 season. From January 1980 to February 1983, the Vandals won 43 consecutive games at the Kibbie Dome, and Monson's home record in his final four seasons was 51-2 (.962). The venue hosted three Big Sky Conference
men's basketball tournaments (by winning the regular season title), in 1981, 1982, and 1993. (The Vandals departed the Big Sky
for the Big West
in 1996, then to the WAC
in 2005.)
In April 2004, the facilities were again enhanced with the addition of the 8000 square feet (743.2 m²) Vandal Athletic Center, home to the Norm and Becky Iverson Speed and Strength Center; the renovation of the men’s and women’s basketball, football, and volleyball locker rooms, and the addition of a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool (ARC).
saw the installation of infilled SprinTurf on the former natural grass practice field east of the Kibbie Dome. The days of "off-limits" were eliminated, as UI students acquired state-of-the-art playing fields available for year-round use. A field that previously had just 300 usable hours annually as an "intercollegiate athletics only" field (primarily for natural turf varsity football practice), is now available for up to 2000 hours per year. The project was funded through the Kibbie Dome turf replacement fund; the $1.2 million SprinTurf project included lighting and fencing.
The two 75 yards (68.6 m) fields are adequate for team practice for football (and soccer, lacrosse, rugby, and other sports) as well as for intramural competition, but short enough to have two fields in the space available. Each field is a full half-field (with end zone & goal post) plus an additional 15 yards (13.7 m) beyond the 50 yard line. An unmarked 10 yards (9.1 m) median separates the two fields; the total length, with end zones, is 160 yards (146.3 m) and runs north-south. The former natural turf fields were lined as a regulation football field running north-south, with a half field at the north end running east-west. An added benefit of the synthetic surface is an estimated $50,000 annual savings in field maintenance costs.
outdoor track & field stadium, built in the early 1970s and renamed in 1996
for the Olympic gold medalist
world champion and former world record holder in the decathlon
. A concrete grandstand at the finish area (southeast corner) has a seating capacity of 1,000. The facility is undergoing a major renovation in 2011 to host the WAC outdoor championships in 2012. South of the Dome is the university's 18-hole golf course
, a challenging track due to its rolling Palouse
terrain. A par-72 course with terraced fairways and significant changes in elevation, its back tees measure 6637 yards (6,068.9 m), with a course rating of 72.4, and a 135 slope rating. The course opened in 1936 with nine holes, expanded from 1968-70, with the present clubhouse opening in 1969. To the east is the Memorial Gymnasium
(1928), the swim center and the physical education
building (both 1970), and six outdoor tennis
courts. Four additional tennis courts are on the east side of campus, at the southeast corner of the Administration Lawn.
About a half mile north (800 m) of the Dome are expansive natural grass intramural fields, west of the Wallace dormitories. Included here is the women's soccer field, in the far northwest corner bounded by Perimeter Road. Towards the center is Guy Wicks Field, the baseball field since the late 1960s. (Baseball
was dropped as a varsity sport after the 1980 season, after more than 80 seasons, but continues as a club sport.)
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...
in Moscow
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, on the campus of the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
. It is the home of the Idaho Vandals
Idaho Vandals
The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. They participate in NCAA Division I - FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
of the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
and is used for intercollegiate competition in four sports: football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and indoor track & field
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
.
The Kibbie Dome opened as an outdoor concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
football stadium in 1971
1971 college football season
The 1971 college football season saw Coach Bob Devaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers repeat as national champions. After being ranked 2nd in the preseason poll, Nebraska captured first place the following week and remained there for the rest of 1971 and won the Orange Bowl 38–6 in a #1 vs...
, built on the same site of the demolished wooden Neale Stadium
Neale Stadium
Neale Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in Moscow, Idaho, on the west end of the campus of the University of Idaho. Opened in 1937 for college football , it was used for over three decades, through the 1968 season...
(1937–68), seen in this early 1950s photo. In September 1975
1975 college football season
The 1975 college football season saw University of Oklahoma repeat as national champion in the Associated Press writers' poll. With the Sooners having completed two seasons of NCAA probation, they were ranked #1 in the United Press International coaches' poll as well...
, after a barrel-arched roof and vertical end walls were added, the stadium became an enclosed facility.
With just 16,000 permanent seats, it is currently the smallest home stadium for 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...
in Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A). Since February 2001, the Kibbie Dome has been reconfigured for basketball games and is referred to as the Cowan Spectrum, seating 7,000. The elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of the playing surface is 2610 feet (795.5 m) above sea level.
Construction
The stadium was built in stages and took several years to complete. Originally, the new football stadium was to be outdoors and seat over 23,000 spectators, with an adjacent 10,000 seat indoor arena for basketball. The PCAA conference had been launched in 19691969 college football season
The 1969 college football season was celebrated as the 100th anniversary of college football. During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A"...
and Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
was attempting to join, but political wrangling in the state legislature and subsequent budget cuts caused a change in the scope of the stadium project. This ensured that Idaho could not make the move to the PCAA; the Vandals remained in the Big Sky Conference
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
with the other state schools, Idaho State
Idaho State University
Idaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls....
and new member Boise State
Boise State University
Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965...
.
The revised plan was for a smaller capacity football stadium, to be enclosed to allow use as a basketball arena (and indoor track and tennis as well). This multi-purpose concept had been recently used at Idaho State
Idaho State University
Idaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls....
in Pocatello
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
, where the Minidome
Holt Arena
Holt Arena is an indoor multi-purpose athletic stadium, located on the campus of Idaho State University, in Pocatello, Idaho. It is the home field of the Idaho State Bengals of the Big Sky Conference...
(now Holt Arena
Holt Arena
Holt Arena is an indoor multi-purpose athletic stadium, located on the campus of Idaho State University, in Pocatello, Idaho. It is the home field of the Idaho State Bengals of the Big Sky Conference...
) had opened in 1970
1970 college football season
The 1970 college football season was marked by tragedy, due to two airplane crashes. On October 2, one of the planes carrying the Wichita State football team crashed on the way to a game against Utah State, killing 31 people on board, including 14 players...
.
Construction on the concrete grandstands started in February 1971
1971 in sports
1971 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:...
,
after a fire destroyed the previously condemned wooden Neale Stadium
Neale Stadium
Neale Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in Moscow, Idaho, on the west end of the campus of the University of Idaho. Opened in 1937 for college football , it was used for over three decades, through the 1968 season...
in November 1969
1969 in sports
1969 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall champion: Karl Schranz, Austria** Women's overall champion: Gertrud Gabl, Austria-American football:...
. The stadium, which opened in 1937
1937 college football season
The 1937 college football season ended with the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh being named the nation’s #1 team by 30 of the 33 electors in the Associated Press writers' poll...
, had been condemned the summer before the 1969
1969 college football season
The 1969 college football season was celebrated as the 100th anniversary of college football. During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A"...
season due to soil erosion beneath the grandstands. The Vandal football team played its limited home schedule for the next two seasons at WSU's
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
Rogers Field
Rogers Field (Washington State)
Rogers Field was an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. It was the home venue of the WSU Cougars football and track teams until severely damaged by a fire in April 1970...
in Pullman
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
.
After a fire significantly damaged Rogers Field's south grandstand in April 1970, WSU moved all of its 1970
1970 college football season
The 1970 college football season was marked by tragedy, due to two airplane crashes. On October 2, one of the planes carrying the Wichita State football team crashed on the way to a game against Utah State, killing 31 people on board, including 14 players...
and 1971
1971 college football season
The 1971 college football season saw Coach Bob Devaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers repeat as national champions. After being ranked 2nd in the preseason poll, Nebraska captured first place the following week and remained there for the rest of 1971 and won the Orange Bowl 38–6 in a #1 vs...
home games to Joe Albi Stadium
Joe Albi Stadium
Joe Albi Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Spokane, Washington. Primarily used for football, it is located in the northwest part of the city, just east of the Spokane River. It opened in 1950 as "Memorial Stadium," with a natural grass field, cinder running track, and a seating capacity of...
in Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, but the Vandals remained at Rogers in Pullman for four "home" games in 1970. The Vandals' game with WSU on September 19 in Spokane was dubbed the "Displaced Bowl." A lopsided 44-16 win for the Cougars, it was WSU's only victory in a stretch of 22 games.
Back in Moscow
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
, weather-related construction delays in the spring put the new "Idaho Stadium" a month behind schedule. The 1971 Vandals
1971 Idaho Vandals football team
The 1971 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1971 college football season. The Vandals, led by second-year head coach Don Robbins, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played three of their five home games at the new Idaho Stadium, an outdoor facility on...
played their first two "home" games well away from campus, in Boise for the opener and Spokane two weeks later. Uncompleted, the stadium debuted on October 9th with a 40-3 victory over Idaho State before 14,200; it was the first football game on campus in nearly 3 years. The Vandals went 8-3 in 1971, which included a school-record eight game winning streak, and won the Big Sky
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
title. For its first four seasons (1971–74), the stadium was outdoors. In the summer of 1972
1972 college football season
The 1972 college football season saw the USC Trojans, coached by John McKay, go undefeated and win the national championship as the unanimous choice of the fifty AP panelists...
, a Tartan Turf field was installed, with a roll-up mechanism behind the west end zone. In November 1974, approval was finally granted by the board of regents to enclose the stadium. The arched roof and vertical end walls were completed in time for the 1975 football season's home opener on September 27, a deflating 14-29 loss to Idaho State in front of 14,079.
The enclosed stadium was renamed that year for William H. Kibbie, a construction executive from Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
and a primary benefactor of the project; he contributed $300,000 in 1974 to initiate the funding drive. Bill Kibbie (1918–88), originally of Bellevue
Bellevue, Idaho
Bellevue is a city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 1,876 at the 2000 census. It is located in the Wood River Valley, about 18 miles south of the resort area of Ketchum and Sun Valley. The town of Hailey and the airport are a few miles north of...
in Blaine County
Blaine County, Idaho
Blaine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 21,376. The county seat and largest city is Hailey. The county is home to the Sun Valley ski resort....
, was a UI
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
student for less than a month in 1936 when he withdrew due to family hardship. He entered the construction business, then served as a B-24
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
pilot in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and eventually headed Jelco, a major contracting company in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. The acronym "ASUI" is for the "Associated Students of the University of Idaho," the student government.
When the university announced it would enclose its football stadium, the fledgling Trus-Joist Company of Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
bid on and won the project. While steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and aluminum were the products of the day for domes and large unsupported buildings, Trus-Joist saw the UI stadium as a chance to demonstrate the strength, durability, and economy of their engineered wood products. From the final design to the end of construction, the enclosure project took just 10 months and $1 million to complete. In 1976, the Kibbie Dome roof won the "Structural Engineering Achievement Award" from the American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...
. TJ International, the successor to Trus-Joist, was acquired by Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
in late 1999.
The Kibbie Dome's roof spans 400 feet (121.9 m) from sideline-to-sideline, and its maximum height is 150 feet (45.7 m) above the hashmarks. (Holt Arena
Holt Arena
Holt Arena is an indoor multi-purpose athletic stadium, located on the campus of Idaho State University, in Pocatello, Idaho. It is the home field of the Idaho State Bengals of the Big Sky Conference...
, on the campus of Idaho State University
Idaho State University
Idaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls....
in Pocatello
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
, has an opposite geometry: its arched roof spans the length of the football field, rather than its width, resulting in a very low roof at the end lines and goal posts.)
Soon after completion, problems arose with the roof's exterior. The 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) outer surface was applied as a sprayed foam, and was found to be unsuitable for the extended annual temperature range of northern Idaho
Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho...
. The significant expansion and contraction caused fractures; leaks were occurring and wood rot was a potential problem by 1980. After an extended period of finger-pointing and threatened legal action, an out-of-court settlement was reached. A new superstructure with a composite roof was built over the original. Completed in the summer of 1982, the second roof shielded the first and solved the problem.
Football
The Kibbie Dome officially seats just 16,000 for football, making it the smallest venue in Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A). A record crowd of 17,600 was recorded for a game with Boise StateBoise State University
Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965...
in November 1989
1989 in sports
1989 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland-American football:...
, during the school's I-AA Big Sky
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
era. The football field runs east-west, but even with the new translucent upper end walls (2009
2009 Idaho Vandals football team
The 2009 Idaho Vandals American football team represented the University of Idaho in the 2009 college football season. The Vandals, led by third-year head coach Robb Akey, were members of the Western Athletic Conference and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus...
and 2011
2011 Idaho Vandals football team
The 2011 Idaho Vandals football team represents the University of Idaho in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Vandals, led by fifth-year head coach Robb Akey, are members of the Western Athletic Conference and play their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in...
), sun location is not a major visibility issue.
For two and a half seasons, 1999
1999 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State named national champions, defeating Virginia Tech in the BCS Sugar Bowl.Florida State became the first team in history to start out preseason #1 and remain there through the entire season. Their 12-0 season gave them 109 victories in the...
-2001
2000 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Oklahoma Sooners claiming their first national championship and their first conference championship since the departure of head coach Barry Switzer....
, the Vandals used WSU
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
's Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pullman, Washington, United States, on the campus of Washington State University. It is the home field of the Washington State Cougars of the Pacific-12 Conference, and is the smallest football stadium in the conference...
in nearby Pullman
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
as its home field, as Idaho transitioned back to Division I-A from Division I-AA. When Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Arizona State University until November 28, 2011, a position he had held since the 2007 season. In 2008 the Arizona Board of Regents had approved a contract extension to keep Erickson at Arizona...
returned as head coach in 2006
2006 Idaho Vandals football team
The 2006 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in NCAA Division I FBS college football during the 2006 season. Idaho competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference , and played their home games in the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facilty on campus in Moscow, Idaho...
, there was talk of adding a second deck to the Kibbie Dome to increase the football seating to 25,000, and building a new basketball arena. In February 2007, the state board of education appropriated funds to study expansion possibilities. On December 6, the board approved funding to begin design work for $52 million in improvements, including an expansion to 20,000 seats, lowering the elevation of the playing field, and other various safety and spectator improvements.
When not used for football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, the former AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
football field was rolled up in about an hour to reveal 93,000 square feet (2.13 acres, 0.86 hectares) of polyurethane tartan surface, used for indoor tennis and track & field. The five-lane track is 290 meters (317 yd) in length, and 9 tennis courts are lined on its infield. Basketball and volleyball courts are also lined on the tartan infield. The AstroTurf was spooled onto a large field-width reel at the base of the west wall.
In 1990
1990 in sports
1990 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland-American football:...
, the original synthetic turf (Tartan Turf) of 1972
1972 college football season
The 1972 college football season saw the USC Trojans, coached by John McKay, go undefeated and win the national championship as the unanimous choice of the fifty AP panelists...
was replaced after 18 seasons. In the summer of 2007
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
, the Kibbie Dome's AstroTurf was replaced with RealGrass Pro, a next-generation infilled synthethic turf similar to Field Turf. Unlike the carpet-like AstroTurf, the infilled synthetic turf is not easily rolled up in a continuous reel, and must be removed in sections. The turf sections are five yards (4.6 m) in width, running from sideline to sideline, attached to each other with velcro
Velcro
Velcro is the brand name of the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener, invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral...
. Other stadiums with RealGrass Pro include Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
(the former home of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
), and the Alamodome
Alamodome
The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S...
in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
Life and safety upgrades to the Kibbie Dome began in the spring of 2009. The west wall was replaced with a non-combustible construction assembly; translucent plastic panels on the upper half and opaque
Opacity (optics)
Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light. In radiative transfer, it describes the absorption and scattering of radiation in a medium, such as a plasma, dielectric, shielding material, glass, etc...
metal siding on the lower. Concurrent with the end-wall replacement, a range of interior life safety work took place: field level exiting in the new west wall, addition of handrails in the seating aisles, provision of the required smoke exhaust systems; and other life safety and code mitigation improvements. The second phase of the project was completed in 2011 with the replacement of the east wall. A premium seating area (Litehouse Center) was established in 2011 in the former press box area above the south grandstand; a new press box was constructed above the north grandstand.
Basketball
The stadium has also served as the home of the Vandal basketball teams, providing increased 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...
over the venerable Memorial Gym (built in 1928), a block to the east. The basketball court is positioned at midfield on the south sideline, in front of the press box and the south grandstand, with temporary seating on the north, east, and west. The main court was originally smooth tartan rubber, poured directly onto the concrete floor, resulting in very hard and unforgiving surface. After eight seasons it was replaced with a conventional hardwood floor in the fall of 1983.
During basketball games, the converted Kibbie Dome is now referred to as the Cowan Spectrum, named for Bob and Jan Cowan, who financed the current configuration. Since February 2001, the new basketball layout has been separated from the rest of the stadium by massive black curtains to give the court a more intimate "stadium-within-a-stadium" feel, with a reduced 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 7,000. Temporary Daktronics scoreboards are placed over the north and south stands during games. (video)
During the early 1980s, with Don Monson
Don Monson
Donald L. "Don" Monson is a former college basketball head coach and the father of head coach Dan Monson...
as head coach (the father of current Long Beach State
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
head coach Dan Monson
Dan Monson
Daniel Lloyd Monson is an American college basketball coach. He was hired as the head coach of the Long Beach State 49ers on April 7, 2007. Previously he was head coach at the University of Minnesota for over seven seasons, from July 24, 1999, to November 30, 2006...
; both are UI
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
alumni), the Kibbie Dome was considered one of the 20 toughest home courts in college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. Additional temporary seating was gradually increased on the north basketball sideline and attendance exceeded 11,000 for several games during the 1982-83 season. From January 1980 to February 1983, the Vandals won 43 consecutive games at the Kibbie Dome, and Monson's home record in his final four seasons was 51-2 (.962). The venue hosted three Big Sky Conference
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
men's basketball tournaments (by winning the regular season title), in 1981, 1982, and 1993. (The Vandals departed the Big Sky
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
for the Big West
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
in 1996, then to the WAC
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
in 2005.)
Additions
Since its enclosure in 1975, the Kibbie Dome has undergone several significant additions. In August 1982, the East End Addition was completed, providing the entire athletic department with locker rooms, offices, a weight room, athletic training facility, and equipment room.In April 2004, the facilities were again enhanced with the addition of the 8000 square feet (743.2 m²) Vandal Athletic Center, home to the Norm and Becky Iverson Speed and Strength Center; the renovation of the men’s and women’s basketball, football, and volleyball locker rooms, and the addition of a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool (ARC).
Adjacent practice fields
August 20052005 Idaho Vandals football team
The 2005 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in NCAA Division I-A college football during the 2005 season. Idaho competed as a first-year member of the Western Athletic Conference , and played their home games in the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus...
saw the installation of infilled SprinTurf on the former natural grass practice field east of the Kibbie Dome. The days of "off-limits" were eliminated, as UI students acquired state-of-the-art playing fields available for year-round use. A field that previously had just 300 usable hours annually as an "intercollegiate athletics only" field (primarily for natural turf varsity football practice), is now available for up to 2000 hours per year. The project was funded through the Kibbie Dome turf replacement fund; the $1.2 million SprinTurf project included lighting and fencing.
The two 75 yards (68.6 m) fields are adequate for team practice for football (and soccer, lacrosse, rugby, and other sports) as well as for intramural competition, but short enough to have two fields in the space available. Each field is a full half-field (with end zone & goal post) plus an additional 15 yards (13.7 m) beyond the 50 yard line. An unmarked 10 yards (9.1 m) median separates the two fields; the total length, with end zones, is 160 yards (146.3 m) and runs north-south. The former natural turf fields were lined as a regulation football field running north-south, with a half field at the north end running east-west. An added benefit of the synthetic surface is an estimated $50,000 annual savings in field maintenance costs.
Nearby facilities
On the west side of the Kibbie Dome is the Dan O'BrienDan O'Brien
Daniel Dion O'Brien is a former American decathlete. He was deemed one of the best decathlon athletes of the 1990s, winning an Olympic gold medal after winning three consecutive world titles....
outdoor track & field stadium, built in the early 1970s and renamed in 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
for the Olympic gold medalist
Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Men's decathlon
These are the official results of the men's decathlon at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.-Medalists:-Schedule:*July 31*#100 m*#Long Jump*#Shot Put*#High Jump*#400 m*August 1*# 110 m hurdles*#Discus Throw*#Pole Vault...
world champion and former world record holder in the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
. A concrete grandstand at the finish area (southeast corner) has a seating capacity of 1,000. The facility is undergoing a major renovation in 2011 to host the WAC outdoor championships in 2012. South of the Dome is the university's 18-hole golf course
University of Idaho Golf Course
The University of Idaho Golf Course is an 18-hole public facility on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Set in the rolling hills of the Palouse, a mile east of the border with Washington, the par-72 course is at an average elevation of above sea level...
, a challenging track due to its rolling Palouse
Palouse
The Palouse is a region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of southeastern Washington, north central Idaho and, in some definitions, extending south into northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primarily producing wheat and legumes...
terrain. A par-72 course with terraced fairways and significant changes in elevation, its back tees measure 6637 yards (6,068.9 m), with a course rating of 72.4, and a 135 slope rating. The course opened in 1936 with nine holes, expanded from 1968-70, with the present clubhouse opening in 1969. To the east is the Memorial Gymnasium
Memorial Gymnasium (University of Idaho)
Memorial Gymnasium is a 2,500 seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Opened in 1928, the venue honors state residents who gave their lives in the service of their country in World War I. The architectural style is Tudor-Gothic and is heavily...
(1928), the swim center and the physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
building (both 1970), and six outdoor tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts. Four additional tennis courts are on the east side of campus, at the southeast corner of the Administration Lawn.
About a half mile north (800 m) of the Dome are expansive natural grass intramural fields, west of the Wallace dormitories. Included here is the women's soccer field, in the far northwest corner bounded by Perimeter Road. Towards the center is Guy Wicks Field, the baseball field since the late 1960s. (Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
was dropped as a varsity sport after the 1980 season, after more than 80 seasons, but continues as a club sport.)
External links
- University of Idaho - Kibbie Dome history
- Auxiliary Services - UI - Kibbie Dome history
- Kibbie Dome Renovations - photo archive
- University of Idaho: Campus Buildings - Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center - 1975
- World Stadiums.com - Kibbie Dome
- Go Vandals.com - UI Athletic facilities
- Vandal Athletic Center 2004
- UI Athletics.com - SprinTurf project - Summer 2005 - photo gallery
- GoVandals.com - RealGrass Pro project - Summer 2007
- University of Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame - 1978 - William H. Kibbie class of 1940
- University of Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame - 2004 - Robert G. Cowan '59
- Erickson Era II off to solid start - The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesThe Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
07-Sep-2006 - Essay on Art Troutner - Idaho Public Television
- UI Argonaut - "Trials and Tribulations" - 06-Apr-2007
- State Board of Education approves Kibbie Dome expansion - The Idaho Statesman - 07-Dec-2007
- Neale Stadium - early 1950s photo
- Aerial photo (& topographic map) of UI campus from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps