Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
Encyclopedia
Memorial Stadium is located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln
, Nebraska
, United States
. It is the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football
team.
The stadium holds an ongoing NCAA record of 317 consecutive sellouts, which began in 1962
. When full, Memorial Stadium holds more people than any Nebraska city except Omaha and Lincoln. Because most fans wear red apparel, the stadium is referred to as the "Sea of Red" on game days. On September 26, 2009, a Memorial Stadium record crowd of 86,304 watched Nebraska play Louisiana-Lafayette on its 300th consecutive sellout.
, a notable Omaha architect, the stadium was named Memorial Stadium to honor all Nebraskans who served in the Civil and Spanish-American Wars and the 751 Nebraskans who died in World War I. Later, the stadium would also honor the 3,839 Nebraskans who died in World War II; the 225 in Korea; and the 422 in Vietnam. Construction was completed in just over 90 working days; Memorial Stadium was dedicated on October 20, 1923.
Inscribed on the four corners of the stadium are the following words, written by former Nebraska professor of philosophy Hartley Burr Alexander
:
A statue of Nebraska
coach Tom Osborne (now the school's athletic director) and former Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer
can be found outside the north side of the stadium. Berringer was a quarterback on Nebraska's 1994 and 1995 national championship teams who died in a plane crash in April 1996, just two days before the 1996 NFL Draft
where he was expected to be an early/middle round pick.
Ohio Stadium
and had a seating capacity
of around 31,000 (the east side is still in its original state; it has not been expanded, and the original architecture is still visible from the outside). A series of four additions between 1964 and 1972 enclosed the stadium by adding seats above the north and south end zones, more than doubling Memorial Stadium's seating capacity to nearly 74,000. A major renovation in 1999 added 42 luxury box
es above the west stands; the stadium was rededicated and the playing surface was renamed after retiring coach Tom Osborne. Osborne, known for his trademark modesty, was notably embarrassed by this gesture.
In 2004, construction began to renovate and expand the north end zone stands. Memorial Stadium now features an additional 13 luxury boxes above the north stands called the "Skyline Suites" and an additional 6,000 seats, increasing seating capacity to 81,067. Nebraska has the eighth-largest video screen in college football, at 33 feet (10 m) tall and nearly 40 yards (37 m) wide. (At the time it was completed in 2004, the scoreboard was the largest in a college football stadium.) Before the 2009 season two new high definition video screens were added on the northeast and northwest pillars of the original stadium, bringing the total number of high definition screens in the stadium to five. Concurrently, ribbon boards stretching the length of the field were installed along the east and west balconies of the stadium.
On October 15, 2010, the University announced that its Board of Regents had approved an expansion project that is anticipated to cost up to $65 million, increasing the stadium's listed seating capacity to more than 87,000. This expansion will be built on the stadium's east side, and will include over 2,000 seats in a covered and heated area, adjacent to an event area and terrace. 1,000 to 1,500 skybox seats will be part of the project, and the number of general admission seats will increase by almost 3,000. The original east facade of the stadium, plus Gate 20, will be preserved within a new entrance lobby. The creation of the first standing room only area in Memorial Stadium is also in the plan; an area available for companies and private parties to host events on a game-to-game basis. In addition, the University plans to create a 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) cutting edge athletics research facility in addition to another 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) dedicated to campus research. Work is expected to be complete prior to the 2013 college football season. The project was initially voted on by fans of the football program, who were asked if they preferred expanding the stadium capacity, or preserving the stadium's ongoing NCAA-record sell-out streak. The outcome of the polling was overwhelmingly in favor of expansion while maintaining the sellout streak.
Memorial Stadium was the first college football stadium in Division I-A to install FieldTurf
, in 1999. A second FieldTurf installation featuring an alternating light green/dark green "mowing" pattern every five yards was put in place prior to the 2005 season, to coincide with a removal of a fairly significant crown that had been in place for decades.
.
The first proper night game at Memorial Stadium took place on September 6, 1986, when Nebraska defeated Florida State
34–17.
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
team.
The stadium holds an ongoing NCAA record of 317 consecutive sellouts, which began in 1962
1962 in sports
1962 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* AFL Championship – Dallas Texans won 20-17 over the Houston Oilers in double overtime* NFL Championship – Green Bay Packers won 16-7 over the New York Giants...
. When full, Memorial Stadium holds more people than any Nebraska city except Omaha and Lincoln. Because most fans wear red apparel, the stadium is referred to as the "Sea of Red" on game days. On September 26, 2009, a Memorial Stadium record crowd of 86,304 watched Nebraska play Louisiana-Lafayette on its 300th consecutive sellout.
History
In the fall of 1922, a drive for $430,000 in funds to build a new football stadium was undertaken by faculty, students, alumni and friends of the university. Designed by John Latenser, Sr.John Latenser, Sr.
John Latenser, Sr. was a Liechtenstein-born American architect whose influential public works in Omaha, Nebraska numbered in the dozens. His original name was Johann Laternser....
, a notable Omaha architect, the stadium was named Memorial Stadium to honor all Nebraskans who served in the Civil and Spanish-American Wars and the 751 Nebraskans who died in World War I. Later, the stadium would also honor the 3,839 Nebraskans who died in World War II; the 225 in Korea; and the 422 in Vietnam. Construction was completed in just over 90 working days; Memorial Stadium was dedicated on October 20, 1923.
Inscribed on the four corners of the stadium are the following words, written by former Nebraska professor of philosophy Hartley Burr Alexander
Hartley Burr Alexander
Hartley Burr Alexander, Ph.D American philosopher, writer, educator, scholar, poet, and iconographer born Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 9, 1873.-Family and early years:...
:
- Southeast: "In Commemoration of the men of Nebraska who served and fell in the Nation's Wars."
- Southwest: "Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory."
- Northwest: "Courage; Generosity; Fairness; Honor; In these are the true awards of manly sport."
- Northeast: "Their Lives they held their country's trust; They kept its faith; They died its heroes."
A statue of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
coach Tom Osborne (now the school's athletic director) and former Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer
Brook Berringer
Brook Warren Berringer was an American quarterback for the University of Nebraska football team in the mid-1990s. Berringer came to Nebraska from Goodland, Kansas, and played a back-up role to Tommie Frazier...
can be found outside the north side of the stadium. Berringer was a quarterback on Nebraska's 1994 and 1995 national championship teams who died in a plane crash in April 1996, just two days before the 1996 NFL Draft
1996 NFL Draft
The 1996 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996...
where he was expected to be an early/middle round pick.
Expansion
Memorial Stadium has undergone several phases of expansion and renovation since its original construction. In its original configuration, the stadium consisted of stands on the east and west sidelines. It was modeled after Ohio State'sOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium is the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is located on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on March 22, 1974...
and had a 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 around 31,000 (the east side is still in its original state; it has not been expanded, and the original architecture is still visible from the outside). A series of four additions between 1964 and 1972 enclosed the stadium by adding seats above the north and south end zones, more than doubling Memorial Stadium's seating capacity to nearly 74,000. A major renovation in 1999 added 42 luxury box
Luxury box
A Luxury box is a special seating section located within stadiums, arenas and other sporting and entertainment venues. They are typically located in the midsection of a stadium grandstand, usually providing the best views of the event...
es above the west stands; the stadium was rededicated and the playing surface was renamed after retiring coach Tom Osborne. Osborne, known for his trademark modesty, was notably embarrassed by this gesture.
In 2004, construction began to renovate and expand the north end zone stands. Memorial Stadium now features an additional 13 luxury boxes above the north stands called the "Skyline Suites" and an additional 6,000 seats, increasing seating capacity to 81,067. Nebraska has the eighth-largest video screen in college football, at 33 feet (10 m) tall and nearly 40 yards (37 m) wide. (At the time it was completed in 2004, the scoreboard was the largest in a college football stadium.) Before the 2009 season two new high definition video screens were added on the northeast and northwest pillars of the original stadium, bringing the total number of high definition screens in the stadium to five. Concurrently, ribbon boards stretching the length of the field were installed along the east and west balconies of the stadium.
On October 15, 2010, the University announced that its Board of Regents had approved an expansion project that is anticipated to cost up to $65 million, increasing the stadium's listed seating capacity to more than 87,000. This expansion will be built on the stadium's east side, and will include over 2,000 seats in a covered and heated area, adjacent to an event area and terrace. 1,000 to 1,500 skybox seats will be part of the project, and the number of general admission seats will increase by almost 3,000. The original east facade of the stadium, plus Gate 20, will be preserved within a new entrance lobby. The creation of the first standing room only area in Memorial Stadium is also in the plan; an area available for companies and private parties to host events on a game-to-game basis. In addition, the University plans to create a 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) cutting edge athletics research facility in addition to another 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) dedicated to campus research. Work is expected to be complete prior to the 2013 college football season. The project was initially voted on by fans of the football program, who were asked if they preferred expanding the stadium capacity, or preserving the stadium's ongoing NCAA-record sell-out streak. The outcome of the polling was overwhelmingly in favor of expansion while maintaining the sellout streak.
Seating capacity
- 1923: 31,080, original stadium, with stands on both sides
- 1964: 48,000, south end zone bleachers erected, making stadium a horseshoe
- 1965: 52,455, center section of north end zone bleachers erected
- 1966: 62,644, the rest of the north stadium bleachers finished
- 1967: 64,170, New press box
- 1972: 73,650, south end zone bleachers extended
- 1994: 72,700, reduced capacity for handicapped seating, HuskerVision video screens installed
- 1999: 74,056, new press box that included new skyboxes, and club seating
- 2000: 73,918, reduced capacity for more club seating
- 2006: 81,067, bleachers extended again for north stadium, new skyboxes, new video boards, Tom and Nancy Osborne Training Facility, ADA-compliant seating and additional coaching offices for football and athletic department administration
- 2013: 87,000+, east stands expansion, new skyboxes, new covered/heated club seating, new general admission seating
Surface
- 1923–1969: Natural grass
- 1970–1976: AstroTurfAstroTurfAstroTurf 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...
- 1977–1983: AstroTurf (replaced 1970 turf)
- 1984–1991: All-Pro Turf
- 1992–1998: AstroTurf-8
- 1999–2004: 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...
- 2005–present: FieldTurf (replaced 1999 turf), crown lowered
Memorial Stadium was the first college football stadium in Division I-A to install 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...
, in 1999. A second FieldTurf installation featuring an alternating light green/dark green "mowing" pattern every five yards was put in place prior to the 2005 season, to coincide with a removal of a fairly significant crown that had been in place for decades.
Lighting
Starting in the early 1980s, portable lighting was occasionally installed for late-autumn games shown on national television, usually those against the University of OklahomaOklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
.
The first proper night game at Memorial Stadium took place on September 6, 1986, when Nebraska defeated Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
34–17.
Attendance records
The following are the top ten highest attended games at Memorial Stadium:| Rank | Attendance | Date | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 86,304 | September 26, 2009 | Nebraska 55, Louisiana–Lafayette 0 |
| 2 | 86,115 | November 7, 2009 | Nebraska 10, Oklahoma 2009 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 2009 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2009-2010. It was the 115th year of season play for the Sooners. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops, a two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year award winner, who has a contract... 3 |
| 3 | 86,107 | October 17, 2009 | Nebraska 10, Texas Tech 2009 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team The 2009 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the college football season of 2009–10. The team was coached by Mike Leach during the regular season, and was coached by interim head coach Ruffin McNeill during the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl. The Red Raiders played... 31 |
| 4 | 85,998 | November 21, 2009 | Nebraska 17, Kansas State 2009 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 2009 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2009. The Wildcats played their home games in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, in Manhattan, Kansas as they have done since 1968... 3 |
| 5 | 85,938 | October 24, 2009 | Nebraska 7, Iowa State 2009 Iowa State Cyclones football team The 2009 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University in the college football season of 2009-2010. The team was led by first year head coach Paul Rhoads. They played their home games at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa... 9 |
| 6 | 85,907 | October 30, 2010 | Nebraska 31, Missouri 2010 Missouri Tigers football team The 2010 Missouri Tigers football team, in their 121st season, represented the University of Missouri in college football's 2010 season. The team was coached by Gary Pinkel, who returned for his tenth season with Mizzou, and played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. The team... 17 |
| 7 | 85,831 | September 27, 2008 | Nebraska 30, Virginia Tech 2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team The 2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach is Frank Beamer. Prior to the season, the Hokies were expected to be in a rebuilding mode, recovering after the... 35 |
| 8 | 85,800 | November 24, 2006 | Nebraska 37, Colorado 2006 Colorado Buffaloes football team The 2006 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The previous year's team won the Big 12 North Conference. That marked the fourth Big 12 North championship for the Buffs in the past 5 years. The team has... 14 |
| 9 | 85,732 | September 11, 2010 | Nebraska 38, Idaho 2010 Idaho Vandals football team The 2010 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Vandals, led by fourth-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... 17 |
| 10 | 85,719 | September 5, 2009 | Nebraska 49, Florida Atlantic 2009 Florida Atlantic Owls football team The 2009 Florida Atlantic University Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Howard Schnellenberger and played their home games at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The Owls were in their fourth season of... 3 |