Plaster Sports Complex
Encyclopedia
The Plaster Sports Complex (Formerly Briggs Stadium) is a 16,600-seat multipurpose stadium
located in Springfield, Missouri
. It is home to the Missouri State University
Bears football
, women's field hockey
, men's and women's soccer, and track and field
team
s.
project at a cost of only $60,000, before World War II
broke out. Its original seating capacity
was 8,500. In 1970 it was renamed Briggs Stadium, and in 1991 it was renamed the Plaster Sports Complex in honor of Robert W. Plaster, chairman of Evergreen Investments of Lebanon, Missouri
. Mr. Plaster donated funds for major renovations of the stadium, including expansion of the stadium to its current capacity, including the addition of an upper deck which seats 8,500, 24 luxury suites holding 10 each, a 40-seat luxury box and a new press box. In addition, a new running track and new artificial turf were installed. The artificial turf was replaced in 2001 with a FieldTurf surface and new field turf was installed in 2006. A new scoreboard was added in 2008.
The Plaster Sports Complex includes 12 American handball
/racquetball
courts, including two courts with spectator seating. The complex also features Health and Fitness and Athletics Strength and Conditioning centers on the second level of the stadium.
In addition to sporting events, Plaster Stadium is used for concerts and graduations.
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...
located in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
. It is home to the Missouri State University
Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
Bears 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...
, women's field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, men's and women's soccer, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
s.
History
The stadium was built in 1941 as SMS Stadium, a Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
project at a cost of only $60,000, before 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...
broke out. Its original 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...
was 8,500. In 1970 it was renamed Briggs Stadium, and in 1991 it was renamed the Plaster Sports Complex in honor of Robert W. Plaster, chairman of Evergreen Investments of Lebanon, Missouri
Lebanon, Missouri
Lebanon is a city in Laclede County, Missouri, United States. The estimated population in July 2009 was 14,292. The population was 12,155 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Laclede County. The Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Laclede County.-Geography:Lebanon is located at...
. Mr. Plaster donated funds for major renovations of the stadium, including expansion of the stadium to its current capacity, including the addition of an upper deck which seats 8,500, 24 luxury suites holding 10 each, a 40-seat luxury box and a new press box. In addition, a new running track and new artificial turf were installed. The artificial turf was replaced in 2001 with a FieldTurf surface and new field turf was installed in 2006. A new scoreboard was added in 2008.
The Plaster Sports Complex includes 12 American handball
American handball
American handball is a sport in which players hit a small rubber ball against a wall using their hands.- History :...
/racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
courts, including two courts with spectator seating. The complex also features Health and Fitness and Athletics Strength and Conditioning centers on the second level of the stadium.
In addition to sporting events, Plaster Stadium is used for concerts and graduations.