Princeton University Stadium
Encyclopedia
Princeton University Stadium is a stadium
in Princeton, New Jersey
, United States
. It is primarily used for American football
, and is the home field of the Princeton Tigers
. The stadium opened in 1998 on the site of Princeton's former stadium, Palmer Stadium, and seats
27,773.
The year and a half needed to tear down Palmer Stadium and build the new field where it has stood meant that Princeton would not have an operational stadium for the 1997 season. Because of this the team was forced to play all of its games on the road.
The stadium's exterior shell mirrors the layout of Palmer Stadium, and the grandstands are four sided, with a second deck added on all sides except the south. The press box
and luxury boxes are located above the west-side upper deck. One of the stadium's structural pillars houses the University's new rock-climbing wall, which opened in the fall of 2008. In addition to the stadium itself, the building project included building a track to the immediate south of the venue, which shares the stadium's south end facilities. (Previously, the track was located inside the stadium.)
Recently, FieldTurf was installed replacing the former grass surface at Princeton Stadium. This announcement was made in early 2006, and allowed the football team to complete its spring practice in the stadium. The football team now holds almost all of its practices in the stadium. Since the Stadium's opening, only two Princeton Tigers have rushed for over 200 yards in a single game at home: Cameron Atkinson ran for 233 yards against Dartmouth on November 23, 2002, and current all-ivy junior running back Jordan Culbreath rushed for 276 yards against Dartmouth on November 22, 2008.
Investor and 1979 alumnus William C. Powers, a former All-Ivy punter for the Tigers, made a $10 million gift to Princeton's football program, which is the largest donation ever to Princeton athletics. His donation funded a state-of-the-art playing surface for the stadium field. In honor of Powers and his family, the University will name Princeton Stadium's game field "Powers Field."
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 Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is primarily used for American 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...
, and is the home field of the Princeton Tigers
Princeton Tigers
The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 31 varsity sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, six in men's lacrosse, three in women's lacrosse, and eight in men's golf...
. The stadium opened in 1998 on the site of Princeton's former stadium, Palmer Stadium, and seats
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...
27,773.
The year and a half needed to tear down Palmer Stadium and build the new field where it has stood meant that Princeton would not have an operational stadium for the 1997 season. Because of this the team was forced to play all of its games on the road.
The stadium's exterior shell mirrors the layout of Palmer Stadium, and the grandstands are four sided, with a second deck added on all sides except the south. The press box
Press box
The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box. In general, newspaper writers sit in this box and write about the on-field event as it unfolds...
and luxury boxes are located above the west-side upper deck. One of the stadium's structural pillars houses the University's new rock-climbing wall, which opened in the fall of 2008. In addition to the stadium itself, the building project included building a track to the immediate south of the venue, which shares the stadium's south end facilities. (Previously, the track was located inside the stadium.)
Recently, FieldTurf was installed replacing the former grass surface at Princeton Stadium. This announcement was made in early 2006, and allowed the football team to complete its spring practice in the stadium. The football team now holds almost all of its practices in the stadium. Since the Stadium's opening, only two Princeton Tigers have rushed for over 200 yards in a single game at home: Cameron Atkinson ran for 233 yards against Dartmouth on November 23, 2002, and current all-ivy junior running back Jordan Culbreath rushed for 276 yards against Dartmouth on November 22, 2008.
Investor and 1979 alumnus William C. Powers, a former All-Ivy punter for the Tigers, made a $10 million gift to Princeton's football program, which is the largest donation ever to Princeton athletics. His donation funded a state-of-the-art playing surface for the stadium field. In honor of Powers and his family, the University will name Princeton Stadium's game field "Powers Field."