Rentschler Field
Encyclopedia
Rentschler Field is a stadium
in East Hartford, Connecticut
. It is primarily used for football
, and is the home field of the University of Connecticut Huskies
. Starting in the fall of 2010, it became home to the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. The stadium, which opened in 2003, was the first stadium used primarily by an NCAA
Division I-A (now FBS) team to open in the 21st century. It holds 40,000 people and can be expanded. Connecticut played on campus at Memorial Stadium
in Storrs
, before 2003.
Rentschler Field
was originally the name of the company airfield for Pratt & Whitney
that formerly occupied the site. The airfield, which began operations in 1931, was named after Frederick Brant Rentschler
, who founded the aircraft arm of Pratt & Whitney and later founded its current parent company, United Technologies. It was originally used for test flights and maintenance operations, and later for corporate aviation. The 75 acres (30.4 ha) site was decommissioned as an airport in the 1990s, and donated to the state of Connecticut
by United Technologies in 1999. The company's contributions were not restricted to the airfield; it also allows the use of 100 acres (40.5 ha) of its corporate campus in East Hartford for game-day parking.
The New England Patriots
considered moving to Connecticut and sharing a stadium with the UConn football team, in the mid 1990s. The new stadium was supposed to be built on the Connecticut Convention Center
site in downtown Hartford. However, when the Patriots completed the deal for Gillette Stadium
in Foxboro, Massachusetts
, the Hartford stadium plan was scaled down and the location was moved to East Hartford.
The stadium hosts major concerts (such as Bruce Springsteen
, the first artist to play the stadium, in 2003, The Rolling Stones
in 2005, The Police
in 2007, Enimem in 2010, and Taylor Swift
in 2011), and international soccer
and rugby union
matches. In addition, the Bollywood
movie Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
used the field as the location of the soccer game in the opening scene of the movie. It is owned by the state of Connecticut and is operated by Bushnell Management Services, who took over the stadium in 2011. Madison Square Garden, L.P.
operated the stadium until 2006, and Anschutz Entertainment Group
operated the stadium from 2007 through 2010.
), the Colonials played all four home games at Rentschler. Attendance at Colonials games averaged a consistent 15,000 people, third place in the five-team league behind Omaha and Sacramento. The UFL suspended the Colonials franchise in 2011, in part because of the high rent the stadium charged.
. Events included a Hartford Whalers
Alumni vs. Boston Bruins
Alumni game, a double-header featuring both UConn men's
and women's
hockey teams, a Hockey Legends team faced off against the Mystery, Alaska
Hollywood team, and the second edition of the American Hockey League Outdoor Classic
between the host Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins
. Over 15,000 fans came out to watch the so-called "Whale Bowl", while over 1,700 attended the UConn men's game.
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 East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. It is primarily 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...
, and is the home field of the University of Connecticut Huskies
Connecticut Huskies football
The Connecticut Huskies football team is a collegiate football team that competes in NCAA Division I-A and the Big East Conference. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, and participated in Division I-AA until 1999. The Huskies began their two-year Division I-A transition period in 2000, and...
. Starting in the fall of 2010, it became home to the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. The stadium, which opened in 2003, was the first stadium used primarily by an NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I-A (now FBS) team to open in the 21st century. It holds 40,000 people and can be expanded. Connecticut played on campus at Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Storrs)
Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Storrs, Connecticut. It was primarily used for American football, and was the home field of the University of Connecticut football team between 1953 and 2002, before the opening of Rentschler Field. The stadium holds 16,200 people and was built in 1953. It was...
in Storrs
Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...
, before 2003.
Rentschler Field
Rentschler Field (airport)
Rentschler Field was an airport in East Hartford, Connecticut in use from 1933 to 1999. Originally a military facility, later a private corporate airport, it was decommissioned in 1999, after which the football stadium of the same name was built on the site....
was originally the name of the company airfield for Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
that formerly occupied the site. The airfield, which began operations in 1931, was named after Frederick Brant Rentschler
Frederick Brant Rentschler
Frederick Brant Rentschler was an American aircraft engine designer, aviation engineer, and industrialist. A talented inventor of aviation equipment, Rentschler founded Pratt & Whitney Aircraft...
, who founded the aircraft arm of Pratt & Whitney and later founded its current parent company, United Technologies. It was originally used for test flights and maintenance operations, and later for corporate aviation. The 75 acres (30.4 ha) site was decommissioned as an airport in the 1990s, and donated to the state of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
by United Technologies in 1999. The company's contributions were not restricted to the airfield; it also allows the use of 100 acres (40.5 ha) of its corporate campus in East Hartford for game-day parking.
The New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
considered moving to Connecticut and sharing a stadium with the UConn football team, in the mid 1990s. The new stadium was supposed to be built on the Connecticut Convention Center
Connecticut Convention Center
The Connecticut Convention Center is a convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, United States, overlooking the Connecticut River....
site in downtown Hartford. However, when the Patriots completed the deal for Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
in Foxboro, Massachusetts
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
, the Hartford stadium plan was scaled down and the location was moved to East Hartford.
The stadium hosts major concerts (such as Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, the first artist to play the stadium, in 2003, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
in 2005, The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
in 2007, Enimem in 2010, and Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
in 2011), and international soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
matches. In addition, the Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movie Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner...
used the field as the location of the soccer game in the opening scene of the movie. It is owned by the state of Connecticut and is operated by Bushnell Management Services, who took over the stadium in 2011. Madison Square Garden, L.P.
Madison Square Garden, L.P.
Madison Square Garden, Inc. , is an American entertainment promotion company, headquartered in New York, New York. The company spun off from Cablevision on February 9, 2010.-Divisions:...
operated the stadium until 2006, and Anschutz Entertainment Group
Anschutz Entertainment Group
The Anschutz Entertainment Group is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's...
operated the stadium from 2007 through 2010.
Hartford Colonials
The Hartford Colonials are a United Football League team that play their home games at Rentschler Field. During their (2010 UFL season2010 UFL season
The 2010 United Football League season was the second season of the United Football League. The regular season ran from September 18 to November 20 and featured five teams playing eight games each over a 10-week span. The 2010 season was a relatively competitive one as no team won more than five...
), the Colonials played all four home games at Rentschler. Attendance at Colonials games averaged a consistent 15,000 people, third place in the five-team league behind Omaha and Sacramento. The UFL suspended the Colonials franchise in 2011, in part because of the high rent the stadium charged.
Whalers Hockey Fest
From February 11–20, 2011, the stadium hosted the Whalers Hockey Fest 2011. A hockey rink was constructed on the field much like is done for the annual NHL Winter ClassicNHL Winter Classic
The NHL Winter Classic is an annual event held by the National Hockey League on New Year's Day where regular-season games are played outdoors, in areas hosted by NHL teams. Though largely derived from the Heritage Classic outdoor game held in Edmonton in 2003, the Winter Classic has so far only...
. Events included a Hartford Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
Alumni vs. Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
Alumni game, a double-header featuring both UConn men's
Connecticut Huskies men's ice hockey
The Connecticut Huskies men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Connecticut. The Huskies are a member of Atlantic Hockey...
and women's
Connecticut Huskies women's ice hockey
The Connecticut Huskies women's ice hockey program represents the University of Connecticut. The Huskies compete in Hockey East.-History:The 1-0 shutout by Connecticut on November 13, 2010 ended New Hampshire’s 17-game unbeaten streak against the Huskies. The Huskies penalty kill was a perfect...
hockey teams, a Hockey Legends team faced off against the Mystery, Alaska
Mystery, Alaska
Mystery, Alaska is a 1999 drama directed by Jay Roach about a fictional small-town ice hockey team that plays a game against the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. It was shot in Banff National Park and Canmore, Alberta.-Plot:...
Hollywood team, and the second edition of the American Hockey League Outdoor Classic
Mirabito Outdoor Classic
The Outdoor Classic is a series of games played outdoors in the American Hockey League. Paralleling the National Hockey League's Winter Classic and Heritage Classic, the Outdoor Classic pits two regional rivals in a game in an outdoor stadium; with the AHL being based mainly in minor league cities,...
between the host Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins
Providence Bruins
The Providence Bruins are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the primary development team for the NHL's Boston Bruins. They play in Providence, Rhode Island at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.-History:...
. Over 15,000 fans came out to watch the so-called "Whale Bowl", while over 1,700 attended the UConn men's game.