Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Encyclopedia
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field is an outdoor athletic stadium
located in Oxford, Mississippi
. The stadium serves as the home for the University of Mississippi
Rebels
college football
team. The stadium is named after Johnny Vaught
and Judge William Hemingway.
, Mississippi State
, Tennessee
, University of Southern Mississippi, and Arkansas
at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
in the state capital of Jackson
, located approximately 170 miles (273.6 km) south of the Ole Miss campus; and to a lesser extent, the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
in Memphis
. The Ole Miss-MSU game, commonly referred to as the Egg Bowl
, was held in Jackson every year from 1973 through 1990 before returning to a home-and-home series.
and chairman of the University's Committee on Athletics. October 12, 1982 saw the addition of legendary Ole Miss coach Johnny Vaught's name to the stadium. September 5, 1998 saw the field named for longtime supporter Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth, bringing the current official title to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field.
by nearly 10,000, giving Vaught-Hemingway a capacity equal to that of the stadium in Jackson. In 2009, following record season ticket sales, it was reported that the University was looking into another expansion to possibly complete the stadium "bowl" in the north endzone.
Other notable upgrades include the installation of lights in 1990, a jumbotron
in 1997 and the replacement of the natural grass turf, which had become increasingly hard to maintain, with an AstroPlay artificial turf surface in 2003. Ironically, the stadium had been among the first in the nation to switch from a natural grass playing surface to artificial turf in 1970, and then one of the first of those stadiums to switch back to natural grass in 1984. The field surface was again changed in 2009 from AstroPlay to FieldTurf
, making Ole Miss the first team in the Southeastern Conference to play their home games on the surface (other SEC teams use it on their practice fields but Ole Miss was the first to use it on their game field).
. The Rebels fell to the Crimson Tide with a final score of 22–3. The previous record was set in 2003, when the Rebels lost 17–14 to eventual national champion
LSU
in front of a crowd of 62,552.
Daktronics
video board to replace the Sony
Jumbotron
that had been installed in the north Endzone in 1997. The new board is the eighth largest scoreboard in NCAA college football (fourth in the Southeastern conference, second in Mississippi), measuring in at 48 ft (14.6 m) by 84 ft (25.6 m) (4,032 square feet). Ole Miss' board cost $6 million, all of which was paid for by Telesouth Communications as part of a multimedia rights agreement with the University.
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 Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
. The stadium serves as the home for the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
Rebels
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
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...
team. The stadium is named after Johnny Vaught
Johnny Vaught
John Howard Vaught was an American college football coach at the University of Mississippi from 1947 to 1970 and again in 1973....
and Judge William Hemingway.
History
Built starting in 1915 as a federally-sponsored project, a series of expansions and renovations have gradually expanded the stadium and modernized its amenities, allowing the Rebels to play all of their home games on campus. Prior to the early-to-mid 1990s, Ole Miss would play many of its big rivalry games, including the heated feuds with LSULouisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, Mississippi State
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
, Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, University of Southern Mississippi, and Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. Veterans Memorial Stadium is the home field of the Jackson State University Tigers. In July 2011, Jackson State University will own and operate the stadium...
in the state capital of Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, located approximately 170 miles (273.6 km) south of the Ole Miss campus; and to a lesser extent, the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team...
in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. The Ole Miss-MSU game, commonly referred to as the Egg Bowl
Egg Bowl
The Battle for the Golden Egg, also known as the Egg Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between played annually by the Mississippi State Bulldogs football team of Mississippi State University and the Ole Miss Rebels football team of the University of Mississippi . The rivalry is...
, was held in Jackson every year from 1973 through 1990 before returning to a home-and-home series.
Namesake
When the stadium opened, it was named for Judge William Hemingway, a professor of lawLaw
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and chairman of the University's Committee on Athletics. October 12, 1982 saw the addition of legendary Ole Miss coach Johnny Vaught's name to the stadium. September 5, 1998 saw the field named for longtime supporter Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth, bringing the current official title to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field.
Expansions and upgrades
The most recent expansion, completed in 2002, replaced the south end zone bleachers with a rounded bowl, adding luxury boxes and covered club seating in an upper deck, as well as additional general admission seating for students and season ticket holders; these renovations expanded 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...
by nearly 10,000, giving Vaught-Hemingway a capacity equal to that of the stadium in Jackson. In 2009, following record season ticket sales, it was reported that the University was looking into another expansion to possibly complete the stadium "bowl" in the north endzone.
Other notable upgrades include the installation of lights in 1990, a jumbotron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
in 1997 and the replacement of the natural grass turf, which had become increasingly hard to maintain, with an AstroPlay artificial turf surface in 2003. Ironically, the stadium had been among the first in the nation to switch from a natural grass playing surface to artificial turf in 1970, and then one of the first of those stadiums to switch back to natural grass in 1984. The field surface was again changed in 2009 from AstroPlay to 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...
, making Ole Miss the first team in the Southeastern Conference to play their home games on the surface (other SEC teams use it on their practice fields but Ole Miss was the first to use it on their game field).
Attendance record
On October 10, 2009, 62,657 spectators were in attendance when the #20-ranked Rebels faced the #3-ranked Alabama Crimson TideAlabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
. The Rebels fell to the Crimson Tide with a final score of 22–3. The previous record was set in 2003, when the Rebels lost 17–14 to eventual national champion
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
in front of a crowd of 62,552.
Indoor practice facility
In 2004, a 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) indoor practice facility and locker room facility was opened. This facility is linked to the existing stadium via a secured, underground tunnel that provides players with gameday access to and from the state of the art training features and expansive meeting areas housed there.Video display
For the 2008 season, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium got a new high definitionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
Daktronics
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...
video board to replace the Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Jumbotron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
that had been installed in the north Endzone in 1997. The new board is the eighth largest scoreboard in NCAA college football (fourth in the Southeastern conference, second in Mississippi), measuring in at 48 ft (14.6 m) by 84 ft (25.6 m) (4,032 square feet). Ole Miss' board cost $6 million, all of which was paid for by Telesouth Communications as part of a multimedia rights agreement with the University.