Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Encyclopedia
Warren McGuirk
Alumni Stadium is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose stadium
in Hadley, Massachusetts
on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst
. It was home to the UMass Minutemen football
team through the 2011 season, and remains home to the UMass Minutewomen lacrosse
team
. The stadium is named for Warren P. McGuirk
, who was the UMass Athletic Director from 1948 to 1971. Although it is located within the University's campus, which is almost entirely in Amherst, the stadium itself lies just across the border in Hadley.
, 41-0. The stadium was officially dedicated on October 16, 1965, when UMass defeated Rhode Island
30-7 in a Homecoming contest. The most recent sellout at the stadium was on December 2, 2006 with UMass defeating New Hampshire, 24-17. The stadium is also the site of UMass Amherst graduation ceremonies, and hosted the 1987 NCAA
women’s soccer championship. On Friday April 10, 2009, an Amherst resident fell from the stadium in what police believe was a suicide.
However, the football team has left McGuirk Stadium after the 2011 season. For several years, UMass considered making a move to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). McGuirk Stadium's current capacity is only modestly above the NCAA's requirement of 15,000 average attendance for FBS membership. This would require that UMass expand McGuirk Stadium's seating capacity
, build a new facility, or move to a larger stadium in the region. On April 20, 2011, UMass officially announced that the Minutemen football team will move from the FCS Colonial Athletic Association
to the FBS Mid-American Conference
. As part of the FBS upgrade, the Minutemen are expected to move to the New England Patriots
' Gillette Stadium
in Foxborough
, 93 miles (149.7 km) away. This move may be temporary, lasting at least until renovations to McGuirk Stadium are completed.
The plaza on the east side of the stadium behind the ticket gates, MinuteFan Park, hosts food and souvenir vendors and other exhibitors on game days.
28-16.
A video scoreboard was installed during the 2009 season.
. Further, the 2011 season was the last at McGuirk Stadium before a major renovation project. For the 2012 and 2013 seasons the Minutemen will play all of their home games at Gillette Stadium
in Foxboro, Massachusetts. During this time period plans are in place to upgrade McGuirk Stadium to adequate FBS conditions. Stadium seating is to be increased to about 25,000 seats with more seats being added to the sidelines as well as seating additions to the south end of the stadium. The north end will have a new training facility and locker rooms added, and the press box will be elevated to 2 levels with more TV/radio booths as well as Luxury Suites being added.
The cost of this construction is estimated at $20,000,000 and is expected to be completed in time for the 2014 season. The deal with Gillette Stadium calls for UMass to play at least 4 games per year at the stadium from 2014-2016 which would leave open the possibility for 1-2 games per season during those years to be played on campus at McGuirk Stadium. One of the main reasons for the possibility of games during that period at McGuirk is that the current Mid American Conference TV contract with ESPN
typically schedules a handful of MAC games to be played on Tuesday nights in October
and November
. The thought process is that if UMass were scheduled a home matchup for one of the weeknight games the game could be played on campus thus negating the need to bus students to and from Gillette Stadium late at night on a school night.
The McGuirk renovation project took a big step toward completion, when the UMass Trustees approved a five year 3.1 Billion dollar capital plan. Included in the plan is 30 million dollars to be spent renovating the stadium as part of the transition to FBS football play.
Warren P. McGuirk
Warren P. McGuirk was the dean of the School of Physical Education and Director of Athletics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1948 to 1971, and an active figure in New England sports...
Alumni Stadium is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
in Hadley, Massachusetts
Hadley, Massachusetts
Hadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,793 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around Hampshire Mall and Mountain Farms Mall along Route 9 is a major shopping destination for the surrounding...
on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
. It was home to the UMass Minutemen football
UMass Minutemen football
The UMass Minutemen football team is a collegiate football team that has finished its last season in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision and the Colonial Athletic Association in 2011. UMass began play in 1879 and have since appeared in three National Championship games, winning the title in...
team through the 2011 season, and remains home to the UMass Minutewomen lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
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...
. The stadium is named for Warren P. McGuirk
Warren P. McGuirk
Warren P. McGuirk was the dean of the School of Physical Education and Director of Athletics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1948 to 1971, and an active figure in New England sports...
, who was the UMass Athletic Director from 1948 to 1971. Although it is located within the University's campus, which is almost entirely in Amherst, the stadium itself lies just across the border in Hadley.
History
The stadium hosted its first game on September 25, 1965, with UMass beating American International CollegeAmerican International College
American International College is a private, co-educational liberal-arts college located in the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts.-History:...
, 41-0. The stadium was officially dedicated on October 16, 1965, when UMass defeated Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
30-7 in a Homecoming contest. The most recent sellout at the stadium was on December 2, 2006 with UMass defeating New Hampshire, 24-17. The stadium is also the site of UMass Amherst graduation ceremonies, and hosted the 1987 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...
women’s soccer championship. On Friday April 10, 2009, an Amherst resident fell from the stadium in what police believe was a suicide.
However, the football team has left McGuirk Stadium after the 2011 season. For several years, UMass considered making a move to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). McGuirk Stadium's current capacity is only modestly above the NCAA's requirement of 15,000 average attendance for FBS membership. This would require that UMass expand McGuirk Stadium's 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...
, build a new facility, or move to a larger stadium in the region. On April 20, 2011, UMass officially announced that the Minutemen football team will move from the FCS Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
to the FBS Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
. As part of the FBS upgrade, the Minutemen are expected to move to 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...
' 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 Foxborough
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...
, 93 miles (149.7 km) away. This move may be temporary, lasting at least until renovations to McGuirk Stadium are completed.
The plaza on the east side of the stadium behind the ticket gates, MinuteFan Park, hosts food and souvenir vendors and other exhibitors on game days.
Improvements
A Field Turf playing surface was installed in McGuirk Stadium for the 2006 football season. Lights were installed in the stadium for the 2008 football season, permitting UMass to play night games at home on a regular basis. The first game played under the permanent lights was the season opener on August 30, 2008, with UMass beating AlbanyUniversity at Albany, SUNY
The State University of New York at Albany, also known as University at Albany, State University of New York, SUNY Albany or simply UAlbany, is a public university located in Albany, Guilderland, and East Greenbush, New York, United States; is the senior campus of the State University of New York ...
28-16.
A video scoreboard was installed during the 2009 season.
Future
On April 20, 2011 the school officially accepted an invitation to become a football-only member of the Division I FBS Mid-American ConferenceMid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
. Further, the 2011 season was the last at McGuirk Stadium before a major renovation project. For the 2012 and 2013 seasons the Minutemen will play all of their home games at 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. During this time period plans are in place to upgrade McGuirk Stadium to adequate FBS conditions. Stadium seating is to be increased to about 25,000 seats with more seats being added to the sidelines as well as seating additions to the south end of the stadium. The north end will have a new training facility and locker rooms added, and the press box will be elevated to 2 levels with more TV/radio booths as well as Luxury Suites being added.
The cost of this construction is estimated at $20,000,000 and is expected to be completed in time for the 2014 season. The deal with Gillette Stadium calls for UMass to play at least 4 games per year at the stadium from 2014-2016 which would leave open the possibility for 1-2 games per season during those years to be played on campus at McGuirk Stadium. One of the main reasons for the possibility of games during that period at McGuirk is that the current Mid American Conference TV contract with ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
typically schedules a handful of MAC games to be played on Tuesday nights in October
October
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name after January and February were inserted into the calendar that had originally been created by the...
and November
November
November is the 11th month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of four months with the length of 30 days. November was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar...
. The thought process is that if UMass were scheduled a home matchup for one of the weeknight games the game could be played on campus thus negating the need to bus students to and from Gillette Stadium late at night on a school night.
The McGuirk renovation project took a big step toward completion, when the UMass Trustees approved a five year 3.1 Billion dollar capital plan. Included in the plan is 30 million dollars to be spent renovating the stadium as part of the transition to FBS football play.