Husky Stadium
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- For the home field of Northern Illinois University, see Huskie Stadium.
| Husky Stadium | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | 3800 Montlake Blvd NE Seattle, WA 98105 |
| Broke ground | 1920 |
| Opened | 1920 |
| Owner | Univ. of Washington |
| Operator | Univ. of Washington |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction cost | $600,000 USD |
| Tenants | |
| Washington Huskies (NCAA) (1920-Present) Seattle Seahawks (NFL) (1994, 2000-2001) |
|
| Seats | |
| 72,500 | |
Husky Stadium is the University of Washington's football and track and field venue in Seattle, USA, located between Montlake Boulevard N.E. and Union Bay just north of the Montlake Cut. Its U-shaped design was specifically oriented to minimize glare from the sun in the athletes' eyes. The open end overlooks scenic Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains.
Husky Stadium was originally built in 1920, with a seating capacity of 30,000, but has gone through four remodels (two major, two minor) to expand the seating capacity. In 1936, 10,000 seats were added around the rim. In 1950, a layer of 15,000 covered seats was added to the south side--the new structure also made some of the lower seats covered. In 1968, a few thousand more seats were added along the rim. In 1987, 13,000 covered seats were added on the north side--again, this structure also made some of the lower seats covered. This made the total capacity 72,500, making it the largest stadium, amateur or professional, in the Pacific Northwest. The 1987 construction project made headlines when the first version of the grandstand collapsed (There was no design error of the North Stands Addition. Investigators found that several critical guy wires--cables which kept the structure from twisting--were removed in error). However, construction was completed before the beginning of the 1987 football season. The University of Washington has planned an extensive renovation for the stadium by 2015. [1]
Because of its size and design and the vociferous nature of Huskies fans, the stadium is considered one of the loudest in North America, often making it difficult for opposing teams to hear their quarterback's signals. "It’s a sea of purple on Saturdays, and the volume gets cranked up loudly for a place that is an open-air venue. During a 1992 night vs. Nebraska, ESPN measured the crowd noise at 135 decibels." [2]
It was used in the 1990 Goodwill Games, and served as the temporary home of the Seattle Seahawks in 1994, 2000, and 2001.
[edit] The pro football years
The first residency of the Seahawks was as a result of repairs to the inside of the roof of the Kingdome. The second residency was because the Kingdome was demolished in favor of Qwest Field, which was built in the Kingdome's footprint. By then, the University of Washington had installed a FieldTurf surface at Husky Stadium. Originally, natural grass was to be installed in Qwest Field, but the Seahawks management and players were so impressed by the performance of the FieldTurf surface, it was decided that FieldTurf would be installed in Qwest Field.[citation needed]
[edit] External links
- Official UW Athletics Web site
- Large picture of Husky Stadium and boat tailgaters
- Details and pictures of Husky Stadium
- Husky Stadium in Columns, the UW Alumni Magazine
- Map of the UW campus, showing the location of Husky Stadium in the southeast section
- HistoryLink article describing the 1987 collapse
- Pictures from 1987 collapse
[edit] Map It
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- Satellite image from WikiMapia, Google Maps or Windows Live Local
- Street map from MapQuest or Google Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
| Preceded by Kingdome 1976–1999 |
Home of the Seattle Seahawks 2000–2001 |
Succeeded by Qwest Field 2002–Present |
| University of Washington |
|---|
| University of Washington • UW people
• Husky Athletics • Bow Down to Washington • Hec Edmundson Pavilion • Husky Stadium • Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture • Henry Art Gallery • Red Square • Suzzallo Library • University of Washington Medical Center • The Daily • University of Washington Husky Marching Band |
| Football Stadiums of the Pacific Ten Conference |
|---|
| Arizona Stadium (Arizona) • Autzen Stadium (Oregon) • Husky Stadium (Washington) • Martin Stadium (Washington State) • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Southern California) • California Memorial Stadium (California) • Reser Stadium (Oregon State) • Rose Bowl (UCLA) • Stanford Stadium (Stanford) • Sun Devil Stadium (Arizona State) |
