Autzen Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Autzen Stadium at Rich Brooks Field | |
|---|---|
| The Autzen Zoo | |
|
Image:Autzen.jpg
Autzen Stadium at Oregon
|
|
| Location | Leo Harris Parkway Eugene, OR 97401 |
| Broke ground | 1967 |
| Opened | September 23, 1967 |
| Owner | University of Oregon |
| Operator | University of Oregon |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction cost | $2.5 million USD |
| Tenants | |
| University of Oregon Ducks (NCAA) (1967-Present) | |
| Capacity | |
| 53,800 | |
Autzen Stadium is a stadium in Eugene, Oregon. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is primarily used for football, and is the home of the Oregon Ducks. After several expansions, it now seats approximately 53,800, yet average attendance for Oregon Football games is closer to 60,000.
The stadium is tucked between the Willamette River and Coburg Hills. The uniquely shaped bowl blends in with the wooded Eugene landscape. Students typically arrive to the game walking on a 1/8th-mile scenic footbridge over the Willamette. The stadium is also one of the few NCAA Division I-A stadiums that are oriented (approximately) east-west. The majority are oriented north-south.
The stadium is named for Thomas J. Autzen, of Portland. His foundation, the Autzen Foundation, gave the university $250,000 for construction of the facility. The first game played at Autzen Stadium was on September 23, 1967. Colorado defeated Oregon, 17-13. The first win in the stadium was on October 21, when Idaho was defeated 31-6. That was the only victory for Oregon at Autzen Stadium that year. In 1993, the field was named Rich Brooks Field. Brooks coached the Ducks from 1977 to 1995, and led the Ducks to their first outright Pac-10 title in school history in 1994. He currently is the head coach at Kentucky (coincidentally, another school whose stadium is oriented east-west). In 2002, a $90 million facelift and expansion added seating and luxury boxes to the south sideline, bringing capacity up to its current size. Since the 2002 expansion, the ducks have continued to sellout every game and have not had a crowd under 55,000 since then. The ducks have a current streak of 48 straight sellouts at Autzen going back to the 1999 season.
The stadium alternates with Reser Stadium at Oregon State University in hosting the Civil War game between Oregon and Oregon State.
Autzen Stadium also plays host to other events, such as the Oregon 6A, 5A, 4A high school championship football games and marching band competitions. It is currently the largest sporting arena in the state of Oregon.
At one point the ducks held a 23 game home winning streak at Autzen Stadium that began in 1997 and ended in 2001 with a 49-42 loss to the Stanford Cardinal. Autzen was named in a 2006 issue of The Sporting News as "The most intimidating college football stadium in the country," thus, giving it the nickname "The Autzen Zoo."
One of the biggest upsets in Oregon Football history took place on September 20, 2003 when the ducks upset the third ranked Michigan Wolverines 31-27. A then record crowd of 59,023 fans made so much noise that left some in the Michigan press, who were used to seeing games in front of crowds over 100,000 people, very impressed. The Michigan Daily was quoted in an article regarding Autzen Stadium: "Autzen's 59,000 strong make the Big House sound like a pathetic whimper. It's louder than 'The Swamp' at Florida, 'The Shoe' in Columbus, and 'Death Valley' at Louisiana State. Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." Even Michigan coach Lloyd Carr stated that Autzen Stadium was the loudest stadium he'd ever been in.
The all-time attendance record for Autzen Stadium was set on September 16th, 2006 when 59,269 fans watched then 18th ranked Oregon defeat then 15th ranked Oklahoma 34-33. During the game, the noise level reached 125 decibels, far above the threshold of pain.
Autzen Stadium has also hosted concerts in the past including numerous performances by the Grateful Dead.
[edit] External link
| 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) |
