Reser Stadium

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Reser Stadium
Reser Stadium at Oregon State University
Location	Corvallis, Oregon
Broke ground	1953
Opened	1953
Closed	Open
Demolished	N/A
Owner	Oregon State University
Operator	Oregon State University
Surface	FieldTurf
Construction cost	$1 million USD
Former names
Parker Stadium
Tenants
Oregon State Beavers (NCAA)
Capacity
43,300 (46,200 beginning in 2007)

Reser Stadium is a sports facility in Corvallis, Oregon owned and operated by Oregon State University. Its original name was Parker Stadium, in honor of Portland businessman Charles T. Parker, who played a significant role in the initial fundraising. The Parker name is still honored at Parker Plaza, located between Reser and Gill Coliseum, the site of many pregame activities. Its current name comes from one of the school's major athletic donors, the Reser family, owners of Reser's Fine Foods.^[1]

[edit] History

Reser was built in 1953 to become the permanent home for Oregon State football, and has been their home field ever since. Intramural and club sports also use the facility occasionally, most notably the field hockey and soccer programs. The stadium is located on the southwest corner of the campus, at the intersection of 26th Street and Western Boulevard in Corvallis. Prior to the 2005-06 seasons, the official capacity of the stadium stood at 35,362. However, the Raising Reser campaign, begun in 2003, has seen the current capacity increase to 43,300 with the addition of a new east grand stand, and seeks to further boost seating to 55,000 through three phases of renovation.

"Phase Two" of the Raising Reser project, which began in December 2006 and will reach completion prior to the 2007 football season, will focus on expanding seating in the south end zone by wrapping the recently renovated east grandstand around to the west grandstand. This addition will raise total seating capacity to 46,200 and also include the installation of an 80 ft. x 30 ft. ProStar Digital VideoPlus Display, which will be the largest display in the Pac-10.^[2]

Also prior to the 2005-06 season, the playing surface at Reser Stadium was AstroTurf 12/2000, installed in 1999. A new FieldTurf surface was installed in the Spring of 2005.

A JumboTron was located in the southeast corner to supplement the scoreboards at both end zones (north and south). However, it was torn down after the 2006 season to allow for the second phase of the stadium expansion.

The north endzone is also home to the Valley Football Center, which houses a large weight room, offices and meeting facilities, reserved primarily for coaches and administrators within the football program.

From 1999-2004, the Beavers posted an in-league home record of 18-6 at Reser Stadium -- the best conference record of any team in the Pac-10 over that span.

The stadium alternates with Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon in hosting the Civil War game between Oregon and Oregon State.

[edit] References

1. ^ Reser Stadium. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
2. ^ Athletic Director's Report. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.

Coordinates: 44°33′34.34″N, 123°16′53.06″W

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)