Washington-Grizzly Stadium
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Washington-Grizzly Stadium is a 23,117-seat football stadium on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula. The stadium opened on October 18, 1986 and is home to the University of Montana Grizzlies, a dominant program in Division I-AA. Montana has been to the national title game five times since 1995, winning twice (1995, 2001), and finishing as runner-up three times (1996, 2000, 2004).
The stadium received its name after Montana construction magnate Dennis Washington donated 1 million dollars to finance the stadium's construction in 1985. The stadium has been expanded three times since its opening in 1986, most recently in 2003 when 4000 additional seats were added.
The original capacity was 12,500 permanent seats on the sidelines with grass seating behind the end zones, an approximate capacity of 15,000. Permanent seating for the end zones was installed in 1995, bringing the seating capacity to over 19,000.
Sprinturf was installed in 2001, replacing the natural grass playing field. The playing surface is 20 feet (6 m) below ground level at an elevation of 3190 feet (972 m) above sea level. The video screen GrizVison, at 26' × 36' (8 m × 11 m), is the largest in a Division I-AA football stadium. It was installed in 2002.
Before Washington-Grizzly Stadium opened, the Grizzlies played off-campus at "new" Dornblaser Field from 1968 until 1986. Before that, Montana played on-campus at "old" Dornblaser Field from 1920-67 (both named for Paul Dornblaser, football captain in 1912). Prior to 1920, Montana played its home games at a field in downtown Missoula near the former Missoulian newspaper building.
The 5 largest crowds at Washington-Grizzly Stadium are:
- 24,018 vs. Montana State, 2006
- 23,867 vs. Montana State, 2004
- 23,773 vs. Weber State, 2005
- 23,732 vs. Eastern Washington, 2005
- 23,687 vs. Cal Poly, 2003
[edit] Concerts
On June 20, 1998 Pearl Jam kicked-off their North American tour at a sold out Washington-Grizzly stadium.
On October 4, 2006 The Rolling Stones played to a sold-out audience of more than 22,000 during a stop on their A Bigger Bang Tour.
A 2000 seat upper deck expansion will be constructed on the east side of the stadium after the 2007 season.
[edit] External links
- Montana Grizzlies.com - about Washington-Grizzly Stadium
- Washington Grizzly Stadium Information
| Current Football Stadiums in the Big Sky Conference |
|---|
| Bobcat Stadium (Montana State) • Holt Arena (Idaho State) • Hornet Stadium (Sacramento State) • Joe Albi Stadium (Eastern Washington) • Nottingham Field (Northern Colorado) • PGE Park (Portland State) • Stewart Stadium (Weber State) • Walkup Skydome (Northern Arizona) • Washington Grizzly Stadium (Montana) • Woodward Field (Eastern Washington) |
