Amon G. Carter Stadium
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| Amon G. Carter Stadium | |
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| Location | 2850 Stadium Dr Fort Worth, TX 76129 |
| Broke ground | 1929 |
| Opened | October 11, 1930 |
| Owner | Texas Christian University |
| Operator | Texas Christian University |
| Surface | Bermuda Grass |
| Construction cost | (currently under 75$ mil renovation) |
| Architect | William Jasdon |
| Tenants | TCU Horned Frogs (NCAA) (1930-Present) Armed Forces Bowl (NCAA) (2003-present) |
| Capacity | 44,008 |
Amon G. Carter Stadium is an open-air football stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. It is the home stadium of the TCU football team, the Horned Frogs. It also hosts the annual Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, which has been played since 2003. It was named after Amon G. Carter, a prominent Fort Worth businessman, newspaper publisher, and city booster. The stadium is currently under a $105 million renovation-project spanning five years.
The stadium was opened in 1930, with a seating capacity of 22,000. It was built to replace Clark Field. Dedication of the stadium was on October 11, 1930. TCU defeated the University of Arkansas, 40-0. Several different expansions of stadium's end zone and east grand stands took place in the 1940s and 1950s. The first of which took place in 1948, with construction raising the capacity by 8,500 to 30,500. In 1951 and 1953, 2,500 and 4,000 more seats were added to the sections giving the facility 37,000 seats. A two-level press box was added to the structure in 1956.
The press box is one of the most prominent features of the stadium, and the campus. At 18-stories tall, it is officially the tallest press box in the NCAA, and possibly of all stadiums in the US. According to school lore, the press box is also the source of the school's infamous mascot, the "Horned Frog". When the press box was added, the university refused to allow any structure on the TCU campus to exceed the elevation of the top of the cross atop the University Chapel's steeple, 837 ft. above sea level (it remains the highest point on campus.) So, in order for the 18-story press box to sit lower in elevation than the chapel's steeple, the foundation was dug deeper than usual. During this excavation, construction workers reported that hundreds of 'horned frogs' (Texas Horned Lizard), were jumping out of the ground and shooting blood at the workers ... which is where the nickname "Fighting Frogs" came from and the school eventually adopted the "Horned Frog" as their official mascot.
The same year the press box was added, an upper deck was added that features a giant 60' x 120' display of the school's logo, the curved purple & white "TCU". The letters are displayed on bleacher seats and clearly visible when flying into DFW airport. The upper deck brought the stadium capacity to 46,083. Improvements were made to the seating in 1985 and 1991. First the seats in the lower grandstands were removed and aluminum seats were put in their place. Then the upper-deck seats were replaced with the aluminum seats. In 1992, the artificial turf, which had been in place since 1973, was replaced with natural grass. Today, with seating modifications and removals, the stadium seats 44,008 spectators.
In 2002 the David E. Bloxom Sr. Foundation helped install a new scoreboard and videoboard. Additionally, TCU is near completion of their expansion of the John Justin Athletic Center, which is attached to the stadium complex, and already houses the Varsity Club & Lounge but will soon feature 12 skyboxes. Finally, bids are under review to 3/4-bowl the stadium; some estimate this would bring the stadium to a seating capacity of nearly 50,000.
Amon G. Carter Stadium most recently sold out on September 16, 2006 when TCU defeated Texas Tech, 12-3. The previous time the stadium sold out was November 17, 1984. That day 12th-ranked TCU fell to 10th-ranked Texas in a nationally televised contest on CBS.
The stadium, which now stands to the northwest of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, has been home to such greats as Sammy Baugh, Davey O'Brien, Jim Swink, Bob Lilly, and LaDainian Tomlinson.
On February 8, 2008, a section of new seats at Texas Christian University's Amon Carter Stadium collapsed. Part of the west side of the new structure fell onto the south end zone seating, spilling debris down to the first rows of seats. Although no one was injured, progress was halted until the cause of the collapse could be determined.
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