Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky)

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Commonwealth Stadium
C.M. Newton Field
Location 1540 University Drive[1]
Lexington, Kentucky 40502
Broke ground 1973
Opened 1973
Owner University of Kentucky
Operator University of Kentucky
Surface Bermuda Grass
Construction cost $12 million USD
Tenants Kentucky Wildcats (NCAA) (1973-Present)
Capacity 67,606
For the stadium of the same name in Edmonton, Alberta, see Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton).

Commonwealth Stadium is the name of a stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. This stadium, named for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is located on the campus of the University of Kentucky and is the home field for the school's football team, replacing the smaller Stoll Field/McLean Stadium. The field is named C.M. Newton Field in honor of retired UK athletic director and former baseball and basketball player C.M. Newton.

Built in 1973, it is the newest football stadium in the Southeastern Conference, as measured by date of original construction. The original capacity for the stadium was 57,800. In Commonwealth's first game, played on September 15, 1973, the Wildcats defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 31-26. The facility currently seats 67,606.

In 1999 both ends of the stadium were enclosed and 40 suites were added, 10 in each corner of the stadium. The total cost of the expansion was $27.6 million USD. During the 1999 season, Kentucky's average home attendance for football games was 67,756. Attendance for the game against Tennessee that year was 71,022, which remained the record attendance until the Wildcats' 2007 game against Florida drew 71,024. In recent years, crowds of over 70,000 have become very common.

Since 1999, fireworks have been shot from atop the scoreboards after every Wildcat touchdown.

Contents

[edit] Stadium records

Record description Record Record holder(s) Date Opponent Final Score
Most rushing yards, game 272 yds Moe Williams November 11, 1995 Cincinnati 33-14
Most passing yards, game 528 yds Jared Lorenzen October 21, 2000 Georgia 30-34
Most receptions, game 16 Craig Yeast November 14, 1998 Vanderbilt 55-17
Most receiving yards, game 269 yds Craig Yeast November 14, 1998 Vanderbilt 55-17
Longest run from line of scrimmage 85 yds Mark Higgs September 12, 1987 Utah State 41-0
Longest pass play 91 yds Buck Belue^ to Amp Arnold^ October 25, 1980 Georgia 0-27
Longest field goal 54 yds Hap Hines^ October 26, 1996 Georgia 24-17
Longest Punt 86 yds Donnie Jones November 9, 2002 LSU 33-30
Longest Kickoff Return 100 yds Willie Shelby^
Tyrone Prothro^		 September 22, 1973
October 9, 2004		 Alabama
Alabama		 14-28
17-45
Longest Punt Return 84 yds Rafael Little November 18, 2006 Louisiana-Monroe 42-40
Longest Interception Return 91 yds Greg Long September 5, 1981 North Texas St. 28-6
Most Points Scored 77 Kentucky September 7, 2002 UTEP 77-17
Most overtimes 7* Kentucky November 1, 2003 Arkansas 63-71

^ Denotes Non-Kentucky Player
* Tied the NCAA record for most overtimes

Pregame of 2005 Kentucky vs. Auburn game.
Pregame of 2005 Kentucky vs. Auburn game.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ University of Kentucky Campus Map (PDF). University of Kentucky (2006-09-20). Retrieved on 2008-01-20.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Stoll Field/McLean Stadium		 Home of
Kentucky Wildcats football
1973 – present		 Succeeded by
Current
v • d • e
Football stadiums of the Southeastern Conference
Eastern
Western

Coordinates: 38°01′21.9″N, 84°30′18.6″W

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