Martin Stadium

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Martin Stadium
A view of Martin Stadium during a football game.
Location Pullman, Washington
Broke ground 1971
Opened 1972
Owner Washington State University
Operator Washington State University
Surface FieldTurf
Construction cost $1 million (undergoing $70 million renovation)
Former names Rogers Field
Tenants Washington State Cougars
Univ. of Idaho Vandals (1999-2001)
(NCAA)
Capacity 35,117

Martin Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. It is the home of the Washington State Cougars of the Pacific-10 Conference. The playing field is FieldTurf (and runs an unorthodox east-west) at an elevation of 2540 feet (774 m) above sea level. [1]


2006 Apple Cup at Martin Stadium.
2006 Apple Cup at Martin Stadium.

The stadium is named after Clarence D. Martin, the governor of the state of Washington from 1933-41, and a former mayor of Cheney. Ironically, Martin was a 1906 graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, WSU's in-state rival.

Martin Stadium opened on September 30, 1972, with a victory over Utah. It had been two and a half years since its predecessor, the wooden Rogers Field, was significantly damaged by fire, long believed to be a case of arson. The WSU Cougars played their home football games at Spokane's Joe Albi Stadium in 1970 and 1971.

As of 2006, the stadium has a seating capacity of 35,117. Since the renovation of Reser Stadium at Oregon State, Martin Stadium has fallen to last in seating capacity among Pac-10 football stadiums. The current attendance record was set on November 15, 1997, when WSU beat Stanford in front of 40,306 fans. (The '97 Cougar team won the Apple Cup in Seattle the following week to win the Pac-10, and played in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 67 years.) Despite the relatively small size of Martin Stadium, it has one of the highest ratios of seating capacity to population base; almost 1.6 seats per every citizen in the city of Pullman, and a seat for everyone in Whitman County.

Martin Stadium was the first college football stadium to expand (in 1979) by removing its 400 meter track and lowering the playing field (by 16 feet). This modification added over 12,000 new seats that were closer to the field (and the opponent's bench). Following a 10-3 season and an undefeated home campaign in 2003, Martin Stadium was ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the toughest stadiums for visiting teams in college football.[citation needed]

The current playing surface is FieldTurf, installed in 2000, preceded by the sand-filled Omni-Turf, installed in 1990. The original playing surface at Martin Stadium in 1972 was AstroTurf, replaced by SuperTurf in 1979.[2]. The playing surface at Rogers Field was natural grass.

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[edit] Fire at Rogers Field

At 10:30 pm on Saturday, April 4, 1970 (the first day of spring break), residents heard what they described as a gunshot at the football stadium. By 2:00 am, the south grandstand and press box of the wooden venue had burned to the ground, witnessed by a thousand residents and firefighters. The exact cause, or offender, was never found, though there were several suspects.

The Cougars played their entire home schedule for the 1970 & 1971 football seasons at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane. The fire also displaced the Idaho Vandals, whose wooden Neale Stadium was condemned before the 1969 season (and set afire by arson that November). The Vandals had used WSU's Rogers Field for its two Palouse home games in 1969 and were planning to use it again in for four home games in 1970. Without a suitable stadium in the Moscow-Pullman vicinity, Idaho also played its 1970 home schedule at Joe Albi, returning to its Moscow campus in 1971. The 1970 WSU-Idaho game in Spokane on September 19th was dubbed "The Displaced Bowl," and was easily won by the Cougars, 44-16. [3][4]

The name "Rogers Field" continues on campus. It has been transferred to areas used for intramural sports and football practices.[5]

[edit] Apple Cup

WSU fans at 2006 Apple Cup at Washington State University.
WSU fans at 2006 Apple Cup at Washington State University.

Washington State hosts the Apple Cup in even-numbered years. Except for 1954, the Apple Cup was played at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane from 1950-80, rather than in Pullman. The Cougars went 3-12 in these fifteen Spokane Apple Cups, while they won the two previous games played at Rogers Field in Pullman (1948, 1954).

Since 1982, a Cougar victory, the rivalry game with UW has been played at Martin Stadium, with the Cougars winning five of the thirteen Pullman games. [6]

[edit] Sharing with a rival

For two and a half seasons, 1999-2001, the Idaho Vandals borrowed Martin Stadium to use as its home field, as Idaho transitioned from Division I-AA to I-A. At the time, the Vandals' Kibbie Dome was too small to support the NCAA's attendance requirements for Division I-A. The attendance criteria for Division I-A was changed and Idaho is now a member of the Division I-A WAC, and uses its own facility.

Washington State and Idaho renewed their dormant football rivalry in 1998, and match up annually in the Battle of the Palouse. The game is played at Martin Stadium in September, although the 2003 game was curiously played far from the Palouse, at Seahawks Stadium in Seattle. [7] After a ten year renewal New Vandal head coach Robb Akey, formerly the WSU defensive coordinator, has said that he preferred the game not be played every year.[8]

[edit] Stadium renovation

Martin Stadium will begin a major renovation project following completion of the 2006 football season. In the spring of 2006, the Associated Students of Washington State University (ASWSU) approved a measure to finance $10 million of the estimated $70 million cost of the multi-phase renovation. Pending finances, renovation could be completed as early as 2009. Among the plans for renovation are added seating capacity, improved amenities and new press boxes and luxury suites. Following the renovation, a new seating capacity of 43,000 is expected.


[edit] External links

Coordinates: 46°43′54.5″N, 117°09′37.6″W

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Football stadiums of the Pacific-10 Conference