| Foreman Field at S. B. Ballard Stadium | |
|---|---|
Foreman Field in 2007 |
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| Location | 5115 Hampton Boulevard Norfolk, Virginia 23529 |
| Broke ground | 1935 |
| Opened | October 3, 1936[1] |
| Renovated | 2009 |
| Owner | Old Dominion University |
| Operator | Global Spectrum |
| Surface | AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D |
| Construction cost | $300,000[1] $29,521,218 (renovation) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket (renovation) |
| Capacity | 19,818[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Old Dominion Lady Monarchs Field Hockey, Oyster Bowl (1946-1995), Norfolk Neptunes, Washington Redskins (preseason games), Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary football, Old Dominion Monarchs football | |
Foreman Field at S. B. Ballard Stadium is a 19,818-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. It opened in 1936 with a football game between the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary's Norfolk Division (which is now Old Dominion University).[3] It is currently being used to house Old Dominion Monarchs football games, along with the Monarch Marching Band
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The stadium was once the home of the Norfolk Division of William & Mary (now Old Dominion University) football program from 1936 until its 1941 demise, and has undergone remodeling for Old Dominion's new Monarchs college football team for its start in 2009.
Foreman Field hosted the annual Oyster Bowl game from 1946 to 1995, featuring major college football teams. Syracuse defeated Navy there in 1959 on its way to winning the national championship. Future NFL stars Fran Tarkenton, Roger Staubach, and Don Meredith played in Oyster Bowl games. It was also the home of the semi-pro Norfolk Neptunes in the 1960s and 1970s, and the Washington Redskins played several pre-season games there in the 1960s. The Virginia Ambassadors of the World Football League were to play their games at Foreman Field in 1974 before the franchise was sold and moved to Orlando. The Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League almost moved there for the 1996 season before the franchise folded. A drawing of Foreman Field is featured in the John Grisham novel Bleachers.
The stadium underwent a $24.8 million renovation in preparation for the start of the 2009 I-AA season.[4] In July 2009, the stadium was renamed Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium, in honor of a local contractor, who donated more than $2.5 million for the stadium.[5] On September 5, 2009, the first ODU football game was held at Foreman Field. Old Dominion defeated Chowan University 36–21.[6]
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