| Sam Boyd Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Former names | Las Vegas Stadium (1971-1977) Las Vegas Silver Bowl (1978-1984) Sam Boyd Silver Bowl (1984-1993) |
| Location | 7000 East Russell Road Las Vegas, Nevada 89122-8338 |
| Broke ground | 1970 |
| Opened | October 23, 1971[1] |
| Renovated | 1999 |
| Expanded | 1978, 1999 |
| Owner | University of Nevada Las Vegas |
| Operator | University of Nevada Las Vegas |
| Surface | Astroturf (1971-1998) Grass (1999-2002) DURAPlay 2003 to present |
| Construction cost | $3.5 million (most recent renovation: $1.2 million) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket (renovations) |
| Capacity | 36,800[2] (expandable to 40,000) |
| Tenants | |
| UNLV Rebels (NCAA) (1971-present) Las Vegas Quicksilvers (NASL) (1977) Maaco Bowl Las Vegas (NCAA) (1992-present) Las Vegas Posse (CFL) (1994) Las Vegas Outlaws (XFL) (2001) Las Vegas All-American Classic (NCAA) (2004-2006) Las Vegas Locomotives (UFL) [3] (2009-present) USA Sevens (IRB Sevens) (2010–present) |
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Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas".[4] The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists of an uncovered horseshoe-shaped single-decked bowl. Temporary seating is occasionally erected in the open north end zone as needed. The stadium is the home of the UNLV football team and the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League, the annual MAACO Bowl Las Vegas each December, and was the former home of the CFL's Las Vegas Posse and the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws. The Stadium is also used for high school football championship games, and at times regular-season high school games for Bishop Gorman High School. The final race of the Monster Energy Supercross series is located here every year. Since 2010, it has hosted the USA Sevens leg of the annual IRB Sevens World Series in the sevens version of rugby union.[5]
The stadium was completed in 1971 at a cost of $3.5 million. It was originally known as Las Vegas Stadium. The name was changed to the Las Vegas Silver Bowl in 1978 and then Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in 1984 and finally in April 1994 to Sam Boyd Stadium. The seating capacity was 15,000 from 1971 until 1977. The capacity was raised to 32,000 in 1978 and then to 36,800 in 1999.[1]
It hosted the Las Vegas Posse of the CFL in 1994 and the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL in 2001. It was the site of all three Western Athletic Conference title football games (1996–1998). In 1999 it hosted the CONCACAF Champions Cup soccer tournament. Except from 1999 to 2002 the stadium has had an artificial turf surface.
Since 2000, the stadium has been home to the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam World Finals which will be going into its 12th year/ Monster Jam World Finals 12. It is also home to the Supercross finale.
During the 1990s, The Grateful Dead played 14 shows at the stadium.[6]
On October 29, 2005, the grounds of the venue were host to the daytime portion of the two-day Vegoose music festival. This festival is an annual event, but ended its run in 2008.
Since December 18, 1992, the stadium has been the site of the annual Las Vegas Bowl. In recent years, the game has been very well attended. In 2005, the football team from Brigham Young University made its first postseason appearance since 2001. Excited BYU fans over-filled the stadium; the announced attendance for the 2005 game was a record 40,053 people. The following season, BYU returned to the Las Vegas Bowl as a nationally-ranked team. Additional seating was arranged at Sam Boyd Stadium for the 2006 game; the resulting attendance of 44,615 was the largest crowd to watch a team sports event in the history of the state of Nevada. In 2007, BYU made its third straight appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl; attendance was 40,712. In 2008, BYU made its fourth straight appearance ranked as the #16 team in the nation and faced off against the Arizona Wildcats who made their first bowl appearance since 1998. Arizona won the contest, 31-21, and a record 40,047 people attended the game which featured David Hasselhoff singing the national anthem.[7][8]
In July 2009, the stadium was announced as the new home of the USA Sevens, one of the eight stops in the annual IRB Sevens World Series circuit. The series brings together national teams in rugby sevens, a version of rugby union featuring 7 players per side and 7-minute halves (instead of 15 players and 40 minutes), to compete for several trophies of varying prestige. The USA Sevens debuted in 2004 in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, and moved to San Diego in 2007.[5] As part of the contract between the organizers of the USA Sevens and the International Rugby Board, a temporary grass pitch will be installed for that event each year.[9]
Sam Boyd Stadium is set to house the Clark County High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, including a 22 feet by 12 feet wall wrap with vintage photos of the inductees that will be displayed in the Southwest concourse of the stadium.[10]
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