Cougar Field
| Cougar Field | |
|---|---|
 Cougar Field during its time as a natural grass field | |
| Location |
Cullen Boulevard @ Elgin Street Houston, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29°43′36″N 95°20′43″W / 29.7267°N 95.3452°W |
| Broke ground | 1994 |
| Opened | February 22, 1995 |
| Renovated | 2013 |
| Owner | University of Houston System |
| Operator | University of Houston |
| Surface | Artificial turf |
| Construction cost | $30 million USD[1] |
| Capacity | 5,000[1] |
| Field dimensions |
Left Field: 330 ft (100 m)[2] Center Field: 400 ft (122 m) Right Field: 330 ft (100 m) |
| Tenants | |
|
Houston Cougars baseball (NCAA) (1995-present) Texas Arrow Heads (Pro Cricket) (2004) C-USA Tournament (2004, 2010) | |
Cougar Field is a baseball stadium in Houston, Texas. It is the home field of the Houston Cougars baseball team. Several iterations of Cougar Field have existed. The current stadium holds 5,000 people, and opened for baseball in 1995. Since its opening, Cougar Field has hosted several notable college baseball events.[3]
History
Prior to 1961, the Cougars played at Buff Stadium. The original baseball stadium named Cougar Field was built roughly in the same area as the current one. Before 1968, it existed where Hofheinz Pavilion is today. To make room for the then new basketball arena, Cougar Field was moved next door.[4] This iteration of Cougar Field stayed in the same location until March 29, 1994 when it was demolished in preparation for the establishment of the UH Athletics/Alumni center.[4] To finish the rest of their season's home games, the Cougars played at Texas A&M University's Olsen Field and crosstown Rice University's Cameron Field.[5][6] After a multimillion dollar donation from Cougar alumnus and San Diego Padres owner John Moores, the current stadium was built throughout the remainder of the year, and had its first game on February 22, 1995.
In late 2013, Houston, citing national competitiveness in recruiting, changed Cougar Field's playing surface from natural grass to artificial turf.[7]
Events hosted
Since its opening in 1995, Cougar Field has hosted several notable college baseball events.[3] In both 1999 and 2000 an NCAA Regional was hosted at the ball park. Also in 2000, Cougar Field was home to an NCAA Super Regional. In addition, the 2004 and 2010 Conference USA Baseball Tournaments were both hosted at the Field.
Features
Cougar Field is a scaled-down version of a major league ballpark.[3] It features a scoreboard with a Philips Vidiwall LED video screen constructed by Spectrum Corporation.[8] Cougar Field seats up to 5,000 spectators, whereas most of the seats are covered by a canopy roof.
For players, in addition to locker rooms, there are facilities for indoor batting practice, storage, and laundry.[3] Cougar Field's press box seats 28, and has booths for television and radio coverage.[3] The field is made of artificial turf, which can increase the running speed, but can also increase injuries as compared to natural grass.
Attendance
In 2010, the Cougars ranked 45th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,262 per home game.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Holderfield, Jeff. "New Cougar Field Opens Today at 4 P.M.". The Daily Cougar. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
- ↑ 1999 Division I Baseball Regional Pairings and Site Breakdowns. NCAA. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Cougar Field. UH Athletics. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Scholl, Daniel. "Dreams, Days Gone by Mark of Era". The Daily Cougar. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
- ↑ Wizig, Jerry. "Cougar Field Stories Abound". Chron.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
- ↑ Carssow, Ryan. "Only Memories Will Remain of Cougar Field". The Daily Cougar. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
- ↑ "Houston Baseball to Turf Cougar Field". Houston Cougars athletics. November 1, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ↑ Scoreboards. Spectrum Corporation. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
- ↑ Brian Foley (January 6, 2011). "2010 NCAA Baseball Attendance Leaders". Archived from the original on 02-04-11. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cougar Field. |
Coordinates: 29°43′36″N 95°20′43″W / 29.7267°N 95.3452°W
| Preceded by Buffalo Stadium |
Home of the Houston Cougars 1962 – Present |
Succeeded by Current ballpark |
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