Wednesday, October 31, 2007

History of University of Oregon's Autzen Stadium, Home of the "Fighting Ducks"



The following is a History of The University of Oregon's football stadium, Autzen Stadium, taken mostly from Wikipedia:

HISTORY
Prior to 1967, the Ducks played on Hayward Field. Recognizing that the football team had outgrown that facility, Oregon athletic director Leo Harris led a campaign to build a new stadium on 90 acres that he had acquired for the purpose in the 1950s.[2][3]

The stadium, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, was built within an artificial crater to eliminate the need for multilevel ramps. As a result, construction took just nine months and cost approximately $2.5 million. $250,000 was contributed by the Autzen Foundation, headed by Portland lumberman Thomas J. Autzen, for whom the stadium was named.[4]



The first game played at Autzen Stadium was on September 23, 1967 in which Colorado defeated Oregon, 17-13. (I was there and it was my first Oregon football game) Oregon's first win in the stadium occurred on October 21, when Idaho was defeated 31-6. That was the only victory for Oregon at Autzen Stadium that year.

In 1995, the field was named Rich Brooks Field. Brooks, currently is the head coach at Kentucky, coached the Ducks from 1977-94, and led the Ducks to their first outright Pac-10 title in school history in 1994.

In 2002, a $90 million facelift and expansion added seating and luxury boxes to the south sideline, bringing capacity up to its current size. This expansion was due in large part to the generosity of Oregon alum Phil Knight. Since the 2002 expansion, the Ducks have continued to sell out every game. The Ducks have a current streak of 52 straight sellouts at Autzen going back to the 1999 season.

From 1997 to 2001, the Ducks had a 23-game home winning streak at Autzen Stadium that ended with a 49-42 loss to Stanford.

The stadium alternates with Reser Stadium at Oregon State University in hosting the Civil War game between Oregon and Oregon State.


Location and configuration
Autzen Stadium during a game.The stadium is located just north of the Willamette River, next to Alton Baker Park. Students typically travel to the stadium by walking from the Oregon campus over the Autzen Footbridge, which passes over the Willamette. The FieldTurf playing field is at an elevation of 420 feet (130 m) above sea level and is laid out in a non-traditional east-west orientation.