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Cowboys Stadium

 
Wikipedia: Cowboys Stadium
Cowboys Stadium
Cowboys Stadium Logo.png
Cowboysstadium js.jpg
Cowboys Stadium on June 30, 2009
Location 925 N Collins St, Arlington, Texas
Coordinates 32°44′52″N 97°5′34″W / 32.74778°N 97.09278°W / 32.74778; -97.09278Coordinates: 32°44′52″N 97°5′34″W / 32.74778°N 97.09278°W / 32.74778; -97.09278
Broke ground September 20, 2005
Opened May 27, 2009[1]
Owner City of Arlington[2]
Operator Dallas Cowboys
Surface RealGrass Matrix[3]
Construction cost $ 1.3 billion [4]
Architect HKS, Inc.
Structural engineer Walter P Moore
Capacity 80,000 – expandable to 111,000 with standing areas (estimated)[5]
Record attendance 105,121
September 20 2009
Dallas Cowboys vs.
New York Giants[6]
Tenants
Dallas Cowboys (NFL) (2009- )
Big 12 Championship Game (NCAA Football) (2009-2010)
Cotton Bowl Classic (NCAA Football) (2010- )
Super Bowl XLV (NFL) (2011)
NBA All-Star Game (2010)
NCAA Men's Final Four (2014)
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Cowboys Stadium is a domed stadium with a retractable roof in Arlington, Texas, for the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys. It replaced the partially-covered Texas Stadium, which opened in 1971, as the Cowboys' home. It was completed on May 27, 2009 and seats 80,000, but is expandable to hold up to 111,000 through the use of standing areas.[5]

The stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world, has the world's largest column-free interior, and the largest video screen which hangs from 20 yard line to 20 yard line.[7] The facility can also be used for a variety of other activities outside of its main purpose (professional football) such as concerts, religious ceremonies, basketball games, college football and high school football contests, soccer matches, Motorcross races and rodeos similar to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Contents

Construction and design

Cowboys Stadium was designed by the Dallas-based architectural firm HKS.[8] Besides the Cowboys, the new stadium will be used by college football teams and other organizations for other sporting and non-sporting events. On March 10, 2008, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, joined by officials and coaches from Texas A&M University and the University of Arkansas (Jones' alma mater), announced that the two schools would renew their rivalry with annual games at the stadium, beginning October 3, 2009.[9] In addition, the Cotton Bowl Classic will be moved to the stadium beginning of 2010.[10]

Originally estimated to cost $650 million, the stadium's current construction cost was $1.15 billion, making it one of the most expensive sports venues ever built.[11] To aid Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones in paying the construction costs of the new stadium, Arlington voters approved the increase of the city's sales tax by 0.5 percent, the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percent, and car rental tax by 5 percent. The City of Arlington provided over $325 million (including interest) in bonds as funding,[12][13] and Jones covered any cost overruns. Also, the NFL provided the Cowboys with an additional $150 million, as per their policy for giving teams a certain lump sum of money for stadium financing.[14]

Although the stadium had yet to sell naming rights, many fans started referring to the project with various nicknames such as "Jerry World",[15][16][17] "JonesTown", the "Jerrydome", "Jones-Mahal", the "Death Star", the "Boss Hog Bowl" in reference to Jones' continued affiliation to his Alma Mater nickname, the Razorbacks (or hogs), or "Six Flags Over Jerry" in reference to Jerry Jones and Six Flags Over Texas, which is near the new stadium, as well as lesser known others.[18] There was also a petition by some fans to have the stadium named after longtime Cowboys coach Tom Landry. On May 13, 2009, Jerry Jones announced the official name, Cowboys Stadium.[15]

A pair of nearly 300 ft (91 m)-tall arches spans the length of the stadium dome, anchored to the ground at each end. The new stadium also includes "more than 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more, offering fans viewing options that extend beyond the action on the field," [3] and a center-hung video display board that is the largest high-definition television screen in the world. Glass doors, allowing each end zone to be opened, were designed and constructed by Dallas-based Haley-Greer glass systems.

The retractable roof was designed by structural engineering firm Walter P Moore and the systems were implemented by mechanization consultants Uni-Systems. These Kinetic Architecture fundamentals will be employed in order to create quick conversions of the facility to accommodate a variety of events. When the design was officially unveiled on December 12, 2006, it showed that, from inside the stadium, the roof (membrane installed by K Post Company of Dallas)[19] will look very similar to the Texas Stadium roof, with its trademark hole. However, it can be covered by the retractable roof panel to protect against the elements.

A Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame is planned for the Hall of Fame level. The drawings also include a site for a large sculpture northeast of the stadium, close to Randol Mill Road.

Excavation work at the stadium site began in May 2006 near Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Cowboys played in Texas Stadium through the 2008 season.

This stadium will host Super Bowl XLV in 2011, beating out bids from the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.[20] It will also host the 2009 and 2010 Big  12 Football Championship and Cotton Bowl Classic, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the 2014 men's Final Four.[21] The Professional Bull Riders will also host the Dickies Iron Cowboy Invitational at Cowboys Stadium in February 2010.[22]

Timeline

  • 1994: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he wants to expand the 65,000-seat Texas Stadium by up to 40,000 seats, add retractable roof panels and install a climate-control system to make the stadium a year-round venue for sporting events, including the Super Bowl, concerts and conventions.
  • 1997 – 2000: The Cowboys hold preliminary talks with Arlington officials about building a stadium there. The team also publicly discusses a $260 million plan to upgrade Texas Stadium. In 2000, the Cowboys compile a list of potential stadium sites, which include Grapevine, Coppell and Arlington. The team continues negotiating with Irving to renovate Texas Stadium.
  • 2001: Jones says Arlington is a leading contender for a $500 million stadium. The primary site considered is the 2,000 acres (8 km2) Lakes of Arlington tract on Farm Road 157. Other cities in the running include Grapevine and Grand Prairie. In October, Jones discusses the new stadium with the mayors of Arlington, Irving, Grapevine and Dallas.
  • 2003: The Cowboys ask the Irving City Council to extend their lease at Texas Stadium, which expires at the end of the 2008 season, on a year-to-year basis. They narrow their search to sites in Las Colinas and Dallas, and state legislators file bills that would allow Dallas County to increase its hotel occupancy and car rental taxes to pay for a new stadium.
  • 2004: In April, the Cowboys announce plans to build a $650 million stadium at Fair Park in Dallas. The deal requires $425 million in public financing from a 3 percent hotel-occupancy tax and a 6 percent car-rental tax. The deal falls apart in June when Dallas County commissioners say they cannot justify asking voters to approve the team's request for $425 million in public funding. In July, the Cowboys and Arlington announce they are negotiating to locate the stadium near Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (then Ameriquest Field). In August, the Arlington City Council agrees unanimously to put before voters a tax increase that would fund the city's $325 million portion of the project. Voters approve the tax increase on November 2.
  • 2005: Arlington and the Cowboys choose the site south of Randol Mill Road and east of Collins Street for the new stadium. The city begins notifying residents and property owners of its plans to acquire their property. The Cowboys hire the HKS architectural firm to design the stadium. Early blueprints show 414 luxury suites and a two-panel retractable roof. The city completes its sale of $297.9 million in bonds to pay for its portion of the construction. Demolition of houses begins November 1.
  • January 2006: The Cowboys hire Oklahoma-based Manhattan Construction as the general contractor for the stadium and the city completes its land purchases, although it still faces a number of lawsuits over land acquisition. Also in January, Tarrant County work crews begin demolition of more than 150 Arlington residences and small business structures to make room for the stadium.[23]
  • March 2006: Alliance announced between Manhattan Construction and two minority-owned general contractors, Rayco Construction of Grand Prairie and 3i Construction of Dallas, to manage the stadium's construction.[24]
  • April 2006: Excavation begins by Mario Sinacola and Sons Excavating. By August, they had moved over 1.4 million cubic yards of earth, shaping a 13 acre to 14 acre stadium bowl an average of 54 feet (16 m) deep.[25]
  • August 2006: Two construction cranes are raised on the site.
  • October 2006: The grass amphitheater on Randol Mill Road is leveled to make way for the extension of Baird Farm Road.
  • December 2006: The stadium's structure begins to go up and on December 12th, Jerry Jones unveils the in-depth plans and designs of the stadium to the public.
  • January 2007: A construction worker is injured in a 20 ft (6 m) fall.[26]
  • February 2007: Masonry work begins.
  • March 2007: Heldenfels Enterprises awarded the contract to manufacture and erect the pre-cast/pre-stressed concrete structural components and placement of them begins in April.[27]
  • June 2007: Work on the retractable roof, designed by Uni-Systems, starts.
  • July 2007: Exterior facade and enclosure work began.
  • October 2007: First steel arch is completed.
  • February 2008: Second steel arch is completed.
  • June 2008: Jones commissions the world's largest 1080p HDTV,[28] to hang above field.
  • June 2008: An electrician is electrocuted while working on the stadium. Two days before, three people were injured while assembling a crane.
  • 2009: The stadium is scheduled for 'substantial completion' in June. The artificial-turf field was brought into the stadium in July. The Cowboys played their first pre-season home game on August 21 and their first regular-season home game on Sunday, September 20.
  • May 13, 2009: Jerry Jones announced the official name of the new venue as Cowboys Stadium.[15]

Opening

  • July 19, 2009: The first point is scored at Cowboys Stadium. A goal was scored by Costa Rica in the Gold Cup Quarterfinal game versus Guadeloupe at the 2nd minute by Celso Borges.
  • August 20, 2009: Jody Dean, a member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame and KLUV-FM (98.7) talk show host, will be Cowboys Stadium's public address announcer. Dean replaces The Ticket's George Dunham, the longtime voice of Texas Stadium.[31]
  • August 21, 2009: The Cowboys played the Tennessee Titans in their first preseason home game and first game ever played at Cowboys Stadium. The game was nationally televised on FOX at 7 PM CDT.[32] Dallas won the game 30-10, with one play from scrimmage blown dead when a ball punted by Titans' rookie punter A. J. Trapasso struck the jumbotron after repeatedly striking the jumbotron during pregame warmups.
  • September 20, 2009: The Cowboys played their first NFL regular season game in the new stadium, with former President and Texas resident George W. Bush handling the opening coin toss. The Cowboys lost to their long-time NFC East division rivals, the New York Giants, 33-31 on a last second field goal by Lawrence Tynes. It was televised on NBC.[34] This game attracted a record-breaking crowd of 105,121.[35]
  • September 28, 2009: The Cowboys got their first home regular season win. They beat the Carolina Panthers 21-7 with 90,588 in attendance. The game was televised on ESPN's Monday Night Football and marked a record 42nd win for the Cowboys on MNF.[36]
  • October 12, 2009: U2 brought the 360° Tour to Cowboy's Stadium. To make room for the large claw shaped stage, the video board was raised 25 feet and was not used during the concert. [37]
  • November 28, 2009: Texas Tech defeats Baylor 20-13 in Texas Farm Bureau Big 12 Shootout. Over 71,000 in attendance.

Video screen

A highlight of Cowboys Stadium is its gigantic center-hung high-definition television screen, the largest in the world, popularly known as "JerryVision". The 160-by-72-foot (49 by 22 m), 11,520-square-foot (1,070 m2) scoreboard surpasses the 8,736 sq ft (812 m2) screen that opened in 2009 at the renovated Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri as the world's largest.[39][40][41]

The screens were developed by Mitsubishi's Diamond Vision Systems. Each center-hung sideline display consists of 10,584,064 LEDs, consuming some 635,000 watts.[42] Because each pixel consists of four LEDs (2 red, 1 green, 1 blue), the 2,176 X 4,864 LED distribution corresponds to a 1,088 X 2,432 pixel resolution, the equivalent of 1080p. However the image can actually be considerably sharper than the resolution suggests, because Diamond Vision's "Dynamic Pixel" technology allows the corner LEDs of four neighboring pixel clusters to function as a pixel cluster together, providing virtual pixels between each physical pixel.[43]

At the debut game of Cowboys Stadium, a punt by Tennessee Titans punter A. J. Trapasso hit the 2,100 in. screen above the field. The punt deflected backwards and was ruled in-play until Titans coach Jeff Fisher informed the officials that the punt struck the scoreboard. By rule, the down was replayed. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes that Trapasso was trying to hit the scoreboard, saying "If you look at how you punt the football, unless you're trying to hit the scoreboard, you punt the ball to get downfield. You certainly want to get some hangtime, but you punt the ball to get downfield, and you sure don't punt the ball down the middle. You punt it off to the side."[44]

Guinness World Records was on hand at the September 28, 2009 game against the Carolina Panthers to award certificates to the Chairman of Mitsubishi Electric and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for the World's Largest High-Definition Video Display.[45]

Concessions and merchandising

On October 20, 2008, Cowboys owner Jones and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner announced a joint business venture called Legends Hospitality Management LLC which would operate the concessions and merchandising sales at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas, and at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, along with the stadiums of the Yankees' minor league affiliates. Former Pizza Hut President Michael Rawlings will run the company from its new headquarters in Newark, New Jersey. The company was also backed by Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs and Dallas private equity firm CIC Partners LP.[46][47][48]

Parking

The fees for premium parking at Dallas Cowboys games are estimated at $75 per game, based on season ticket holder parking charges.[49] The fees to park at major concerts and other sporting events will be nearly $40 per space at the new stadium.[50] There is no public transportation access to the stadium.[51]

Photos

Video

Cowboys stadium panning.ogv
Interior view of Cowboys Stadium (full resolution video)

Notes

  1. ^ "Cowboys Stadium Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony". Dallascowboys.com. 1970-01-01. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=849D2C58-C9BD-6CC8-43B608681C730C39. Retrieved 2009-06-19. 
  2. ^ "FAQ About Dallas Cowboys Project" (PDF). City of Arlington. November 4, 2004. http://www.ci.arlington.tx.us/citysecretary/pdf/110204/110204_faq_english.pdf. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  3. ^ "New Dallas Cowboys Stadium selects SoftTop grass system from Hellas Construction" (PDF). Dallascowboysturf.com. Hellas Construction. http://www.dallascowboysturf.com/downloads/release_hellas_cowboys.pdf. Retrieved May 22, 2009. 
  4. ^ Mosley, Matt (September 15, 2008). "Jones building a legacy with $1.3 billion Cowboys stadium". Sports.espn.go.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=mosley_matt&page=hotread1/mosley. Retrieved November 28, 2008. 
  5. ^ a b http://www.star-telegram.com/stadium/story/1550178.html Star-Telegram.com
  6. ^ http://cbs11tv.com/cowboys/cowboys.stadium.single.2.1196660.html
  7. ^ http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/13/cowboys-new-stadium-to-get-over-20-000-square-feet-of-video-scr/
  8. ^ "Arlington Welcomes Dallas Cowboys Selections for New Stadium". City of Arlington. January 31, 2006. http://www.ci.arlington.tx.us/news/2006/archive_0106_15.html. Retrieved January 15, 2008. 
  9. ^ "Texas A&M, Arkansas to renew football rivalry at new Cowboys stadium". Dallas Morning News. March 10, 2007. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/031108dnspoamarkansas.3eaf64a8.html. Retrieved March 10, 2008. 
  10. ^ "Cotton Bowl to move to new stadium in Arlington". ESPN.com. February 28, 2007. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2780883. Retrieved January 15, 2008. 
  11. ^ http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/DallasCowboys/newindex.htm
  12. ^ http://www.brb.state.tx.us/lgs_search.aspx?action=city
  13. ^ http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/DallasCowboys/newindex.htm
  14. ^ "Cowboys unveil plans for new stadium". ESPN.com. December 13, 2006. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2695427. Retrieved January 15, 2008. 
  15. ^ a b c "New Dallas Cowboys stadium to be called Cowboys Stadium". ESPN. May 13, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4164418. Retrieved May 13, 2009. 
  16. ^ http://www.news10.net/sports/story.aspx?storyid=61678
  17. ^ http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/cowboysstadium/stories/DN-stadiumscoop_27met.ART.South.Edition1.4e5f6e0.html
  18. ^ Matt Mosley (May 22, 2007). "Indy, Arizona had no chance". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=mosley_matt&id=2879314. Retrieved January 15, 2008. 
  19. ^ "Snapshot: Key contracts awarded for Dallas Cowboys stadium". Dallas Business Journal. March 6, 2009. http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/03/09/focus5.html. Retrieved April 16, 2009. 
  20. ^ Mickey Spagnola (May 22, 2007). "At Long Last, Super Bowl Coming To North Texas". DallasCowboys.com. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?id=B4F2408B-E56F-5F4B-DAB3644206D02A55. Retrieved January 15, 2008. 
  21. ^ http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=849D2C58-C9BD-6CC8-
  22. ^ http://www.pbrnow.com/release/?id=5652
  23. ^ "Demolition Started for Cowboys Stadium". Associated Construction Publications. http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6303364.html. 
  24. ^ "Alliance Announced". Associated Construction Publications. http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6311619.html. 
  25. ^ "All Up From Here". Associated Construction Publications. http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6379243.html. 
  26. ^ "Construction worker remains hospitalized". the Dallas Morning News. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/cowboysstadium/stories/013007dnmetstadium.35388655.html. 
  27. ^ "Heldenfels Awarded Contract". Associated Construction Publications. http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6423000.html. 
  28. ^ "Dallas Slideshows – Cowboys Unveil World’s Largest HDTV". Village Voice Media. http://www.dallasobserver.com/slideshow/view/13365766. 
  29. ^ "George Strait to Headline Debut of Cowboys Stadium". CBS 11 News/AP. February 17, 2009. http://cbs11tv.com/local/george.strait.cowboys.2.937036.html. Retrieved February 23, 2009. 
  30. ^ "George Strait Opens New Cowboys Stadium". Country Standard Time. June 7, 2009. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/blog/countrymike/entry.asp?xid=368. Retrieved June 7, 2009. 
  31. ^ http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/082109dnspocowshort.30e0a5d.html
  32. ^ "Titans to host Bucs, Packers in preseason". March 31, 2009 publisher=nashvillecitypaper.com. http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/content/sports/titans-host-bucs-packers-preseason. Retrieved May 25, 2009. 
  33. ^ Apr 14, 10:22 pm EDT (April 26, 2009). "NFL releases full regular-season schedule - NFL - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AhmV9HU_sVbiQuFtXL_52GZDubYF?slug=ap-nflschedule&prov=ap&type=lgns. Retrieved May 5, 2009. 
  34. ^ "NFL releases full regular-season schedule". yahoo.com. April 14, 2009. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AhmV9HU_sVbiQuFtXL_52GZDubYF?slug=ap-nflschedule&prov=ap&type=lgns. 
  35. ^ http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/sports/pro/football&sa=NFL&eid=4490763
  36. ^ "Cowboys shut down Panthers", ESPN.com, 2009-09-28. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
  37. ^ [1]
  38. ^ [2]
  39. ^ Murph, Darren (May 18, 2009). "Kansas City Royals to get 'world's largest' HD LED scoreboard". Engadgethd.com. http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/10/03/kansas-city-royals-to-get-worlds-largest-hd-led-scoreboard/. Retrieved May 22, 2009. 
  40. ^ MJD (June 12, 2008). "Jerry Jones aims to make all Cowboys' fans blind by 2010". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Jerry-Jones-aims-to-make-all-Cowboys-fans-blind?urn=nfl,87574. Retrieved November 28, 2008. 
  41. ^ "Cowboys reveal world’s largest HD LED screen to the public ", LEDs Magazine, 2009-08-23. Retrieved on 2009-08-23.
  42. ^ ""Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision™ is Dallas Cowboys’ Choice for New Stadium"". Diamond-vision.com. http://www.diamond-vision.com/news_detail.asp?id=9. Retrieved 2009-08-26. 
  43. ^ ""The Diamond Vision Advantage - Quad Dot Pattern"". Diamond-vision.com. http://www.diamond-vision.com/quad_dot_pattern.asp. Retrieved 2009-08-26. 
  44. ^ Chase, Chris (2009-08-22). "Punt hits video screen at new Cowboys Stadium - Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Punt-hits-video-screen-at-new-Cowboys-Stadium?urn=nfl,184487. Retrieved 2009-08-26. 
  45. ^ Chase, Chris (2009-09-28). "Guinness World Records to Recognize Dallas Cowboys and Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision for World's Largest Video Display". finance.yahoo.com. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Guinness-World-Records-to-bw-1520012443.html?x=0&.v=1. Retrieved 2009-10-08. 
  46. ^ Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees form joint concessions venture (Dallas Morning News)
  47. ^ Cowboys, Yankees form company for new stadiums (Associated Press)
  48. ^ Yankees, Cowboys, Goldman Sachs Form Stadium Company (Bloomberg)
  49. ^ "Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers reach deal on parking spots". star-telegram.com. April 2, 2009. http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/1296502.html. 
  50. ^ "KENNEDY: $40 for Cowboys Stadium parking? Sure would be nice to have mass transit...". star-telegram.com. June4, 2009. http://www.star-telegram.com/news/columnists/bud_kennedy/story/1415994.html. 
  51. ^ "Unlike most NFL sites, there aren't many ways to catch a ride to Cowboys Stadium". dallasnews.com. September 16, 2009. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-cowboystransit_16met.ART.State.Edition2.4bbf966.html. 

External links

Preceded by
Texas Stadium
Home of the
Dallas Cowboys

2009 – present
Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
Arrowhead Stadium
Host of the
Big 12 Championship Game

2009 – 2010
Succeeded by
TBD
Preceded by
Cotton Bowl
Home of the
Cotton Bowl Classic

2010 – future
Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
Landshark Stadium
Host of the Super Bowl
XLV 2011
Succeeded by
Lucas Oil Stadium
Preceded by
US Airways Center
Host of the
NBA All-Star Game

2010
Succeeded by
Staples Center

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