Husky Stadium

For the home field of Northern Illinois University, see Huskie Stadium.

Husky Stadium
Location	3800 Montlake Blvd NE Seattle, WA 98105
Broke ground	1920
Opened	1920
Owner	Univ. of Washington
Operator	Univ. of Washington
Surface	FieldTurf
Construction cost	$600,000
Tenants
Washington Huskies (NCAA) (1920-Present) Seattle Seahawks (NFL) (1994, 2000-01)
Capacity
72,500

Husky Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. It is the home of the Washington Huskies of the Pacific Ten Conference, hosting its football and track and field competitions. It is located between Montlake Boulevard N.E. and Union Bay, just north of the Montlake Cut. Its U-shaped design was specifically oriented (18.167° south of due east) to minimize glare from the sun in the athletes' eyes. [1] The open end overlooks scenic Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains.

Husky Stadium is the seventh-oldest major college football facility in the nation and one of 34 built before the 1929 stock market crash.^[1] The lower bowl portion was originally built in 1920, replacing Denny Field, with a seating capacity of 30,000. The stadium has gone through four remodels (two major, two minor) to expand the seating capacity. Just three years after its construction, the stadium was the site of President Warren Harding's final address before his death. In 1936, 10,000 seats were added around the rim. In 1950, a layer of 15,000 covered seats was added to the south side--the new structure also made some of the lower seats covered. In 1968, a few thousand more seats were added along the rim. In 1987, 13,000 covered seats were added on the north side--again, this structure also made some of the lower seats covered. This made the total capacity 72,500, making it the largest stadium, amateur or professional, in the Pacific Northwest. The 1987 construction project made headlines when the first version of the grandstand collapsed. [2]

Scoreboard at Husky Stadium on September 23, 2006. The Huskies are up against the UCLA Bruins

Because of its size, design (70% of the seats are located between the end zones), metal roof, and the vociferous nature of UW fans, the stadium is considered one of the loudest in the nation. At times, it is nearly impossible for the opposing team to hear their quarterback's signals. During televised games, it can get so loud that the cameras shake. Following a 31-0 upset beating from Washington’s “Purple Reign” defense in September 1990, USC quarterback Todd Marinovich was quoted as saying, “All I saw was purple. No jerseys, no numbers, just purple.” During a September 1992 game against Nebraska, ESPN measured the crowd noise at 135 decibels--well above the threshold of pain.[3]

It was used in the 1990 Goodwill Games, where the crowd saw an address by Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States; as well as an address by Arnold Schwarzenegger; and a performance by the Moody Blues. The stadium served as the temporary home of the Seattle Seahawks in 1994, 2000, and 2001.

The playing field was originally dirt, replaced with natural grass in 1938. [4] In 1968, Washington became the first major college team to play on AstroTurf; at the time the Houston Astrodome was the only other major facility to use the surface. The AstroTurf at Husky Stadium was replaced in 1972, 1977, 1987, and 1995. [5] The next generation of synthetic turf, FieldTurf, was installed in 2000, paid for by the Seattle Seahawks, who were then using the stadium as their temporary home field.

Tailgating

Husky Stadium is unique in that fans can go to the football games by boat. This fleet is commonly referred to as the Husky Navy. Husky fans are known to tailgate on these football vessels and then a water taxi will take them ashore when it is time for the game. The north and south parking lot is packed with cars and tailgaters. One landmark that is common for tailgaters is the climbing rock at the south end of the parking lot. There is currently controversy surrounding the south parking lot because the Pacific Interchange Option for expansion to the SR 520 Floating Bridge would effectively wipe out the south parking lot used for tailgating. Many Husky fans have made their opposition to the Pacific Interchange Option known. Fans also gather at the Dempsey Indoor Facility just north of the stadium for Husky Huddles. After the game, the Tyee Sports Council and the University of Washington Athletic Department put on the 5th Quarter where fans can gather and hear analysis of the game from UW Coaches and Husky Legends, and listen to the Husky Marching Band. They can also enjoy refreshments and a raffle for prizes.

The future: Renovate or rebuild?

In November 2006, University of Washington Athletic Director Todd Turner revealed concept images of a new Husky Stadium and "athletic village". The new Husky Stadium is the first, and primary income source of, a completely remodeled athletic district. This major remodel will take decades to complete, as it will take place at the same time as a massive project by the Washington State Department of Transportation on nearby highways and bridges. The project consists of a new grand concourse, underground light-rail station, enclosed west end of the stadium, replacement of bleachers with individual seating, removal of track and huskytron, new press box, private box seating, lowering of the field, football offices, permanent seating in the east end zone that does not block the view of Lake Washington, and new and improved amenities, concession stands and bathrooms throughout. Along with the Husky Stadium remodel, new parking garages will be constructed and renovated facilities throughout the athletic village.[6]

The stadium has developed numerous structural problems, particularly in the lower bowl, caused by age and the continually moist weather. Estimates for a renovation of the existing structure are between $150 million to $450 million, for a new stadium $500 million to $600 million. Any changes would try to move the eastern scoreboard to open up the view of the lake and preserve the total capacity of the stadium.^[1]

Pro football years

The first residency of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks at Husky Stadium was due to repairs to the interior ceiling of the Kingdome in the summer of 1994. The second residency (2000-01) was because of the demolition of the Kingdome in March 2000. The Seahawks' new stadium (now Qwest Field) would take over two years to complete, and was built in the Kingdome's footprint.

In order to evaluate its suitability for use in the NFL, Seahawks' owner Paul Allen paid to install a FieldTurf surface at Husky Stadium in the summer of 2000. Visiting players were so impressed with the surface at Husky Stadium that it was rated as the best non-grass field in the NFL, and rated higher than many of the grass fields.[7] Originally, natural grass was to be installed in the new NFL stadium, but the Seahawks' management and players were so impressed by the performance of FieldTurf that it became the original playing surface at Qwest Field in 2002.

References

External links

• Go Huskies.cstv.com - official athletics site - Husky Stadium
• Large picture of Husky Stadium and boat tailgaters
• SFO.com - details and pictures of Husky Stadium
• Columns, the UW Alumni Magazine - Husky Stadium
• UW campus map - Husky Stadium - SE corner of campus]
• HistoryLink.org - article describing the 1987 collapse
• Columns, the UW Alumni Magazine - photos from the 1987 north deck collapse
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Husky Stadium: Aging not so gracefully - 27-Sep-2007
• Terraserver.microsoft.com - Aerial image (2002) and USGS topo map of UW campus

Coordinates: 47°39′01.0″N, 122°18′05.7″W

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