One of the best playing facilities in America, Sun Devil Stadium presents an impressive face from inside or outside the facility. Simply, it's a great place to play or watch a game.
It's large enough on the eastern side that the University built a world-class telescope mirror laboratory beneath the stands, where in 1996 researchers will cast an 8.4-meter reflector, the world's largest single-piece telescope mirror. The west facade from outside is dominated by the four huge columns supporting the pressbox and suites more than 100 feet above.
From inside, every seat has an uncluttered view of the playing surface and more than half the seats have sweeping views of the nearby Santa Catalina Mountains, campus and city skyline.
The addition of the $6.3 million structure housing the media, skyboxes and loge seating in 1989 put Sun Devil Stadium in first-class company. A new scoreboard project in 1993 added another technologically advanced asset to the stadium.
The four-story skybox includes a first level of 319 loge seats, a second level of 13 suites, a third level with a President's Box and ten suites and the media center on the fourth level.
The media center has 103 seats for the working press, three radio booths, three network television booths, coaching and administrative booths, a statistical operations booth and other operations and VIP areas.
The fourth level offers excellent media services and provides UA officials with first-rate game operations.
The Scholarship Suite/Media Center addition was designed by Anderson, DeBartolo, Pan Inc., and the Sundt Corp. of Tucson was general contractor.
The most challenging part of the project required building four 100,000-pound cantilever sections from which the structure is suspended. Constructing the cantilevers required a complex slip-forming operation taking place more than 100 feet in the air. The new structure hangs over the existing stadium but does not touch it. In addition, new light standards were installed atop the media center.
The Foundation financed the project by issuing double tax-exempt bonds under the Arizona Municipal Financing Program. Leases from Scholarship Suites and loge seats will fund the retirement of the bonds and in the future provide scholarships for athletes and the general student body. The amount of money available for scholarships has grown in successive years.
Each suite includes 12 theater-type seats with patrons provided the opportunity to purchase six additional tickets to the individual suite. The suites are equipped with closed-circuit television and audio choice of crowd, public address or radio broadcast feeds.
The same ban on containers and alcohol exists on game days in the suites as in all other Sun Devil Stadium seats.
The individual suites lease for $24,500 per year with a five-year commitment. The individual loge seats range from $1,200 per year to $1,800 per year, depending upon the yardline.
The new facility was only part of the improvements to the stadium. New concession and rest room facilities on the northwest and northeast corners of the stadium were added at ground level, and a renovated and enlarged Stadium Club was completed in 1990. A new sound system was added in 1991 and the stadium boasts a brand new scoreboard installed for the 1993 season.
Those improvements bring the stadium in line with the playing surface which has been lauded for many years by Wildcats and foes alike. The turf is a Bermuda Tiff, transplanted to the Stadium from Tucson Nation Golf Club when cart paths were added in the mid 1970s.
A Sports Illustrated survey in 1986 rated the Sun Devil Stadium turf as one of the two best in America.
The modern media center is the third press box to service the media at Sun Devil Stadium.Arizona's increased coverage, especially as the program moved into the Pacific-10 Conference, outgrew the first two structures. The second box quickly became overcrowded when the University administration replaced five radio and television booths with a President's Box in 1966. That structure and the entire press box were demolished in January 1989 during the Scholarship Suite/Media Center project.
Sun Devil Stadium, with a permanent capacity of 57,803, has served as home for the University's football team since 1929. This year will be the Wildcats' 66th home season in the stadium, no games having been played during the World War II years of 1943-44.
Arizona has played 384 games in the stadium, 307 of them at night, winning 240, losing 132 and tying 12 for a .640 winning percentage. The team has never failed to win at least one game at home and has gone undefeated nine times (10 times including tie games). UA tied its best home record at 6-0 in 1993 (also 6-0 in 1961). The worst, 1-5-1, came in 1957. UA was 3-3 last year.
A stadium record crowd of 58,817 witnessed the Oct. 22, 1994 victory over UCLA, 34-24.
Also in 1994 the team came close to that record figure with three other sellout crowds -- 58,810 (Arizona State), 58,534 (Colorado State) and 58,374 (California). That was the third consecutive year (and the only three times) there had been two sellouts in a season since the 1976 expansion project. UA averaged 56,612 per game in 1993, the highest in history.
Originally, Sun Devil Stadium seated 7,000 persons with all seats on the west side between the end zones. Ground was broken in December 1928, with the Wildcats playing and winning their first game on Oct. 12, 1929 (35-0 vs. California Tech). The first night game was played Sept. 25, 1931 (8-0 loss to San Diego State).
In 1938, an additional 3,000 seats were added between the 25-yard lines on the east side, boosting capacity to 10,000. Nine years later, the end zones were filled, increasing capacity to 14,000. The horseshoe at the south end of the stadium was completed in 1950, giving the facility a total of 22,671 seats.
That's the way it stayed until 1965 when expansion on the west side provided 10,000 new seats, along with the 80-foot, multi-level pressbox. A two-tier addition to the east stands, adding 17,000 seats, was completed for the 1976 season. It was selected one of six outstanding architectural projects in the Rocky Mountain States for 1977 by the AIA and presented to Finical and Dombrowski, Architects and Engineers of Tucson. Permanent north-end bleacher seating for 4,500 was added in 1988, and can be expanded in the future.
A computerized scoreboard with illustrated message center was added in 1982 along with two smaller scoreboards in the southeast and southwest ends of the stadium. Those were replaced in 1993 with a newer model sponsored by Bank of America Arizona and Intergroup Healthcare Corp., plus Safeway, America West Airlines and Waste Management of Tucson.
The main scoreboard system features full-color animation and display capabilities designed by Premier Sports Marketing of San Francisco.
The Stadium serves as the home of the annual Copper Bowl and has hosted Arizona high school playoffs in many seasons.
As provided by Ron Bridgemon, thanks Ron
Sun Devil Stadium
A Perennial Favorite
Long considered one of the finest football settings in America, beautiful and spacious Sun Devil Stadium on the University of Arizona Campus will play host to the Insight.com Bowl.
Sun Devil Stadium is always a favorite among players, coaches and fans alike for its great natural turf, elevation and top-notch sightlines. A story in itself, the lush Bermuda Tiff playing surface was transplanted to the stadium from Tucson National Golf Club when cart paths were added there in the 1970's. The stadium field was named the top football field in the nation by the Sports Turf Managers Associates in 1992, and has been featured in Sports Illustrated as one of the country's finest.
Adding to both the beauty and function of the stadium is the $6.3 million Scholarship Suites structure, constructed in 1990, housing skyboxes, loge seating and the press box. Despite its impressive scale and the fact that is hangs over the older portion of the stadium, the new complex does not touch the stadium proper, but instead is cantilevered over the edge from four huge columns.
The Early Years
It's all a modern touch to venerable Sun Devil Stadium, which was built in the late 1920's. The stadium's history spans the tenure of sixteen different Arizona coaches, from the legendary J.F. "Pop" McKale in 1929 to present Arizona head coach Dick Tomey. Ground was first broken in December 1928 and the first seats...all 7,000 of them...spanned the west side from goal line to goal line.
Arizona won its home opener under McKale on October 12, 1929, beating California Tech 35-0. Tucson's fall heat was a concern and the first night game was held just two years later. Under the lights for the first time on September 25, 1931, Arizona and Coach Fred Enke dropped an 8-0 decision to San Diego State.
Continued Growth
In 1938 an additional 3,000 seats were added between the 25-yard lines on the east side, and just nine years later, the east stands were extended to the end zones, increasing capacity to 14,000. East dormitory, uniquely located beneath the stands, was also added at that time. The horseshoe was completed at the south end of the stadium in 1950, complete with dormitories, and the facility boasted a total of 22,671 seats.
Just over 15 years passed before a 1965 expansion on the west side added a continuous tier of 35 rows and close to 10,000 seats, including an 80-foot, three level pressbox. Bleachers were also installed in the end zones as Arizona battled in the Western Athletic Conference.
In 1976, a two-tier addition to the east stands added 17,000 seats for viewing, while winning design awards from the American Institute of Architects. A record crowd of 58,515 witnessed the November 27, 1982 game pitting the Arizona Wildcats against Arizona State. The Wildcats won, knocking the Sun Devils out of a possible Rose Bowl appearance.
Current Features and Seating
A computerized scoreboard message center was added in 1982 along with two smaller scoreboards in the southeast and southwest corners of the stadium. Permanent end-zone seating for 4,500 was added in 1988 and today, with all additions and some reductions considered, seating capacity of Sun Devil Stadium stands at 57,803.
Sun Devil Stadium has been the site of the Insight.com Bowl since its inaugural year in 1989. The Insight.com Bowl is proud to call Sun Devil Stadium home.
Source: Insight.com
THE ULTIMATE SPORTS ROAD TRIP
By: Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell
November 11, 2006 - Old meets new here at Sun Devil Stadium in Tucson, the long time home of the Arizona Wildcats. For a stadium built way back in 1928 with 7000 seats of bleachers on one side, the building has grown into a 56,000 seat stadium with modern amenities and enough nooks, crannies, and architectural elements to give the venue an old style charm.
One look at the stadium and you can tell it is one of the oldest buildings on campus. The University of Arizona consists of sleek and modern buildings, many abutting Speedway Boulevard which bisects the north side of the campus. Not much of an old style charm, more like the feel of a suburban office park. Immediately next door to the stadium is the McKale Center, the Wildcats’ storied basketball venue.
The façade along the south side horseshoe is indicative of the old style architecture of the building. And as fans walk up the ramps to their level, one can see the ornate arched cornices of the stadium’s original exterior wall, a complete throwback to the past.
The stadium is single deck seating on all sides except for the east side, where a club deck and upper deck seating was added. The breathtaking views of the Santa Catalina mountains beyond the north end zone scoreboard is something to behold.
In an interesting twist, the student section here straddles the sideline on the home side of the field. The presence of the students in this area, and in close proximity to the playing surface, provides a distinct home field advantage.
And check out a cool tradition which happens after each PAT or field goal in the south end zone. The balls invariably end up in the stands, and the fans toss the bull upward and upward, until it is pitched over the wall and outside onto the street.
Much of the pregame activity is centered around East University Boulevard in the center of campus, where blocks and blocks on tailgate canopies, refreshment stands and booths sponsored by various campus clubs can be found.
The Wildcats have not had the same type of success on the field as their arch rivals, the Arizona State Sun Devils. Their bowl appearances, many in second tier bowls, are listed along the east balcony, starting with 1949’s “Salad Bowl”. Yep, you read that right!
Our game day experience here was a memorable one – the #8 ranked California Bears came to town, and things looked bleak for the home town team, having lost to the Bears in the previous two games by a combined 66-0 score. But the Wildcats hung in, and got a timely 4th quarter interception for a touchdown to give them a 24-20 lead and the eventual win. The students stormed the field – it was an electrifying moment!
