Welcome to Qualcomm Stadium at Jack Murphy Sports Complex,
formerly the San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium
Here in San Diego, we have one of America's finest multi-purpose facilities built to accommodate a wide variety of events, ranging from baseball and football to concerts and off-road extravaganzas.
The Stadium has become the center of the San Diego sports scene and has given the City a Major-League reputation in the world of sports. Some of the outstanding sports events that have taken place at the Stadium include the World Series in 1984, NFL Super Bowl XXII in 1988, and Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in 1978 and 1992. In addition, Qualcomm Stadium is the home of the San Diego Chargers of the NFL, the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball and college football's San Diego State Aztecs. The Holiday Bowl, one of college football's premier post season bowl games, also takes place at the Stadium each year.
Other popular events held regularly at the Stadium include concerts, truck and tractor pulls and super-cross motorcycle races. In addition, the Stadium parking lot accommodates such events as circuses, auto racing, and car and RV sales.
Built in 1967, the Stadium was renamed in 1981 to honor the late San Diego Union sports writer Jack Murphy, who initiated the metamorphosis of San Diego from a navy outpost to a world sports center by first convincing hotel magnate Baron Hilton to move his Chargers Football Team from their home at the Los Angeles Coliseum to San Diego. Murphy then led the charge to construct a world-class stadium in San Diego. The local architect selected to design the stadium, Frank L. Hope and Associates, had never designed a stadium before. Yet in 1969 San Diego Stadium became the only stadium to win the First Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects. The Hope firm also received a commendation award from Governor Ronald Regan.
Excellent facilities are a continuous trademark of Qualcomm Stadium. These facilities include a state-of-the-art sound system with a large screen video display, 79 luxury box suites, 74 washrooms and 44 superb food and beverage stands. Additional dining options include the Stadium Club and the Sports Club restaurants which offer a variety of menu choices to all Stadium visitors. So whatever the occasion, those who visit the Stadium will be completely entertained in comfort.
In preparation for Super Bowl XXXII, which San Diego will be hosting in January 1998, the city is planning $50 million in improvements to the stadium. When completed, seating at the stadium will total 71,450, including 8,000 new club seats. The number of luxury skybox suites will be increased to 110. Other improvements include the construction of 20,000 square feet of office space, renovation of the Stadium Club, and the purchase of two new color boards.
Located in the heart of San Diego in Mission Valley, Qualcomm Stadium is centrally located and easily accessible. The Stadium can be reached by any one of four freeways: the 805, 163, 15 and 8.
With over 19,000 parking spaces, bus service to and from the Stadium, and seven different entrances into the Stadium, further convenience is added to every visit. Future plans include a San Diego Trolley Stop that will be located within close walking distance of the Stadium.
So sit back, relax and enjoy all Qualcomm Stadium has to offer.
"After some proud decades in the AFL and the NFL, the Chargers went through 10 lean years during the 1980's and early 90's without making the playoffs, but the AFC West Championship in 1992 put the Chargers back on top of the San Diego sports scene. Despite their laid-back reputation, San Diego fans enjoy game day with the same fervor as fans in Pittsburgh or Washington, D.C. The Stadium walls are covered with signs, fans are decked out in team colors and some - the Bolt Heads - wear huge foam lightning bolts on their heads. Even though large contingents from colder cities often follow their teams to enjoy the warm weather, they never out cheer the Charger fans. Like many arenas built in the late 1960s, "the Murph" is a multipurpose stadium for baseball and football."
HISTORY
Vote Authorization- Nov. 2, 1965 (73% yes).
Ground Breaking- Dec. 24, 1965.
Dedication- Aug. 20, 1967 (Detroit 38, San Diego 17).
1st Expansion- Began Oct. 10, 1983 - Finished Aug. 3, 1984
Previous Seating Capacity- 60,794 - There are 27,000 seats between goal
lines.
Statistics-
Cost $27 million; expansion cost $6.4 million; site area 166 acres; height to top of light ring 146 feet; parking for 17,800 cars and 120 buses; 44 concession stands, 74 restrooms, 44 ticket windows.
Courtesy of Jack Murphy Sports Complex
October 17, 1996 - AP - In a victory for both the San Diego Chargers and governments throughout California, the city got the go-ahead yesterday to begin a 10,000-seat expansion of Jack Murphy Sports Complex that had been held up for nine months by tax activists.
The State Supreme Court declined a request by three Libertarians to review a lower court's ruling that the method of financing the expansion and a new practice site for the NFL's Chargers is legal.
"I'm just pleased it's over," Mayor Susan Golding said after the city's third and final court victory. Earlier this year, the city won decisions in Superior Court and the 4th District Court of Appeal.
"Finally, we have some direction, and we know what we're trying to do now," said Chargers president and vice chairman Dean Spanos, son of owner Alex Spanos.
However, the project will cost more than the original price of $66.6 million.
City manager Jack McGrory said the project should be done well before the city plays host to the Super Bowl in 1998.
SUPERBOWL GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO
May 27, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaVentures
Qualcomm Stadium will get another chance to host the Super Bowl in 2003 after NFL owners officially decided that the game could not be held in San Francisco. The game had been scheduled for the 49ers new stadium, but family infighting has stalled that project. The 2000 Super Bowl will be held in Atlanta, the 2001 match will be in Tampa and in 2002 it returns to the Superdome in New Orleans.
Image of the Renovated (1997) Qualcomm Stadium
courtesy of the Jack Murphy Sports Complex
THE ULTIMATE SPORTS ROAD TRIP
By: Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell
| Qualcomm Stadium Ranking by USRT |
| Architecture |  | 4 |
| Concessions | | 7 |
| Scoreboard | | 4.5 |
| Ushers | | 5 |
| Fan Support | | 4 |
| Location | | 8 |
| Banners/History | | 6 |
| Entertainment | | 5 |
| Concourses/Fan Comfort | | 5 |
| Bonus: Tailgate Scene | | 3 |
| Bonus: Fish Tacos | | 1 |
| Bonus: Cannons on Field | | 1 |
| Bonus: Plaza Level | | 1 |
| Total Score |  | 54.5 |
October 13, 2000 - Some of this information might be repetitious... we visited Qualcomm in April of 2001 when we took in a game of the MLB San Diego Padres. But experiencing this venue for football is quite a bit different from baseball, and we will try to explain...
Getting to the Venue
What was formerly named "The Murph", Jack Murphy Stadium, Qualcomm Stadium opened in 1967 as the new home of the San Diego Chargers, and also a new home to the expansion San Diego Padres. It is located about 10 miles northeast of downtown San Diego, and is easily accessible via several freeways which crisscross the area, notably interstates 15 or 805 if traveling north and south, or I-8 traveling east-west. Traveling to the area is pretty simple, as there are several road alternatives to get to the venue. Don't want to drive? The San Diego Trolley, the area's regional light rail system, has a stop literally a few steps from the front door of the stadium. Just grab a park and ride lot - fares run $2-$5 one way depending on distance, and you can avoid the driving hassles.
Outside the Venue
The stadium is surrounded by massively large parking lots and that is about it. Nestled in a hilly terrain, one can see homes and office buildings built onto the hills overlooking the stadium, and shopping malls and office parks are closeby, but there is really no neighborhood ambience to speak of.
Tailgating here is pretty impressive...not surprising when we remembered the great scene that we witnessed for our Padres visit. Lots of campers, RV's. Companies rent out space in the parking lots and erect hospitality tents... we even saw one with a full blown pig roast! Just about every radio outlet in San Diego has a remote broadcast going somewhere in the parking lot. One of the coolest places to hang out is the Budweiser Chargers Party Zone - a tented area in the east parking lot with full bar service and food selections, and HDTV monitors showing each of the early NFL games. Of course we made it to the area where the Bills/Texans game was playing and immediately made friends with several transplanted Buffalonians who were watching our game. Parking here costs $10, and satellite lots here are pretty few and far between.
The stadium itself pretty much exemplifies the architecture of venue construction in the 60s and 70s... this is a "cookie cutter" stadium built for football and baseball, and the outside is gray and sterile. There are sets of escalator towers in each corner to take you to the upper levels, as well as circular ramps. Very little color, save for the canvas banners of each of the 32 NFL team logos which hang up top in the frames of the stadium structure and can be seen inside the bowl and from the outside.
The Concourses
Again exemplifying the design of that era, concourses here at Qualcomm are very narrow and congested, and pretty dark to boot. The only area with ample room is the ground floor plaza area. Here the exterior fences of the stadium are far back enough to open up a lot of outdoor space for public gathering areas. And that works nicely here... several stages offering pre game musical entertainment, specialty food stands, beer gardens, souvenir stands and seating areas with tables and chairs, which makes for a pleasant area to just sit and people watch.
The Seating Bowl
Since our first visit here, we noticed that upper deck seats were replaced and almost all seats are colored Charger blue, save for the press level where seats are yellow. Mind you, the Padres will move to their new ballpark in downtown San Diego in 2004. The lowest level are field/terrace seats, club on the second level, then a small press level (with public seating) and the upper deck is the view level. Because the venue serves both sports, seats on the lowest level are far away from the field, and the first few rows are "obstructed view seats" because sideline personnel and players impede one's view of the action. (They sell these seats for $29, their cheapest price). From our impression, the best seats in the building are in the upper deck view level. The main scoreboard is in the east end - a Sony jumbotron, flanked by three separate one color dot matrix boards. High above the west end zone is a second jumbotron.
Concessions
At first glance, the fare here looks pretty ordinary... nothing more than your standard ballpark dreck throughout the concourses. But head down to the plaza level and you will find an abundance of food choices... former Padre Randy Jones barbecue stand, turkey legs, Papa Johns pizza, sausages and ice cream. But the best food item and one unique to Qualcomm is the fish tacos. That's right, fish tacos at the mexican stand which might even give Mighty Taco a run for the money! Also on the plaza level is a restaurant called Murphy's, offering a food buffet and full bar service. The main team store can also be found on the plaza level. Like we said, this is the place to be at Qualcomm.
Premium Seating
They do have "premium seating" here, which spans the sidelines of the second level seating bowl, and use of the concourse is restricted. Suites ring the building on the third level. The premium seating amenities here seem to be sparse, although we did find out that club seats here range from $145-$250.
Banners/Retired Numbers.
28 names are enshrined on a "ring of honor" which spans the upper deck along one sideline... most of the names come from the Chargers' 60s era in the AFL, and the second wave of honorees are dominated by the Air Coryell days in the 80s. The last name to be enshrined is that of Wes Chandler, who hung up his cleats in 1987. Disappointingly, the Chargers 1963 AFL Championship banner and their 1994 AFC Championship banner are nowhere to be found.
The Search for Hallowed Grounds...
We made the trek to find Balboa Stadium, the home of the San Diego Chargers from 1961 until 1967. It was a unique venue in that it was built into a horseshoe shaped canyon which was almost ideally designed by nature for a football configuration. We found the site, but the stadium has been demolished, and a small high school field stands in its place. For Buffalo fans this will always be a special place...this is where the underdog Bills led by Jack Kemp stomped the Chargers 23-0 to win their second consecutive AFL title back in 1965 .
Touchdowns, Extra Points, Fumbles
Touchdown - to quarterback Drew Brees and the Chargers, who trailed all afternoon long but managed to engineer a last minute drive to pull out a 35-34 victory with a last second touchdown, setting off a wild celebration among the Chargers faithful, which brings us to...
Fumble - and speaking of the Chargers faithful, where the heck are the fans here??? The Chargers are having one of their best seasons in years, optimism is running high, and the game featured a matchup against a division rival with much at stake in a tough AFC West division. Yet 15,000 tickets were still available a day before the game. Nice weather and a good walk up crowd at least made the stadium crowd look respectable.
Extra Point - The San Diego Sports Hall of Fame and Museum can be found among the historic buildings of beautiful Balboa Park. The displays of the Chargers and the long and storied history of baseball in San Diego are really cool.
Fumble - nary a mention in this same museum of San Diego's two separate runs as an NBA city (and an ABA stint as well)... first the expansion San Diego Rockets, and then when our beloved Buffalo Braves relocated here in 1978 to become the San Diego Clippers. Braves/Clippers stalwart Randy Smith deserves a little more respect than this!
Touchdown - to the San Diego Chargers for their nice tailgating setup. The Chargers Party Zone really works nicely as a cool place to hang out if you don't have your own tailgate going and want something to do.
Summary
By now we have become partial to the newer facilities and all the bells and whistles which come with them. Qualcomm Stadium is a functional, yet very ordinary facility. The architecture is bland and uninspiring, and concourses here are narrow and congested. The seating bowl is very pretty, but being a two sport venue most fans are far away from the action and seating for football is, for the most part, unobstructed but not optimal. Positives here are the great tailgating and odds are when you visit here the weather will be superb. Make sure to visit the Gaslamp Quarter when coming to San Diego, a twelve block party, shopping and entertainment district downtown. The Padres new ballpark is going up right adjacent to the Quarter and will open in 2004. Of course, the Ultimate Sports Road Trip will be back!
December 4, 2008
Copyright 2008 MediaVentures
Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, with bean burritos, veggie sushi rolls, vegetable wraps, veggie hot dogs, and Gardenburgers has won notice from People For Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as the most vegetarian-friendly stadium in the NFL. Other venues in the top five include McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis and Lambeau Field in Green Bay. (PETA)
SAN DIEGO SUES CHARGERS OVER PAYMENTS
January 22, 2009
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
San Diego, Calif. - The city of San Diego has filed a breach-of-contract suit against the
Chargers, claiming the team owes the city more than $170,000 for use of Qualcomm Stadium in
2004, including more than $44,000 in accrued interest. The suit came as a surprise to the Chargers, who noted that the team's lease with the city calls for any controversy between the two parties to be decided in arbitration - and not in a lawsuit.
The city's suit says the Chargers were obligated to pay $250,000 per game in rent for the
city-owned stadium, subject to certain rent credits allowed by the city in the lease. In 2005, the city audited payments by the team for 2004 and found the team underpaid the city by $125,795 as a result of the Chargers claiming luxury suite rent credits that were previously disallowed by the city for the 1996 through 2000 seasons.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said the suit was filed at the direction of the city treasurer's office, which oversees collections. He said the four-year statute of limitations on the case was about to expire, making a suit necessary to preserve the city's right to make a claim. (San Diego Union Tribune)
AUDIT CRITICAL OF CITY MANAGEMENT OF QUALCOMM STADIUM
May 14, 2009
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
San Diego, Calif. - A recently released audit of San DiegoÕs oversight of Qualcomm Stadium is
critical of the cityÕs actionÕs and says the building is not "self-sustaining."
The audit raised concerns about the stadium's administrative policies, its revenue-generating
inefficiencies, and its capacity for long-term solvency, especially in light of looming uncertainty
over just how much longer the Chargers plan on calling the stadium home.
One of its most prominent findings concerned the stadium's growing reliance on public funds to
cover its operating costs. Drops in revenue from stadium operations have forced the city to divert
money from other parts of its budget to cover the deficit. Another finding warns that San Diego,
because of stipulations in the city's current agreement with the Chargers, will be on the hook for a
$21.4 million bond debt obligation should the team choose to vacate the stadium after 2010.
Overall the audit depicts a facility facing increasing costs and dwindling revenue as city and
stadium officials have struggled to lease out the venue, failed to develop a comprehensive business
strategy and properly maintain billing records, and been constrained in their revenue-earning
potential by stipulations and legal settlements that have granted the Chargers substantial monetary
concessions.
In a review of the stadium's finances since the 2006 fiscal year, the Auditor's Office found that
the stadium has been operating at a considerable deficit, relying on more than $16 million in city
subsidies over the last three years to close the funding gap resulting from insufficient revenue
generated by stadium operations.
Along with rent and concessions revenue from Chargers events, the stadium's revenue streams
include money from parking, event producers who lease out the stadium, and shorter-term
contracts with the Holiday Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl football games.
The stadium's projected budget for fiscal year 2009 calls for an additional $4.4 million in
subsidies, to be drawn from the city's hotel room tax, for a total of almost $10.9 million. That's a 68
percent hotel-tax funding increase over fiscal year 2008.
According to the audit, the city incurs costs of more than $2.8 million each year to host
Chargers games. Offsets from rent paid for use of the stadium, which the current agreement caps at
$2.5 million per year, do not cover all of the city's Chargers-related expenses, which are further
augmented by several monetary claims that the Chargers hold against the city.
Between the 2005 and 2007 football seasons, the city actually paid the Chargers organization a
net total of $492,000 to host Chargers games.
That's because the stadium is also required to compensate the Chargers for lost ticket sales
resulting from seating modifications the city made in order to bring the facility up to Americans
with Disabilities Act compliance.
The payments, tied to seat sales within individual sections, are triggered each time more than
90 percent of the seats in any section are sold. The payments are based on the estimated lost ticket
and concession revenue that the Chargers would have earned had seats not been removed for ADA
compliance.
The Chargers also claim rent credits against the city for half of the property taxes the team pays
on stadium luxury suites.
These stipulations, combined with the rent caps, and operating and maintenance costs covered
entirely by the city, have driven the stadium's Chargers-related ledger into the red.
But it gets worse for the city. Since 1997, the city has had to make annual payments of more
than $5 million to satisfy its debt obligations on the $68 million in revenue bonds issued to fund the
stadium makeover that convinced the Chargers not to abandon the venue at that time. Those bonds
were issued on the assumption that payments on them would be drawn from operating revenue.
In addition to the net losses associated with the Chargers operation, stadium personnel have
struggled to book leased events such as concerts, further cutting revenue and forcing the city to
instead make payments on the bonds from the general fund, according to the audit.
A further stipulation of the contract with the Chargers holds the team fully responsible for the
balance of the bond if it leaves the stadium, but only until 2010. After then, the team can leave by
paying a fee that covers only a portion of the remaining bond balance. As of 2010, the remaining
principal balance on the bonds is estimated to be $54.7 million, but after 2010, the termination fee
is lowered from the full amount to $25.8 million.
Each year beyond 2010, as the city's payments on the bond lower the principal balance, the
Chargers termination fee will decrease by an equal amount. The city will be responsible for the
difference between the principal balance and the sliding-scale termination fee, regardless of
whether or not the Chargers remain at Qualcomm. That difference is $21.4 million.
The audit recommends that the city administration create a financing plan to pay off the
stadium renovation bonds irrespective of the city's agreement with the Chargers, and that stadium
managers formulate a long-term strategy for offsetting costs and maintaining the stadium's
solvency, including more aggressively pursuing lease agreements with other event producers.
CHARGERS RECONSIDER QUALCOMM SITE
May 21, 2009
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
San Diego, Calif. - The San Diego Chargers are skeptical about a plan to use the Qualcomm
Stadium site for a new stadium. City leaders are also questioning the planÕs potential.
Developer Perry Dealy is suggesting a project that includes 5,000 residential units, 3.5 million
square feet of office space, 500,000 square feet of specialty retail, 1,000 hotel rooms, 500 units of
San Diego State student housing, 100,000 square feet of SDSU classroom and office space, 30
acres allotted to parkland and, conceivably, an eventual bullet train station. The Chargers earlier
tried a similar plan, but could not interest other developers in investing.
While the team initially said it is listening to the idea, officials later called it a waste of time.
The team says it is still focused on creating a deal with Chula Vista. That process has been stalled
while financing issues are resolved.
