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!
