Byrd Stadium
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| Byrd Stadium | |
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| Location | Stadium & Valley Drive College Park, Maryland 21201 |
| Broke ground | 1950 |
| Opened | September 30, 1950 |
| Owner | University System of Maryland |
| Operator | University of Maryland, College Park |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $1 million USD |
| Tenants | University of Maryland Terrapins (NCAA) (1950-Present) Baltimore Stars (USFL) (1985) Presidential Cup Bowl (NCAA) (1950) |
| Capacity | 51,500 |
Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium (usually simply "Byrd Stadium"), is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. It is the home of the Maryland Terrapins football and lacrosse teams, which compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The facility is named after Harry C. Byrd, a multi-sport athlete, football coach, and university president in the first half of the 20th century. In August 2006, naming rights were sold to Chevy Chase Bank.
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[edit] History
Byrd Stadium, constructed at a cost of $1 million, opened September 30, 1950. For four decades, Byrd Stadium consisted of a horseshoe-shaped bowl with capacity of 34,680. In 1991, the five-story Tyser Tower, featuring luxury suites and an expanded press area, was completed on the south side of the stadium, as well as the Gossett Football Team House adjacent to the east endzone. In 1995, the stadium's capacity was raised to 48,055 through the addition of an upper deck on the north side of the stadium. In November 2001, as the football team once again became an ACC-title contender, temporary bleachers were brought in for an additional 3,000 seats. Those bleachers remain to this day. In 2002, a full-color video scoreboard was added in the east endzone and an expansion of the Gossett Football Team House was begun. The athletic department hopes to parlay the success of the Ralph Friedgen era into a stadium expansion that will increase capacity to 65,000 in the next several years. Byrd Stadium's attendance record is 58,973, set on November 1, 1975. The record was achieved with temporary seating for a game featuring the #14 Terps and #9 Penn State.[1]
The lone version of the Presidential Cup college football bowl game was held here in December 1950. The USFL Baltimore Stars called the stadium home in 1985. Byrd Stadium has also hosted the Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship ten times.[1]
[edit] Renaming and expansion plans
On August 24, 2006, the University of Maryland announced that it had agreed to a $20 million naming-rights deal with Chevy Chase Bank. Revenue from the deal will help pay for renovation and expansion of the stadium, which will include luxury suites and an increase in capacity.[2]
On April 25, 2007 the Athletics Department unveiled plans for a $50.8 million expansion to Byrd Stadium, a project that will increase overall capacity, add skyboxes complete with catered food and flat panel televisions and lower the field to give spectators a better view.[3]
The first phase of the expansion plans will be renovating the current press tower and turning it into 64 luxury suites that will stretch from end zone to end zone. This project will be completed by the 2010 season at the latest and possibly by the 2009 season if various factors work out. The stadium will also be getting a second LED video board on the west side of the stadium in time for the 2008 season. Phase two of the project will be adding around 8,000 seats to the west end zone and taking total capacity over 60,000. This will be paid for largely with the money generated from suite sales. There will also be numerous cosmetic improvements meant to make the stadium even more fan friendly. The final phase of the expansion includes replacing the existing natural grass field with artificial turf.[3]
[edit] Trivia
- Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip saw their first game of American football at Byrd Stadium during their first trip to the U.S. in the 1950s.
- On a clear night, it is possible to see the lights of the Washington Monument, about 8 miles (13 km) away in the District of Columbia, from the top of the stadium.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Camp Randall Stadium |
Host of the Drum Corps International World Championship 2000 |
Succeeded by Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Preceded by Hofstra Stadium |
Home of the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four 1972 |
Succeeded by Franklin Field |
| Preceded by Rutgers Stadium I |
Home of the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four 1979 |
Succeeded by Schoellkopf Field |
| Preceded by Carrier Dome |
Home of the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four 1989 |
Succeeded by Rutgers Stadium I |
| Preceded by Franklin Field |
Home of the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four 1993 – 1997 |
Succeeded by Rutgers Stadium |
| Preceded by Rutgers Stadium |
Home of the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four 1999 – 2000 |
Succeeded by Rutgers Stadium |
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