Jack Trice Stadium
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| Jack Trice Stadium | |
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| Location | S 4th St & University Blvd. Ames, Iowa 50010 |
| Broke ground | October 26, 1973 |
| Opened | September 20, 1975 |
| Owner | Iowa State University |
| Operator | Iowa State University |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $7.6 million |
| Former names | Cyclone Stadium (1975-1995) Cyclone Stadium / Jack Trice Field (1995-2000) |
| Tenants | Iowa State Cyclones (1975-present) |
| Capacity | 55,000 (largest crowd 56,795) |
Jack Trice Stadium (formerly Cyclone Stadium and Jack Trice Field) is a stadium in Ames, Iowa. It is primarily used for college football, and is the home field of the Iowa State University Cyclones. It opened on September 20, 1975 (with a win against Air Force), and officially has 55,000 seats, though hillside tickets expand the capacity to nearly 57,000. The current record for single-game attendance, 56,795, was set on September 8, 2007 when the Cyclones played Northern Iowa.
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[edit] Description
The stadium consists of double-decked bowed grandstands running the length of either sideline, as well as endzone bleachers in the south endzone. The Richard O. Jacobsen Athletic Center, an athletic center and field house completed in 1996, is located in the north endzone. The field is slightly lower than the surrounding ground, which was also built up so that there is only a single main concourse each for the grandstands. The $6.2 million, three level press box was completed in 1997, and permanent lighting and a new video/scoreboard in the south endzone were added in 2002. The stadium is part of the Iowa State Center, a sports, entertainment and continuing education complex located to the southeast of the school's main campus. North of the facility is Hilton Coliseum where anything from basketball games, wrestling matches, volleyball games to concerts take place.
[edit] Jack Trice
In 1984, the stadium's playing field was named in honor of Jack Trice, ISU's first African American athlete and the school's first athletics-related fatality. The entire facility, up to that time known as Cyclone Stadium, was renamed to Jack Trice Stadium in 1997, making it the only one in Division I-A named for an African American individual.[1]
[edit] Construction
[edit] Initial construction
Jack Trice Stadium was completed in less than two years, from its ground breaking on Oct. 26, 1973 to the first game, a victory over Air Force on Sept. 20, 1975. In late 1973 and spring of 1974, heavy earth-moving equipment shaped the embankments. A huge, movable form shaped the lower decks with thousands of cubic yards of concrete. Originally, the stadium had a capacity of 42,500.
[edit] Previous expansions and renovations
All the seating was on the sidelines until 1976 when end zone bleachers were constructed to increase capacity to more than 46,000 (50,000 with standing room tickets). With the completion of the Jacobson Athletic Building at the north end zone in 1996, and the addition of permanent bleachers in the south end zone, as well as hillside seating in each of the four corners in the stadium, the capacity changed to 55,000.
A $6.2 million, three-level press tower located on the west side was added to Jack Trice Stadium in 1997. The facility includes press and radio-television levels and nine sky box suites.
The stadium complex was transformed in 1995-96 with the construction of the state-of-the-art Richard O. Jacobson Athletic Building. The home of Iowa State’s football program includes football offices, team meeting rooms, locker rooms, an auditorium and a natural grass field that debuted with the 1996 season opener. The Ralph A. Olsen Building was also renovated at that time and it sits attached to the north end of the Jacobson Athletic Building. The Olsen Building, named in honor of prominent Ellsworth, Iowa, farmer and alumnus, houses the strength and athletic training facilities.
The football atmosphere at Jack Trice Stadium has been enhanced with the installation of a video/scoreboard and permanent lighting prior to the 2002 season.
[edit] Current expansion
[edit] Phase I
The first part of the renovation to Jack Trice Stadium includes creation of 22 new suites and the expansion of two existing suites on the west side of the stadium; including the installation of operable windows in all of the current suites; widening the west side concourse and increasing the number of restrooms and concession stands, creating new and improved disabled seating sections on the west side and completely overhauling the club section on the east side. Funding of the project will come completely from the sale of stadium suites, club seats, increased ticket revenues and fundraising.
Construction began after the completion of the final 2007 home football game and is scheduled to be completed by August 2008.
[edit] Future expansion
[edit] Phase II
The second part of the renovation to Jack Trice Stadium will include enclosing the south end zone (which may include an upper deck) and connecting the east side concourse to the west side concourse, widening the east side concourse, creating additional disabled seating and increasing the number of restrooms and concession stands on the east and south sides of the stadium. The cost is currently estimated at 65 million, but the timeframe for completing the second phase of the stadium renovation have not yet been determined. On May 1, 2008, Iowa State Athletics was given permission from the Iowa Board of Regents to continue planning and fundraising for the Jack Trice Expansion. Iowa State Athletics will once more have to get permission from the Iowa Board of Regents before construction on the second phase can begin.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
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