Robertson Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Robertson Stadium | |
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| Location | 3874 Holman St Houston, TX 77004 |
| Broke ground | 1941 |
| Opened | 1941 |
| Owner | University of Houston |
| Operator | University of Houston |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $650,000 USD |
| Architect | Harry Payne |
| Former names | Houston Public School Stadium (1941–1958) Jeppesen Stadium (1958–1980) Robertson Stadium (1980–1999) |
| Tenants | Houston Cougars (NCAA) (1946–1950 and 1998–present) Houston Oilers (AFL) (1960–1964) Houston Dynamo (MLS) (2006–present) |
| Capacity | 32,000 |
John O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium, often referred to as simply Robertson Stadium, is a sports stadium in Houston, Texas located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams. Additionally, the stadium hosts home games for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer, which began play in the 2006 season. The stadium also hosted the Houston Oilers during the first five years of their existence from 1960 to 1964. The current listed capacity of Robertson Stadium is 32,000.
[edit] History
The stadium was originally constructed as a joint project between the Houston Independent School District and the Works Progress Administration. Completed in 1942 and originally seating 20,500, the structure was originally named the Houston Public School Stadium. The University of Houston played its home football games there from 1946 to 1950 before moving to Rice Stadium in 1951 and then to the Astrodome in 1965. In 1958, the school district renamed the stadium Jeppesen Stadium for school board member Holger Jeppesen, who had vigorously lobbied for its construction. Corbin J. Robertson, former UH Board of Regents member and Athletics Committee Chairman, funded its renovation in 1970 and the stadium was given to the University of Houston as a venue for its renowned track and field team. In 1980, it was renamed "Robertson Stadium" in his honor. The University of Houston ended its lease agreement to hold home football games at the Astrodome before the 1998 season, moving the entire home slate of games back to Robertston Stadium on campus for the first time since 1964. The stadium was heavily renovated in 1999 to bring it up to NCAA Division 1-A standards for football venues. The playing surface was lowered nine feet and the running track eliminated to facilitate the addition of new seating on the sidelines and end zones. A total of twenty luxury suites were also constructed above both sides of the stadium. The playing field itself was named in honor of Houston attorney John O'Quinn, a donor to the project, thus modifying its official name to John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium. [1]
Several improvements were made in 2006 thanks in part to a $1.7 million donation from the Houston Dynamo. The lighting system was upgraded and a new scoreboard and a Philips Vidiwall video screen was added. This was completed in August 2006 despite the fact that Houston Dynamo plans to vacate the stadium for their own soccer-specific stadium within the next three years.
The University has hired the architecture firm of Leo A. Daly to assess the stadium and develop a plan for the long-term improvement of the facility. Plans have been proposed to replace the end zone sections with an integrated bowl and add an upper deck that would increase capacity to 50,000, but there is no immediate impetus to begin construction.
More recently, long-rumored plans of an endzone facility including locker rooms, offices, retail space, and luxury boxes have progressed to the fundraising stage. In April 2007, preliminary renderings of the new facility were displayed to high level Cougar Pride members. Planning appears to be in the very late stages and an official announcement should come soon.
The largest attendance for a single game at Robertson Stadium was established on December 1, 2006 when 31,818 people watched the NCAA Conference USA Football Championship game between the Cougars and the University of Southern Mississippi.
[edit] External links
- University of Houston
- Houston Cougars Athletics
- Facilities: John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium
- UH Buildings: Corbin J. Robertson Stadium
| Preceded by first stadium Astrodome |
Home of the Houston Cougars 1946 – 1950 1998 – present |
Succeeded by Rice Stadium current |
| Preceded by first stadium |
Home of the Houston Dynamo 2006 – present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by first stadium |
Home of the Houston Oilers 1960 – 1964 |
Succeeded by Rice Stadium |
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