UW Sports
Stadiums around the Pac-10

GREG WAHL-STEPHENS / AP Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., now has a capacity of 54,000. A $90 million renovation was completed in 2002 that added 12,000 seats and 32 luxury boxes.

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ARIZONA

Arizona Stadium

Year built: 1928. Capacity: 56,002.

Recent renovations: No new renovation projects are currently scheduled. Stadium has underdone some minor facelifts in recent years, namely "Ring of Fame" installed in 1998 along the façade of the upper deck on the east side of the stadium. A new press box, including 319 loge seats, 23 suites and a president's box, was added in 1989 at a cost of $6.3 million.

Did you know? Arizona Stadium is generally considered to have one of the best natural playing surfaces in the country. The surface was renewed in 2002 with Tifway III hybrid Bermuda from a turf farm near Casa Grande.

Comment: Functional, if rather dry — literally and figuratively — place to see a game. Definitely go at night, as sitting in those bleachers on a 100-degree day is not for the faint of heart.

ARIZONA STATE

Sun Devil Stadium

Year built: 1958. Capacity: 73,521.
 
Recent renovations: No new major renovations are currently scheduled. Has been at its current capacity since 1988 and has undergone some minor tinkering in recent years, such as new video boards.

Did you know? One of two Pac-10 stadiums to host both a national-title college-football game and a Super Bowl (the Rose Bowl is the other).

Comment: Its setting — constructed between two mountain buttes — gives it a unique feel. But it may be almost too big. There often are lots of empty seats, giving it a less-than-collegiate feel.

CALIFORNIA

Memorial Stadium

Year built: 1923. Capacity: 67,537.

Recent renovations: Other than changes to the turf, little has been done here in years, which is why the school is beginning fund raising for what has been described as a "very major overhaul" that could cost more than $140 million. Exact details of the plan haven't been released, though it is expected to include a structure that would house coaches' offices, etc. Cal may need to raise the money in a hurry to keep coach Jeff Tedford. He has a buyout clause in his contract that is reduced from $1 million to $500,000 if ground is not broken by the end of December. The buyout is reduced to zero if ground is not broken by the end of 2005. Also, a clause that he cannot take a job at another Pac-10 school goes away if ground is not broken by the end of this year.

Did you know?: It was called Memorial Stadium to honor those who lost their lives in World War I.

Comment: In our opinion, it's the best setting in the Pac-10 other than Husky Stadium, nestled in Strawberry Canyon with clear views of San Francisco to the West. But again, lots of empty seats often make for a somewhat sleepy game-day atmosphere.

OREGON

Autzen Stadium

Year built: 1967. Capacity: 54,000.

Recent renovations: Much to the chagrin of Huskies fans, a $90 million overhaul completed in 2002 added 12,000 seats and 32 luxury boxes and moved Oregon that much higher into the nation's college-football echelon.

Did you know? Ducks have had 30 straight sellouts and have exceeded listed per-game capacity on a season basis in eight of the past nine years.

Comment: The stadium that drives Huskies fans crazy. The recent expansion made Oregon even a bigger player in college football, allowing the Ducks to bring in the likes of Michigan and Oklahoma. But some wonder if the bigger environs cost Autzen some of its intimidation factor.

OREGON STATE

Reser Stadium

Year built: 1953. Capacity: 35,362.

Recent renovations: School is attempting the largest capital fund-raising campaign in its history — dubbed "Raising Reser" — to fund a $93 million renovation and expansion of Reser Stadium. Capacity will be raised to 43,000 after 8,000 seats are added to the east side of the stadium. Completion of that phase is expected before the 2005 season. The new section also will include 22 luxury seats, a club area that will house what the school bills as the "ultimate tailgate," and a loge area that will include a game-day restaurant.

Did you know? Stadium was expanded to 40,593 in 1967 but reduced to 35,362 in 1990 as a result of the construction of the original Valley Football Center.

Comment: Not much to look at but getting better, though its on-campus setting provides a usually raucous atmosphere, particularly at night.. At the moment, Reser is the third-smallest stadium of any of the BCS schools, larger than only Wake Forest and Duke. Pulling off the Raising Reser campaign will show how serious OSU is about joining the big boys in college football.

STANFORD

Stanford Stadium

Year built: 1921. Capacity: 85,500.

Recent renovations: No major renovations scheduled, though there have been periodic calls from the student newspaper and others to do something. Minor renovations took place in 1985 when it hosted a Super Bowl and again in 1994 when it hosted games in the World Cup.

Did you know? Was originally built in roughly four months after a feud with Cal concerning which school could get a stadium built the quickest. Is still the largest privately owned college-football facility in the country.

Comment: Stanford Stadium is the only other stadium in the Pac-10 with a track. Generally regarded to have the worst atmosphere in the Pac-10 if for no other reason than the low attendance that greets every opponent except Cal.

UCLA

Rose Bowl

Year built: 1922. Capacity: 92,000.

Recent renovations: In an effort to lure an NFL team, the Rose Bowl Operating Company's board of directors recently voted to approve a $400 million-plus renovation plan. Seating capacity would drop to 65,000 as a result. The plan hasn't been approved by the city council, however. UCLA agreed on a new 20-year lease with the stadium earlier this year, however, and will continue to play there even if the NFL comes to town. There have been several minor renovations in recent years that reduced the capacity by roughly 13,000.

Did you know? UCLA played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1929 to 1981 before moving to the Rose Bowl before the 1982 season.

Comment: The Granddaddy of Them All is still a great place to see a game, though it's much better on the afternoon of Jan. 1 than on a nighttime September Saturday when the Bruins are hosting San Diego State.

USC

L.A. Memorial Coliseum

Year built: 1923. Capacity: 68,000 for most USC games, though the stadium can seat 92,000.

Recent renovations: The Coliseum underwent a $15 million renovation before the 1993 season that included the removal of the running track. The floor was lowered 11 feet and 14 new rows of seats were added down low to create a more intimate atmosphere. Keeping the Raiders content was the main motivation, though they soon left for Oakland and USC was a happy beneficiary.

Did you know? One of the most famous stadiums in the United States, it had an initial construction cost of $800,000.

Comment: A much nicer place to see a game now than it was 15 years ago when the track was still there. But there's still not a whole lot of college-like atmosphere there unless the opponent is UCLA or Notre Dame.

WASHINGTON STATE

Martin Stadium

Year built: Current structure built in 1972. A stadium has sat on the site since 1892 but a fire in 1970 gutted much of the stadium. Capacity: 35,500.

Recent renovations: Last major renovation was in 1979 when capacity was expanded from 27,600 to roughly 40,000 (minor changes have resulted in a slight reduction in capacity since then). WSU is laying the groundwork for a major renovation that would increase capacity by about 10,000 and add more club seating and suites. The entire project could cost as much as $90 million. WSU hopes to announce plans within a year.

Did you know? When the stadium was renovated in 1979, it marked the first time a college-football stadium was enlarged by digging down rather than building up.

Comment: One of the better places in the Pac-10 in terms of fans feeling close to the field and making an impact on the game. Renovation would allow the Cougars to bring bigger-name nonconference foes to Pullman.

Sources: School media guides, Ballparks by Munsey & Suppes Web site.

— Bob Condotta