Stanford Stadium
From Palo Alto Wiki
Stanford Stadium is a stadium on the Stanford University campus. It was built in 1921 and is home to Stanford football.
[edit] History
Built partly in competition with the University of California, Berkeley to see who could build a football stadium first, Stanford Stadium was built in four months and opened its gates on November 19, 1921. The first game was against California, who defeated Stanford 42-7. Seating capacity was originally 60,000, with a 66-row, U-Shaped structure second only to the Yale Bowl in size at the time. In 1925, 10,200 seats were added to the stadium, nearly enclosing the horseshoe while still keeping the overall height of the facility intact. Finally, in 1927, 14 additional rows of seating were added.
Renovations in the mid 1920s increased the Stadium to its maximum capacity of 85,500, with 80 rows of seating. In 1960, a press box was added, while the first, and last athletics track was installed in 1978.
In January of 1985, Super Bowl XIX was held in Stanford Stadium, bringing a renovated press box, increased restroom facilities, and new locker rooms to the venue. (In the game the Bay Area's own San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-16.) Stanford Stadium is one of two venues (Rose Bowl being the other) to host a Super Bowl without previously serving as the home stadium of an NFL team.
On October 22, 1989 a San Francisco 49ers home game was played here due to damage suffered to Candlestick Park following the Loma Prieta earthquake.
Other high profile events hosted at Stanford Stadium include Herbert Hoover's acceptance speech for the 1928 Republican Presidential nomination, and international Football at the soccer matches for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. Each event resulted in additional changes to the stadium, including a new press box and aluminum bench seating.
In 1935, Stanford Stadium set a record for single-game attendance, with 94,000 spectators filling the Stadium for a 13-0 victory over Cal.
