Doak Campbell Stadium

Doak S. Campbell Stadium
"The House That Bobby Built"
Location Champions Way, Tallahassee, Florida 32304
Coordinates 30°26′17″N 84°18′16″W / 30.43806°N 84.30444°W / 30.43806; -84.30444Coordinates: 30°26′17″N 84°18′16″W / 30.43806°N 84.30444°W / 30.43806; -84.30444
Owner Florida State University
Operator Florida State Athletics
Capacity 15,000 (1950–1953)
19,000 (1954–1960)
25,000 (1961–1963)
40,500 (1964–1977)
47,413 (1978–1979)
51,094 (1980–1981)
55,246 (1982–1984)
60,519 (1985–1991)
70,123 (1992)
72,589 (1993)
75,000 (1994)
77,500 (1995)
80,000 (1996–2000)
82,000 (2001–2002)
82,300 (2003–present)[1]
Record attendance 84,409
Surface 419 Tifway Bermuda Grass
Construction
Broke ground June 1950
Opened October 7, 1950
Expanded 1954, 1961, 1964, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1992–1996, 2001, 2003
Construction cost $250,000 (in 1950)
($2.46 million in 2016 dollars[2])
Architect Ball-Horton & Associates[3]

Barnett Fronczak Architects
The Architects Collaborative (Renovations)
General contractor http://culpepperconstruction.com/about-us/
Tenants
Florida State Seminoles football (NCAA FBS)

Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, commonly referred to as Doak Campbell Stadium or 'Doak', is the football stadium on the campus of the Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. It is the home venue for the university's football team, nicknamed the Seminoles. The stadium was named for Doak S. Campbell, the president of the university at the time of its construction, and the field was named for legendary head football coach Bobby Bowden.

The stadium is part of the University Center complex, a mixed-use facility encompassing university office space, university classrooms, the university's Visitor's Center, souvenir store, The University Center Club, as well as skyboxes and press boxes for use during football games. The stadium has a capacity of 82,300, making it the fifteenth largest stadium in the NCAA, the largest football stadium in the ACC and the largest continuous brick structure in the United States (second in the world, with the first being the Great Wall of China).[4] On November 20, 2004 in accordance with an act of state legislation, the stadium and field were renamed Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium.[5]

Doak Campbell Stadium regularly makes lists of the best gameday atmospheres and most intimidating places to play.[6][7]

History

Harkins Practice Field

The stadium, named after FSU President Doak Campbell, hosted its first game against the Randolph-Macon College Yellowjackets on October 7, 1950 with the Seminoles winning the game 40–7. At that time the facility had a seating capacity of 15,000. Florida State began to play at Centennial Field during the team's 1947 season and would continue to play there for the following two years (1948 and 1949). Florida State College – FSU's predecessor institution – also fielded teams from 1902–1904 (precise location of where games were played is not documented). Doak Campbell Stadium, with its original capacity of 15,000 in 1950, was built at a cost of $250,000. In 1954, the stadium grew to a capacity of 19,000. Six thousand more seats were added in 1961. During the Bill Peterson era (1960–70), the stadium was expanded to 40,500 seats, and it remained at that capacity for the next 14 years. Since that time, the stadium has expanded to 82,300, largely in part to the success of the football team under head coach Bobby Bowden coupled with the ever growing student body. It now is the largest football stadium in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Aesthetically, a brick facade surrounding the stadium matches the architectural design of most of the buildings on the university's campus. In addition to the obvious recreational uses, The University Center surrounds the stadium and houses many of the university's offices. The field was officially named Bobby Bowden field on November 20, 2004 as Florida State hosted intrastate rival Florida.[5] The FSU War Chant began during the Auburn game in 1984 and has since spread to be used by fans of the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Chiefs.[8]

Expansion and improvements

Following the latest expansion in 2003, the stadium has a seating capacity of 82,300.

Prior to the start of the 2007 season, a new state-of-the-art sound and public address system was installed. Before the 2008 season, two new HD Scoreboards were installed; the main one in the north endzone measures over 100 ft (30 m), the south endzone has a 45-foot (14 m) scoreboard. Six new LED ribbon boards were installed in each of the four corners of the stadium as well as underneath the north scoreboard, over the player entrance and above the entrance used by the Marching Chiefs. The new boards allow for more game stats and more information on other games in addition to improved replay viewing.

An indoor practice facility, adjacent to the stadium, was constructed in 2013.

Champions Campaign

In 2015, construction began on an $85 million project to completely renovate Doak Campbell Stadium. This project is part of the bigger $250 million Florida State Seminoles Champions Campaign to improve all aspects of athletics at Florida State University. The Doak Campbell Stadium renovation project includes adding a new premium outdoor seating section, making structural repairs, repainting the stadium and updating sky box suites.

Repair of the east and west stands started and will ramp up after the 2015 Florida State Seminoles Football season. The work will include removing the bleachers, sandblasting, addressing rust issues, painting the lower and top decks and replacing the bleachers. Additional improvements will include upgrading the locker rooms, creating a player’s lounge and an area for premium ticket holders to gather prior to home games.

The Champions Club is the new club seat section being constructed for Doak Campbell Stadium. The exclusive 6,000-seat club seat section, with more than 70,000 square feet of air conditioned club space and 34,000 square feet of covered rooftop terraces, is being built in the south end zone across from the Unconquered Statue.

With over 100,000 square feet of rentable space, the Champions Club will also become one of the largest conference centers in the area with the revenues generated helping to fund the other renovations to Doak Campbell Stadium. Two high-speed elevator and stair towers that will lead up to the Champions Club space will also be constructed. All construction will be substantially complete by August 2016.[9]

Largest attendance

Doak S. Campbell Stadium
Rank Date Attendance Opponent FSU Result
1 November 2, 2013 84,409 #7 Miami W, 41–14
2 September 17, 2011 84,392 #1 Oklahoma L, 13–23
3 September 5, 2005 84,347 #9 Miami W, 10–7
4 October 11, 2003 84,336 #9 Miami L, 14–22
5 November 20, 2004 84,223 Florida L, 13–20
6 October 16, 2004 84,155 #6 Virginia W, 36–3
7 October 26, 2002 84,106 #12 Notre Dame L, 24–34
8 November 30, 2002 83,938 #15 Florida W, 31–14
9 November 5, 2005 83,912 NC State L, 15–20
10 November 15, 2003 83,854 NC State W, 50–44 (2OT)

Statues and stained glass

Unconquered

A 19-foot (5.8 m) tall bronze sculpture by Fritz White depicting Osceola and Renegade. A tradition was immediately put in place whereby at sunset, on the night before home football games, as the Marching Chiefs play, Osceola's spear is set aflame as students, alumni, and fans gather around the statue to show their support. The flame is later extinguished at sunrise on the morning following the game. As of March, 2006, the university decided to light the spear for several reasons, including: selection into the NCAA basketball tournament, "National Player of the Year" awards for any sport, conference championships, graduations and convocations, etc.[10] A small inscription near the base of the statue reads: "This statue does not depict any particular person or event. Rather, it symbolically portrays the unconquered spirit of the Seminole people of the 19th century and the timeless legacy of that spirit that continues to burn bright into the future.". The statue was unveiled at the Williams Family Plaza on October 10, 2003, and "Unconquered" was engraved in its stone pedestal on September 2, 2005.

Sportsmanship

A bronze sculpture by Edward Jonas, is a 15-foot (4.6 m) tall statue depicting a standing football player extending his arm to help pick up a fallen rival on the field. In 2002 the statue was selected by the National Sculpture Society to be showcased in its special exhibit "Sports Sculpture." A one-quarter life size scale model represented the sculpture in the New York exhibition. The statue is located at the Al D. Strum Plaza.

Bobby Bowden sculpture

A 9-foot (2.7 m) tall bronze statue of head football coach Bobby Bowden, created by W. Stanley "Sandy" Proctor, was unveiled outside of the Coyle E. Moore Athletic Center on September 25, 2004 and was dedicated along with the Les and Ruth Akers Plaza.

Bobby Bowden Stained Glass window


Stained glass window

A three-story, stained-glass window commemorating the naming of the field was unveiled on November 20, 2004, the day of the annual Florida State/Florida game. The window depicts Bowden overlooking the field among a sea of fans in the stands. The 30-by-20-foot window was installed over the entrance of the Moore Athletic Center. Created by Florida State artist Robert Bischoff, his wife, JoAnn, and 12 Florida State students in the Master Craftsman Program, the window is among the five largest stained glass windows in the United States.[5]

Seminole Family in Bronze

This new addition to the outside of the stadium was unveiled on Friday, October 20, 2006. The statue was designed by Brad Cooley, Sr. and Brad Cooley, Jr. of Lamont, Florida. Known as "Seminole Family in Bronze", the statue shows what may have been a typical Seminole family around the time of the Seminole Wars in the 1800s.[11]

University Center

Doak Campbell Stadium is a unique venue in collegiate football. It is contained within the brick facade walls of University Center, a vast complex that houses the offices of the University, the Registrar, School of Hospitality as well as numerous other offices and classrooms.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium". Florida State University Athletic Department. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Speed in Fifty-Year Plan Seen in Building Progress". Florida Flambeau. June 2, 1951. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  4. ↑ http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/florida360/os-fla360-fsu--behind-the-scenes-story-story.html
  5. 1 2 3 "FSU To Dedicate Window, Field In Honor Of Legendary Coach Bowden". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 17, 2004. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Top 25 college football stadiums". CBS Sports. July 4, 2003. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  7. ↑ "No Place Like Home". Rivals.com. August 31, 2005. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ "The War Chant". Florida State University Athletic Department. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  9. ↑ http://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/fsu/football/2015/08/11/eyes-future-doak-campbell-holds-financial-key/31457107/
  10. ↑ "Florida State's Expanded Spear Lighting Tradition Begins Monday Night". Florida State University Athletic Department. March 8, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  11. ↑ "'Seminole Family' Statue to be Unveiled at FSU" (Press release). Florida State University. October 18, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2009.

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