Memorial Stadium (Champaign)
| Zuppke Field | |
 |
|
| Location | 1402 South 1st Street Champaign, Illinois 61820 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°5′57″N 88°14′9″W / 40.09917°N 88.23583°WCoordinates: 40°5′57″N 88°14′9″W / 40.09917°N 88.23583°W |
| Owner | University of Illinois |
| Operator | University of Illinois |
| Capacity | 55,524 (1923–1929) 71,119 (1930–1963) 71,227 (1964–1982) 70,906 (1983) 70,563 (1984–1986) 70,153 (1987) 69,200 (1988–1990) 70,053 (1991) 70,904 (1992–2001) 69,249 (2002–2006) 57,078 (2007) 62,870 (2008–2010) 60,670 (2011–present) |
| Surface | Grass (1923–1974) AstroTurf (1975–2000) AstroPlay (2001–2007) FieldTurf (2008–present) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 11, 1922 |
| Opened | November 3, 1923 |
| Renovated | 1985, 2008, 2013 |
| Expanded | 1930 |
| Construction cost |
$1,700,000 ($23.9 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Holabird & Roche HNTB (renovation) |
| General contractor | English Brothers |
| Tenants | |
|
Illinois Fighting Illini (NCAA) (1923–present) Chicago Bears (NFL) (2002) |
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Memorial Stadium is a football stadium in Champaign, Illinois, in the United States, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The stadium is a memorial to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students who died in World War I; their names are engraved on the nearly 200 pillars surrounding the stadium's façade. The stadium is primarily used as the home of the University's football team.
In the early 1920s, the old football stadium, Illinois Field, was deemed inadequate. There was some sentiment for retaining the site, but it was too congested to expand the stadium adequately, so a new site was selected, in a largely undeveloped area at the south end of the campus.George Huff and Robert Zuppke were responsible for pushing most of the fundraising for this project.
Memorial Stadium was completed in 1923 at a cost of US$1.7 million. Its original U-shaped design borrows some form from the earlier constructed Harvard Stadium. The project's general contractor was English Brothers of Champaign, who are in business to this day. The name was chosen in honor of the dead from World War I. The original construction was financed with donations from University students, alumni, and others. At the time, the stadium consisted of double-decked stands on the east and west sidelines. The single-decked horseshoe around the south end zone was later completed, along with a large student section near the north end zone.
Heavy rain during the construction resulted in a bulldozer sinking into the field. It was decided the expense of removing the bulldozer would have been greater than leaving it buried under the field, and it remains there today.
The bell of the USS Illinois (BB-65), an Iowa-class battleship that was never completed, is on loan to the university and is in use. It is traditionally rung when the Fighting Illini score a touchdown or goal during home games.
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