Memorial Stadium (University of Kansas)
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| Location | 1101 Maine Street Lawrence, KS 66044 |
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| Coordinates | 38°57′47″N 95°14′47″W / 38.96306°N 95.24639°WCoordinates: 38°57′47″N 95°14′47″W / 38.96306°N 95.24639°W |
| Owner | University of Kansas |
| Operator | University of Kansas |
| Capacity | 22,000 (1921–1926) 38,000 (1927–1962) 44,900 (1963–1964) 51,500 (1965–1991) 50,250 (1992–2002) 50,071 (2003–present) |
| Record attendance | 52,530 |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 10, 1921 |
| Opened | 29 October 1921 |
| Renovated | 1998, 2006, 2014 |
| Expanded | 1927, 1963, 1965 |
| Construction cost |
$275,000 ($3.69 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | LaForce Bailey and Clement C. Williams Treanor Architects (renovations) |
| Tenants | |
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Kansas Jayhawks football (1921–present) Kansas Jayhawks track and field (1922–2013) |
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Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located in Lawrence, Kansas, on the campus of the University of Kansas. The stadium is dedicated as a memorial to the KU students who died in World War I. The primary use of the stadium is to host the University's football intercollegiate athletic team.
Memorial Stadium was built in 1920 funded by students, faculty, and fans. Originally the stadium had only east and west bleachers, which were expanded southward in 1925. The north bowl seating section was added in 1927 to give the stadium its horseshoe shape which it retains today. The west bleachers were expanded significantly upwards in 1963, with similar additions to the east side in 1965. A major renovation in 1978 repaired concrete and upgraded home and visiting team facilities.
Permanent lights were installed in 1997 and the current infrastructure is the result of a 1998 renovation. The press box and scholarship suites saw significant improvement and expansion in 1999, and the MegaVision video board was installed in the same year.
The field has been artificial turf since 1970. In the summer of 2009 the old AstroPlay surface was replaced with FieldTurf.
A new scoreboard with two video strips was mounted at the top of the stadium's north bowl for the 2005 season, correcting a quirk of the stadium that north-driving teams had no way to see the clock without turning around. In 2006, the playing field was named Kivisto Field in honor of prominent donor Tom Kivisto.
The University of Kansas broke ground on the new $31-million Anderson Family Football Complex on October 6, 2006, and it opened in 2008. The building includes offices, academic areas, a weight room, locker rooms, an audio-visual room, meeting rooms, a cardio room, a hydro-therapy room, a nutrition area and a display area. It is also joined by new practice fields to the southeast of the stadium.
On September 17, 2009, the Kansas Board of Regents approved a $34 million addition of luxury seating on the east side of the stadium. The addition, known as the Gridiron Club, will increase the stadium's capacity by 3,000 seats. However, as of 2015, construction has yet to begin.
In the summer of 2014 the track around the football field was removed and artificial turf was laid in its place.
The stadium's current official capacity is 50,071. A then-record crowd of 51,574 saw the Jayhawks defeat Kansas State 25–18 in 1973.
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