Robert W. Plaster Stadium
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| Former names | SMS Stadium (1941-1970) Briggs Stadium (1970-1991) Plaster Sports Complex (1992-2013) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1015 East Grand Street Springfield, Missouri 65897 |
| Coordinates | 37°11′51.55″N 93°16′47.18″W / 37.1976528°N 93.2797722°WCoordinates: 37°11′51.55″N 93°16′47.18″W / 37.1976528°N 93.2797722°W |
| Owner | Missouri State University |
| Operator | Missouri State University |
| Capacity | 17,500 (2014-present) 16,300 (1997-2013) 16,600 (1992-1996) 10,000 (1965-1991) 8,500 (1941-1964) |
| Surface | Synthetic Turf International |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1941 |
| Opened | September 19, 1941 |
| Renovated | 1991, 2014 |
| Construction cost | $60,000 ($977 thousand in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Hood-Rich Architects (1991 structure) Hastings+Chivetta Architecture (2014 Renovation) |
| Tenants | |
| Missouri State Bears football (NCAA) | |
Hood-Rich Architects (1991 structure)
The Robert W. Plaster Stadium (formerly Plaster Sports Complex and Briggs Stadium) is a 17,500-seat football stadium located in Springfield, Missouri. It is home to the Missouri State University Bears football team.
The stadium was built in 1941 as SMS Stadium, a Works Progress Administration project at a cost of only $60,000, before World War II broke out. Its original seating capacity was 8,500. In 1970 it was renamed Briggs Stadium after Arthur Briggs, the school's all-time winningest coach. In 1991 it was renamed the Plaster Sports Complex in honor of Robert W. Plaster, chairman of Evergreen Investments of Lebanon, Missouri. Mr. Plaster donated funds for major renovations of the stadium, including expansion of the stadium to its current capacity, including the addition of an upper deck which seats 8,500, 24 luxury suites holding 10 each, a 40-seat luxury box and a new press box. In addition, a new running track and new artificial turf were installed. The artificial turf was replaced in 2001 with a FieldTurf surface and new field turf was installed in 2006. A new scoreboard was added in 2008. It was determined that at the conclusion of the 2013 football season, the aging student (east) bleachers would be torn down. After the student body passed the B.E.A.R Fee, money was in place to rebuild the bleachers. This stadium renovation will also include the removal of the track as well as the repositioning of the field with a new playing service.
Robert W. Plaster Stadium also includes 12 American handball/racquetball courts, including two courts with spectator seating. The complex also features Health and Fitness, and Athletics Strength and Conditioning centers on the second level of the stadium.
For many years Plaster Field held many of the annual Missouri State High School Activities Association state football championship games. In 1996 all games were moved to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, where they remained through 2015. Following the Rams' move back to Los Angeles in January 2016, the MSHSAA voted to return the games to Plaster Field in 2016 and Faurot Field at the University of Missouri in Columbia in 2017.
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