California Memorial Stadium

California Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium
Location	210 Memorial Stadium Berkeley, California 94720
Owner	University of California
Operator	University of California
Capacity	75,662
Surface	Momentum Turf
Construction
Broke ground	1921
Opened	1923
Construction cost	$1.4 million USD
Architect	John Galen Howard
Tenants
California Golden Bears (NCAA) (1923-Present)

California Memorial Stadium, commonly known as "Memorial Stadium," is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the University of California, the home field for the Cal Golden Bears. The stadium opened in 1923 and currently seats 75,662.

The stadium was funded from public contributions, as a memorial to Californians who lost their lives in World War I (1917-18). The chair of the architectural committee was John Galen Howard, the university's chief architect, and his influence is evident in the stadium's neoclassical motif. In addition to its unique architecture, Memorial Stadium's position at the foot of the Berkeley hills provides top row spectators with panoramic views of San Francisco Bay and west side viewers with views of the Berkeley Hills and Strawberry Canyon. This has earned it a reputation as one of the most scenic venues in college football.

The stadium has no running track, so the stands come right down to the football field. (The lowest central seating views on the west side can be blocked by the standing visiting team reserve members.)

Originally a natural grass field, AstroTurf was installed in Memorial Stadium in 1981 and remained for 14 seasons. Natural grass returned for the 1995 season, until the 2003 installation of Momentum Turf, a next-generation infilled artificial turf, similar to FieldTurf. [1]

The Momentum Turf surface allows for minimal maintenance and increased utilization of the stadium, for football practices and other sports, on the space-limited Berkeley campus. After returning to natural turf in 1995, varsity football practices were held at Witter Rugby Field, saving the stadium's grass field for game days only. Memorial Stadium's field is also marked for international soccer, but this allows little reserve room beyond the official lines.

Memorial Stadium supporting columns diverging due to fault creep

The Hayward Fault passes under Memorial Stadium, [2] where right-lateral strike-slip motion is shifting the northeast half of the building to the southwest at a rate of 1 cm/yr. Expansion joints have been placed in the walls of the stadium to maintain the integrity of the building. A 1998 seismic safety study at the Berkeley campus gave the stadium a "poor" rating (meaning that the building represents an "appreciable life hazard" in an earthquake), and estimated the cost of making the structure safe at $14 million.

In February 2005, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced plans to renovate Memorial Stadium, improving the existing facilities, adding a sports complex and providing new facilities for various university departments and programs as part of a huge development program for the east campus area. The first phase of the renovations were slated to take place during the spring and summer of 2006 but were stopped by a court injunction due to three lawsuits against the project. A small group of tree-sitters occupied the oak grove on the west side of the stadium beginning on the "Big Game" day in December 2006. Extensive seismic modifications will be required if life safety is to be addressed (see Hayward Fault Zone for possible solutions).

Traditionally, during most football games and especially during the Big Game against Stanford, the hill overlooking the eastern side of Memorial Stadium attracts spectators hoping to watch a game for free, earning the nickname "Tightwad Hill."

The NFL's Oakland Raiders played an early regular season game in 1973 against the defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins at the stadium. The game was moved from the Raiders' regular home, the Oakland Coliseum, to Memorial Stadium to draw a larger crowd (the Oakland Coliseum could seat just over 50,000 fans at the time during baseball season, and the A's were preparing to win their second of three consecutive World Series titles. The Raiders ended the Dolphins' 18-game winning streak on September 23rd with a 12-7 victory on four field goals by 45-year-old George Blanda. [3] (The Dolphins lost only one more game during the 1973 regular season and successfully defended their Super Bowl title, finishing sith a 15-2 overall record) [4]

External links

• The Campaign for Student Athletes - California Memorial Stadium
• Berkeley Heritage.com - Memorial Stadium information
• California Engineer - see Fall 2005 issue
• Calbears.com - Memorial Stadium
• Seismo.Berkeley.edu - Hayward Fault - UC Berkeley campus

37°52′15.6″N 122°15′02.7″W