Everything about California Memorial Stadium totally explained
California Memorial Stadium is an outdoor
football stadium on the campus of the
University of California in
Berkeley. Commonly known as
Memorial Stadium,
it is the home field for the
University of California Golden Bears of the
Pacific Ten Conference. The venue opened in
1923 and currently seats 75,662. The stadium was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places on
November 27,
2006.
Memorial 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, the 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.
Memorial Stadium doesn't have a running track, so the stands descend 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.) The playing field runs NW-SE, at an elevation of 410 feet (125 m)
above sea level.
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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."
Playing surface
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.
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The Momentum Turf surface allows for minimal maintenance and increased utilization of the stadium, for football practices and other sports, on the space-limited UC-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.
Hayward Fault
The
Hayward Fault passes directly under the playing field of Memorial (nearly from goal post to goal post),
(External Link) 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 and creating a safer environment for the fans as well as the people that work at the stadium as part of a huge development program for the east campus area. The renovations would have (and still plan to) include a high-performance training and academic center for 13 of the UC's Olympic sports, plus study centers, a new home for the Cal Band, and offices for the many people that work inside the confines of the actual stadium. The first phase of the renovations would be to seismically strengthen the vulnerable west side of the stadium, and in later phases the University plans to add amenities such as new concessions, restrooms, and a new press box. Small upper decks with club and press seating would be constructed on each side of the stadium, each spanning from about the 5 Yard-Line to the 5 Yard-Line. 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).
NFL
The
NFL's Oakland Raiders played their second game of the
1973 regular season at Memorial Stadium. The game against the defending
Super Bowl champion
Miami Dolphins was moved from the Raiders' regular home, the
Oakland Coliseum, to draw a larger crowd. (At the time, the Oakland Coliseum could seat just over 50,000 fans during
baseball season.) The Raiders ended the Dolphins' 18-game winning streak with a 12-7 victory on four field goals by 45-year-old
George Blanda on September 23rd.
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Besides the extra capacity at Memorial Stadium, the move was also made to preserve the playing surface for the
1973 baseball playoffs. The
Oakland A's were preparing to win their second of three consecutive
World Series titles, so the Raiders didn't play in their own stadium until the second half of the season (6 of their final 7 games were at home). The Dolphins lost only one more game during the 1973 season (after ten straight victories) and successfully defended their
Super Bowl title. They finished with a 15-2 overall record, which included a 27-10 defeat of the Raiders in the playoffs.)
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