Stadium History

OU Football History & Tradition | Main Memorial Stadium Page

Oklahoma Memorial Stadium's rich heritage has not hindered its evolution, a never-ending growth fueled by the Sooners' overwhelming popularity. Almost since its inception, the stadium has been a work in progress. View a map of OU's current campus with approximate locations of all four of the Sooners' home fields.

Building a Legacy

The original University football field was located on the prairie north of the present Holmberg Hall. OU's first game in 1895 was played there against the Oklahoma City Town Team. Later Oklahoma teams played about 100 yards east of the first field at a spot also unnamed. Both of these early fields consisted solely of a smooth wire fence stretched along both sidelines.

In 1905, in Bennie Owen's first season as coach, Boyd Field was laid out just west of the present Field House. It was named for the University's first president, Dr. David Ross Boyd. A grandstand seated 500 and the field was surrounded by a thick Bois d'Arc hedge that was the despair of small boys trying to see the game without paying admission.

In 1921, University of Oklahoma students started a movement for construction of a student union. By 1925, the idea had grown to include a combined football stadium/student union.

In the original architect's drawings, the north end of the proposed structure was strikingly similar to the present Oklahoma Memorial Union, which eventually was constructed separately when head coach Bennie Owen suggested it would be best to raise funds for a union and a stadium.

The first game played at the site took place Oct. 20,1923 (a 63-7 win over Washington, Mo.), before the stadium/union plan got under way. The field was named Owen Field after Owen, who became a charter member of the National Football Hall of Fame.

In 1925, the first contest was played in front of the new stands on the west side of the field. The 16,000-seat Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, named in honor of University personnel who died in World War I, was erected at a cost of approximately $293,000.

Stands on the east side of the stadium were added prior to the 1929 season. That addition increased the seating capacity to 32,000, where it stood for 20 years.

The stadium was dedicated at that year's homecoming game against Kansas. It was a cold, wet day and the muddy field was named after Owen, who became a charter member of the National Football Hall of Fame in 1951.

The biggest crowd to see a game in Owen Field's west stadium was 16,235 in 1926 when Owen's Sooners upset undefeated Missouri, 10-7. The east stadium was finished prior to the 1929 season and a new record throng of 18,346 saw Nebraska manhandle Coach Adrian Lindsey's Sooners, 44-6. With both sides finished, the stadium seated approximately 32,000.

Oklahoma was hit hard by the twin calamities of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl in the 1930s. From 1937 to 1942, the stadium served as a makeshift dorm for young men struggling to find resources to attend the state's leading university. The students were housed in several renovated rooms on the second floor. The University paid the utility bills, a fraternity donated a stove and OU President Bizzell supplied the refrigerator.

In early fall and late spring, the push-out windows didn't generate enough ventilation. Many students preferred sleeping in the bleachers or on the cool grass of Owen Field.

The Depression cut football attendance until 1938 when Coach Tom Stidham's all-victorious Sooners beat Nebraska, 14-0, before an Owen Field crowd of 28,091. In 1940, Nebraska's Rose Bowl juggernaut beat Oklahoma, 13-0, and a new record mob of 33,377 (bleachers added) were on hand.

That record stood until 1947, Bud Wilkinson's first year as head coach, when the Sooners and Kansas tied, 13-13, and the crowd went 34,547. In 1948, when Missouri invaded, practically the whole state stormed Owen Field to see the first of the young Minnesotan's many brilliant Sooner teams and 39,297 were counted, including standees.

In 1949, OU president George L. Cross pushed for expansion and the result was a six-foot lowering of the old playing surface and the elimination of a running track that surrounded the playing area.

The changes produced 7,000 new ringside seats and brought capacity to 55,000. The north end of the stadium also was enclosed. In 1957, green grandstand bleachers were added to the south end of the field, enabling the stadium to hold 61,836 fans.

Eighteen years later came the addition of the upper deck and new press box. Another 8,436 seats were added at a cost of $5,726,345. Capacity for the 1975 National Championship season was 71,187.

In July, 1970 the original natural grass surface was removed and artificial turf was installed. That tartan turf was replaced with super turf before the 1981 season. Owen Field returned to grass in 1994.

Before the 1980 season, the old green bleachers were replaced with the new south end zone facility. In addition to improved seating, the complex included coaches' offices, the weight room, meeting rooms, a training room, the equipment room and two locker rooms. The addition brought the stadium capacity to 75,004.

Modern History

A Stadium Master Plan was approved by the OU Board of Regents in June 1994. Construction of nine west side suites began in April 1995 and was completed that year. Subsequent improvements included the installation of stadium lights to allow night games, a new scoreboard and a video screen. Stadium capacity was decreased to 72,765 prior to the 1998 season to provide more wheelchair seating.

The Barry Switzer Center, named after the former OU head football coach, opened in April, 1999. That complex includes a sports medicine facility with the latest equipment and technology to better accommodate OU's student-athletes; the Robin Siegfried and Family Strength and Conditioning Facility, which will accommodate more than 400 athletes; new locker rooms; new coaches offices; the Anderson All-American Plaza and the OU Touchdown Club Legends Lobby.

In 2002, OU enacted plans to upgrade the entire stadium through four phases. Phase I replaced all stadium seating; expanded and renovated the north end athletics offices and Prentice Gautt Academic Center; expanded the stadium with the east side suites and upper deck .

Phase II included a second level of suites on the east side, renovation and expansion of the Santee Lounge and club seats;, fan amenities on the east concourse; and expansion and improvements to the team meeting rooms in the Switzer Center.

Phase III included fan amenities on the west side, expansion and improvements to the coaches' offices and Legends Lobby of the Switzer Center. All phases included improvements to disability accessibility to the stadium and support facilities.

For Phase IV, OU's football facilities -- especially those which the student-athletes use daily -- were further upgraded in 2009. Improvements included a 9,000 square-foot football locker room including grooming areas, cold plunge hydrotherapy pools and players' lounge, a 10,000 square-foot athletic training space to include additional hydrotherapy for all teams, a 6,500 square-foot equipment room, a 4,000 square-foot team meeting room equipped with the latest technology, sound, and video equipment, and seating for more than 200 added to the more than 8,000 square feet of existing team meeting rooms. The upgrades also included expansion of HD and other technology-driven enhancements to the SoonerVision studio and production facilities.

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents approved a proposal from OU Athletics on June 25, 2014, to proceed with the development of plans and projects for a major renovation and modernization of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

The first phase of the building project was completed prior to the 2016 season and focused on the south end zone.

The most visible aspect was the completion of the south end zone seating bowl, a feature that has initially increased stadium capacity to more than 83,000. The facility is also home to the nation's second largest video board (50 by 170 feet).

The seating bowl features an expanded concourse, additional restrooms and concessions, and other amenities. The new structure also houses 22 suites, 60 open-air loge boxes and 1,976 club seats, and includes two fresh club options for patrons.

The renovated team portion of the facility allows for all student-athlete services to be moved to the ground floor. That space includes a new locker room, strength and conditioning room, training room, nutrition center, meeting rooms and the equipment room.

The weight room nearly tripled in size to 26,600 square feet and features a 70-yard indoor turfed speed and agility training area. The state-ofthe-art athletic training room also grew substantially to nearly 10,000 square feet.

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is one of America's most recognized college football cathedrals. Situated on the east side of the Norman campus, this historical facility is the largest sports arena in the state and, following its recent expansion, now ranks among the 15 largest on-campus facilities in the nation.

A record crowd of 88,308 -- the largest crowd to witness a football game in the state of Oklahoma -- jammed the stadium on November 11, 2017 to watch Coach Lincoln Riley's Sooners beat TCU, 38-20.

Field Locations

The original University football field (1) was located on the prairie north of the present Holmberg Hall. OU's first game in 1895 was played there against the Oklahoma City Town Team. Later Oklahoma teams played about 100 yards east of the first field at a spot also unnamed (2). Both of these early fields consisted solely of a smooth wire fence stretched along both sidelines.

In 1905, in Bennie Owen's first season as coach, Boyd Field (3) was laid out just west of the present Field House. It was named for the University's first president, Dr. David Ross Boyd. A grandstand seated 500 and the field was surrounded by a thick Bois d'Arc hedge that was the despair of small boys trying to see the game without paying admission.

The very first game played at the current site of Owen Field (4) took place on October 20, 1923. Oklahoma defeated Washington University of St. Louis, 62-7, before a few loyal fans on a bitterly cold day.

Performance

The Sooners have had great success and set many records at the "Palace on the Prairie."