Washington–Grizzly Stadium

Washington–Grizzly Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. Opened 37 years ago in 1986, it is home to the Montana Grizzlies, a member of the Big Sky Conference in Division I FCS (formerly Division I-AA).

Washington–Grizzly Stadium
Aerial view from northwest in 2019
Missoula is located in the United States
Missoula
Missoula
Location in the United States
Missoula is located in Montana
Missoula
Missoula
Location in Montana
AddressCampus Drive
LocationUniversity of Montana
Missoula, Montana, U.S.
Coordinates46.864°N 113.981°W / 46.864; -113.981
Elevation3,190 feet (970 m) AMSL
OwnerUniversity of Montana
OperatorUniversity of Montana
Capacity25,217 (2008–present)
23,183 (2003–2007)
19,005 (2002)
18,845 (1995–2001)
12,500 (1986–1994)
Record attendance26,978
(September 16, 2023)
SurfaceFieldTurf – (2016–present)
SprinTurf – (2001–2016)
Natural grass – (1986–2000)
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 1985
OpenedOctober 18, 1986 (1986-10-18)
Construction cost$3.2 million[1]
($8.54 million in 2022[2])
ArchitectFox, Ballas & Barrow[1]
Rossman, Schneider & Gadvery[1]
Tenants
Montana Grizzlies – NCAA (1986–present)
Missoula County Public Schools

Its infilled FieldTurf playing field is twenty feet (6 m) below ground level at an elevation of 3,190 feet (970 m) above sea level and runs in the traditional north–south orientation.[3] The press box is above the west sideline and lights were added for the 2012 season.[4]

With 25,217 seats, it is the largest all-purpose stadium in the state of Montana, and is the largest on-campus stadium in the Football Championship Subdivision that participates in the playoffs. The Yale Bulldogs' 61,446–seat Yale Bowl is the largest on-campus stadium in the FCS, but Ivy League members abstain from postseason play.[lower-alpha 1]

History

The stadium is named after construction magnate Dennis Washington, born in Washington, who donated $1 million to finance the stadium's construction in 1985. The inaugural game came in mid-season in 1986 (October 18), and the Griz have a record of 199–30 (.869) at the venue, through the 2017 season. Montana has gone undefeated at home in eleven of those seasons; the Griz won all ten home games in 2004 and posted a 9–0 mark six times (1994, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2008, 2009).

Capacity and expansions

The current seating capacity is 25,217 and it has been expanded three times, most recently in 2008 with an upper deck expansion of 2,000 seats on the east side.

The original capacity in 1986 was 12,500 permanent seats on the sidelines with open grass seating behind the end zones, an approximate capacity of 15,000, weather-permitting. Permanent seating for the end zones was installed in 1995, which brought the seating to 18,845. Corner seating in the north end zone opened in 2003 and the most recent expansion in 2008 to the east grandstand brought the capacity to 25,217.

A new attendance record was set in 2015 when ESPN and four-time defending national champion North Dakota State opened the FCS season on August 29 and drew 26,472. The previous record was 26,352, set in 2014 against rival Montana State on November 22; both games were Grizzly victories.

Field surface

Infilled SprinTurf was installed in 2001, and replaced in 2008. For its first fifteen seasons, the playing surface was natural grass; with the addition of the artificial turf in 2001, the playing surface was renamed "John Hoyt Field."

After fifteen seasons of SprinTurf, the playing surface was replaced with multi-color FieldTurf in the summer of 2016. Following the installation of FieldTurf in the new softball stadium (Grizzly Field), FieldTurf pitched the university with a new football field and within a month, it was approved by the board of regents and installed.

GrizVision

The video screen GrizVision, was installed in 2002 in the south end zone; at 26 by 36 feet (8 m × 11 m), it was one of the largest screens in an FCS football stadium and was upgraded in 2016 to a much larger screen: it features HD-quality video and measures 32 by 55 feet (10 m × 17 m), approximately twice the area of the old display.

Previous venues

Before Washington–Grizzly Stadium, the Grizzlies played off-campus at "new" Dornblaser Field from 1968–86. Prior to 1968, Montana played on-campus at "old" Dornblaser Field from 1920–67 (both named for Paul Dornblaser, football captain in 1912, killed in World War I). The old field was at the site of the Mansfield Library.

Prior to 1920, Montana played its home games at a field in downtown Missoula, near the former Missoulian newspaper building.

Largest attendance
Washington–Grizzly stadium attendance records
Official stadium capacity: 25,203
Attendance Result Date
1 26, 978 Montana 17, Ferris State 10 Sept. 16, 2023
2 26,856 Montana 29, Montana State 10 Nov. 29, 2021
3 26,508 Montana 25, Montana State 29 Nov. 17, 2018
4 26,472 Montana 38, North Dakota State 35 Aug. 29, 2015
5 26,352 Montana 34, Montana State 7 Nov. 22, 2014
6 26,303 Montana 28, South Dakota 20 Sept. 13, 2014
7 26,293 Montana 30, Appalachian State 6 Aug. 31, 2013
8 26,136 Montana 23, Northern Arizona 14 Sept. 26, 2015
9 26,082 Montana 37, Eastern Washington 42 Oct. 26, 2013
10 26,066 Montana 17, Eastern Washington 14 Sept. 17, 2011
11 26,065 Montana 19, Cal Poly 20 Sept. 5, 2015
12 26,019 Montana 16, Montana State 21 Nov. 20, 2010

Home records
Looking southwest in 2010,
against NAU on October 23
View from southwest corner in 2012,
after expansion and lights were added
Year Win Loss
YearWL
198621
198732
198860
1989^80
199042
199141
199251
1993^61
1994^90
1995^90
1996^90
199751
199851
1999^52
2000^81
2001^90
2002^71
2003^62
2004^100
2005^52
2006^81
2007^71
2008^90
2009^90
201051
201160
201233
2013^52
2014^70
2015^52
201651
201751
201833
201970
202020
202161
2022^61
Total 224–35 (.865)
^Includes FCS Playoff Game(s)

Concerts
Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / Concert name Attendance Revenue Notes
June 20, 1998Pearl JamGoodnessYield Tour——
October 4, 2006The Rolling StonesBlack Rebel Motorcycle ClubA Bigger Bang Tour22,000+—This is the band's first-ever concert in the state of Montana.[5]
August 5, 2014Paul McCartney—Out There25,192 / 25,192$3,775,111
August 13, 2018Pearl Jam—Pearl Jam 2018 Tour23,262 / 23,690$2,114,194
August 13, 2021Guns N' RosesMammoth WVHGuns N' Roses 2020 TourTBATBA

See also

Notes
  1. The FCS playoff participant Tennessee State Tigers football program plays its home games in the 69,143-seat Nissan Stadium, but it is not "on-campus" - the criteria applied here. The stadium was built by local government, primarily as the home field of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, some 4 miles (6.4 km) from the Tennessee State University campus.

References
  1. "New UM Stadium Project on Schedule". Great Falls Tribune. August 6, 1986. p. 3C.
  2. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. "Microsoft Research – Emerging Technology, Computer, and Software Research". Microsoft Research. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  4. Court Weston. "Lighting up Washington-Grizzly Stadium". Archived from the original on 2012-05-08.
  5. iorr.org/tour05/missoula.htm – Retrieved October 27, 2011
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