Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium (colloquially known as simply Husky Stadium) is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, United States. It has been the home of the Washington Huskies of the Pac-12 Conference since 1920, hosting its football games. The university also holds its annual commencement at the stadium in June. It is located at the southeastern corner of campus, between Montlake Boulevard N.E. and Union Bay, just north of the Montlake Cut. The stadium is served by the University of Washington Link light rail station, as well as several bus routes.
The stadium most recently underwent a $280 million renovation that was completed in 2013. Its U-shaped design was specifically oriented (18.167° south of due east) to minimize glare from the early afternoon sun in the athletes' eyes. The open end overlooks scenic Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains, including Mount Rainier. Prior to the 2013 renovation, its total capacity of 72,500 made it the largest stadium in the Pacific Northwest and the 23rd largest in college football.
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History
The original stadium was built in 1920 by Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company with a seating capacity of 30,000. Husky Stadium replaced Denny Field, which was located on the north end of campus, south of the intersection of NE 45th St. and 20th Ave. NE. The first game at the stadium was the final game of the 1920 season, a 28-7 loss to Dartmouth on November 27.
Just three years after its construction, the stadium was the site of President Warren Harding's final public address before his unexpected death.
The capacity of the lower bowl was expanded with the addition of 10,000 seats around the rim in 1936, and a few thousand more in 1968.
The first of the stadium's iconic covered grandstands was constructed in 1950, adding 15,000 seats to the south side.
In 1987, 13,000 seats were added with the construction of the north grandstand. Similar to the south stand, this structure included a cantilevered steel roof covering a portion of the lower seats. The project made headlines on February 25, 1987 when the grandstand collapsed during construction as a result of miscommunication between the workers and the contractor, which lead to the premature removal during the intended replacement of several support cables. Although there were no casualties, property damage ranged from $500,000 to $1,000,000 and resulted in setbacks.
Husky Stadium was a primary venue for the 1990 Goodwill Games, where the crowd saw an address by former President Ronald Reagan, as well as an address by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a performance by the Moody Blues & Gorky Park. The stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the track & field competition.
Husky Stadium was the temporary home of the Seattle Seahawks for five games (two preseason and three regular season) in 1994 while the Kingdome was temporarily closed for repairs to its damaged roof. After the demolition of the Kingdome in March 2000, the Seahawks played at Husky Stadium for the 2000 and 2001 seasons before moving into Seahawks Stadium (now CenturyLink Field) in 2002.
The playing field at Husky Stadium was originally dirt, which was then replaced with natural grass in 1938. In 1968, Washington became one of the first major college teams to play on AstroTurf at home; at the time, the Houston Astrodome and Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee were the only major facilities to use the surface. The AstroTurf field was replaced in 1972, 1977, 1987, and 1995. FieldTurf, a new variation of synthetic turf, was installed in 2000 at a cost of $1,074,958. The new turf features enhanced drainage and reduced abrasion through the use of synthetic fibers that are tufted into an infill of sand and rubber. The project was funded by Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen, who used Husky Stadium as a temporary home venue during the construction of CenturyLink Field. The first of its kind in the NFL, the surface was so popular with the players that the Seahawks, who had planned to use natural grass at their new stadium, instead installed their own FieldTurf surface. The FieldTurf at Husky Stadium was replaced with a newer one after nine seasons in 2009 at a cost of $350,000.
In addition to the new playing surface, the Seahawks made other improvements to Husky stadium in preparation for its tenure as an NFL venue for two seasons. A larger scoreboard, with a 23 x 42 ft. "HuskyTron" video screen, debuted in 1998. Improved lighting for television, including corner lights, was added in 1999, and official NFL goalposts (optic yellow, 40 ft./12.2 m in height) were installed in 2000.
The Husky Stadium end zones were gold during the 1980s and early 1990s before being painted purple in 1995. The end zones changed to natural green in 2000 with the installation of FieldTurf, which lasted until 2009 when they reverted back to gold for one season. Purple end zones saw a return prior the 2010 season. The end zones were temporarily painted black to coincide with the Huskies' first "blackout" game on November 18, 2010 against UCLA.
On September 3, 2015, Alaska Airlines purchased naming rights to the field, which changed the official name to Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. The agreement, in which the university will receive $41 million over 10 years, became the largest of its kind in college athletics.
The Wave
Many claim that the first audience wave originated in Husky Stadium on Halloween 1981, at the prompting of Husky band trumpeter Dave Hunter. Contrary to Hunter's account, former Washington yell leader Robb Weller has also claimed credit for the first wave. Weller was the guest yell-king during the Huskies' homecoming football game against Stanford. His initial concept for the wave was for it to travel vertically, from the bottom of the stands to the top, within the Husky student section. When the stunt was met with limited interest, he then decided to reverse the movement of the wave to travel from top to bottom. This failed miserably, as it was necessary to turn backward to see the wave progressing downward. Weller then gave up and returned his attention to the game. However, a fan named Omar Parker sitting on the open (east) end of the stadium at the student side started yelling "sideways". Weller did not hear him, but then many students tried to initiate a "sideways" wave on their own. After a few attempts, and more yelling of "sideways" by students, Weller took notice. He instructed the crowd to stand as he ran past. He moved along the track toward the open end of the stadium, explaining to the student crowd what he would do, then ran along the track toward the closed end of the stadium, in front of the student section. The stunt caught on after a couple of tries and continued around the entire stadium, and was then repeated throughout the rest of the game and the season. Longtime UW band director Bill Bissell also claimed co-creator credit with Weller, suggesting that the wave was devised by both of them prior to the game. The following week Bill Scott (known as "Bill the Beer Man") started the wave in Husky Stadium and also at the Seattle Seahawks game in the Kingdome.
Crowd noise
Husky Stadium has long been recognized as one of the loudest stadiums in the nation. This is in part due to the stadium's design; almost 70% of the seats are located between the end zones, covered by cantilevered metal roofs that trap the sound.
At times, the high decibel levels typical of Husky games, in addition to fans stomping their feet in the bleachers, causes television cameras to shake. During the 1992 night game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, ESPN measured the noise level at over 130 decibels, well above the threshold of pain. The maximum recorded level of 133.6 decibels, according to ESPN, is the highest ever recorded for a college football stadium.
Tailgating
Husky Stadium is unusual in that fans can travel to football games by boat, known locally as "sailgating" (other stadiums with this feature include Neyland Stadium at Tennessee, Heinz Field at Pittsburgh, and McLane Stadium at Baylor). There can be upwards of 12,000 people out on Lake Washington next to Husky Stadium during game days. Before kickoff, the Washington crew team offers shuttles to anyone that wants to go to and from the boats and docks for the game.
The north and south parking lots are packed with cars for tailgating. There is currently controversy surrounding the south parking lot because the Pacific Interchange Option for expansion to the SR 520 Floating Bridge would effectively eliminate the south parking lot for tailgating.
Fans also gather at the Dempsey Indoor Facility just north of the stadium for Husky Huddles. After the game, the Tyee Sports Council and the University of Washington Athletic Department put on events where fans can gather and hear analysis of the game from Washington coaches and Husky Legends, and listen to the Husky Marching Band.
2011-2013 renovation
Husky Stadium had developed numerous structural problems over the years as a result of standing for nine decades in Seattle's moist weather, particularly in the lower bowl. In November 2011, Husky Stadium began a $261 million renovation. The team played at CenturyLink Field during the 2012 season while construction took place. The renovation was the largest single capital project in the history of the University of Washington.
The new Husky Stadium was developed by Wright Runstad & Company, designed by 360 Architecture, and constructed by Turner Construction company. The steel decking was supplied by Profile Steel. The new stadium is the first and primary income source of a completely remodeled athletic district which includes a new $19 million Husky Ballpark, a new track and field stadium, renovated soccer stadium, $50 million basketball operations and practice facility and recently completed projects such as the Husky Legends Center, the Conibear Shellhouse and Alaska Airlines Arena renovations, and the construction of the Dempsey Indoor facility. This major remodel of the athletic village coincided with construction for an underground station for a northern extension of the Link Light Rail system and a replacement of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge.
The renovation project incorporated a new grand concourse, press box, video and audio system, and football offices, as well as new and improved amenities, concession stands, and bathrooms. The track that had enclosed the playing field was removed, and the field itself lowered by four feet to make room for additional seating closer to the sidelines. The student section was relocated from the north sideline to the west end zone, and the temporary bleachers in the east end zone were replaced with a permanent structure featuring field-level suites. The addition of box suites reduced the seating capacity from 72,500 to 70,138. Despite the reduction in capacity, the renovated stadium is expected to be as loud as its predecessor. Additionally, new parking garages were constructed and facilities throughout the athletic village were renovated.
Seattle Seahawks
The NFL's Seattle Seahawks first played home games at Husky Stadium in 1994, while repairs were made to the interior ceiling of the Kingdome. The Seahawks later played the 2000 and 2001 seasons at Husky Stadium while their new home, Seahawks Stadium (now CenturyLink Field), was constructed on the footprint of the demolished Kingdome.
NFL exhibition games
Between 1955 and 1975, Husky Stadium hosted 12 NFL preseason games. The San Francisco 49ers played six times at the stadium, the most of any team. Other teams to make multiple appearances include the New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns, and Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals.
At one point after the 1970 NFL season, Ralph Wilson came close to moving the Buffalo Bills from dilapidated War Memorial Stadium to Husky Stadium. The threat of relocation prompted the developers in the Buffalo suburbs to construct Rich Stadium (later Ralph Wilson Stadium and now New Era Field), where the Bills have resided ever since.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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