Camp Randall Stadium

Camp Randall Stadium

Location	1440 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711-2051
Coordinates	43°4′12″N 89°24′46″W
Owner	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Operator	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Capacity	80,321
Surface	FieldTurf (2003– ) AstroTurf (1968–2002) Natural grass (1917–1967)
Construction
Broke ground	1917
Opened	November 3, 1917
Tenants
Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA) (1917–present)

Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. The home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team and the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, it is located on the center-southern region of the University of Wisconsin campus. The stadium seats 80,321. It is the oldest and fourth largest stadium in the Big Ten Conference, and the 41st largest stadium in the world.

The stadium received its name because it lies on the grounds of Camp Randall, a former Union Army training camp during the Civil War. The camp was named after then Governor Alexander Randall, who later became Postmaster General of the United States.

Originally, the stadium consisted of a horseshoe opening to the south, with a running track around the field. The stadium was renovated at various points to raise the size of the horseshoe by nearly doubling the number of rows around the stadium in stages, placing south stands in front of the Wisconsin Field House (built in 1930), the removal of the track and addition of nearly 11,000 seats in 1958, the addition of the upper deck in 1966, and finally the 2005 addition of boxes along the eastern rim of the stadium.

The field was originally natural grass, and was one of the first in the United States to convert to artificial turf in 1968. A new AstroTurf field was installed in 1990. A new type of artificial grass field, infilled FieldTurf was installed for the 2003 season.

The stadium also houses athletic offices of the university. In 2002, a large-scale reconstruction project commenced, which added luxury boxes, a five-story office building, and separate football program offices. In addition, concessions, restrooms and other infrastructure items were upgraded, the walkway around the field was removed, and new scoreboards were installed. The construction was completed prior to the start of the 2005 season. The football team continued to play at the stadium throughout the construction.

Also during this period of reconstruction at the stadium, changes were made to the visiting team locker room. Known as one of the best visiting team locker rooms in the Big Ten Conference, it was initially painted a bright pink, a color thought to affect the play of the visiting team (similar to Iowa's pale pink visiting locker room). The UW Athletic Dept. decided that the color may irritate the opposing team and had the room painted a pale shade of blue called "prison blue." It is known in this way because it is the color used in Wisconsin state prison cells and is intended to have a "calming effect." Since this change, the Badgers have had a 32-4 home record.

The numbers of Wisconsin's two Heisman Trophy winners, Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, are displayed on the upper deck façade. Both of their numbers (35 and 33, respectively) are retired; The retired numbers of Elroy Hirsch (40), Dave Schreiner (80), Allan Schafer (83), and Pat Richter (88) were added during the 2006 football season.

November 2006

Badger fans fill the stadium during a 2005 Michigan at Wisconsin football game.

At Barry Alvarez's final game as head coach in 2005, plans were announced to place a statue of him in the Stadium's Kellner Plaza. The bronze statue was unveiled on 13 October 2006. On 17 November, it was joined by a similar statue of former UW athlete and athletic director Pat Richter.

"The Camp Randall Crush"

On October 30, 1993, the Wisconsin Badgers football team upset the Michigan Wolverines 13–10. As the final gun sounded, students began to charge the field to celebrate, but were blocked by the guardrails surrounding the field. The crowd in the back, not fully aware of what was going on at the front, continued to move forward, now being aided by gravity. As a result, those up front got caught and were pressed against the rails, and then were trampled as the throng spilled onto the field. 73 students were injured, six of them critically. Several Badgers football players assisted with removing the injured from the tangle. Per Mar Security (stadium security) and the University of Wisconsin were later found liable for this situation.

As a result, design changes were made in the stadium which increased the size and strength of the fences.

The most recent incident of fans rushing the field took place following a Badgers victory over reigning National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes on October 11, 2003. A 79-yard touchdown pass from back-up Quarterback Matt Schaebert to Lee Evans in the 4th quarter sealed the Badger victory. The Buckeyes went into the game ranked #3 in the country and the Badgers victory ended their 19-game winning streak.

Off-the-Field Traditions

The Badger Football events at Camp Randall Stadium are more than a game: There are numerous traditions that were founded here and have become staples to Badger fans around the world.

The Fifth Quarter

In 1969, the Badgers had lost 24 straight games, and Michael Leckrone took over the Wisconsin Marching Band. Working with Athletic Director Elroy Hirsch, Leckrone and the Band created a fan event that would take place after the game, the "Fifth Quarter."

Normally played during the Fifth Quarter are songs such as "On Wisconsin," "You've Said It All" (also known as the "Bud" song, referring to its beginning as the tune of a Budweiser beer commercial), "Space Badgers" (A variation on the opening to Also sprach Zarathustra), "Dance Little Bird" (The Chicken Dance), "Beer Barrel Polka," "Tequila," "Hey Baby," and many more. Thousands of spectators remain in the stands for twenty minutes after the game in order to enjoy the performance. Many of these songs are associated with specific choreography which the band, the cheerleaders and the audience all participate in.

At the end of the Fifth Quarter, the band lines up once more to play "Varsity" as the spectators sing. The band then exits the field via the north entrance to perform a little more and sing "It's Hard to Be Humble," after which the band marches to the Mosse Humanities Building, where it is dismissed.

The Fifth Quarter was officially named in 1978, and its traditions have been passed down through the last three decades. About ten years ago, according to Leckrone, any freshmen who didn't know the rituals before they entered the university were informed about them at a special orientation run by Leckrone before the first game. Now almost everyone learns quickly from friends who grew up with the Badgers.

The Wave

Camp Randall performs a non-traditional wave, following a strict pattern. The student section, more specifically section P, begins the wave by sending it around the stadium once counter-clockwise, then once in slow-motion, then once at double the original speed, then reversed (clockwise), and finally, splitting it into two counter-rotational waves. This is traditionally completed at least once every home game in the second or third quarter.

The Chant

Like other schools, Badger fans perform a call-and-response chant before kickoffs; however, theirs is much more vulgar than many others. The most famous chant is between the upper classmen sections and the lower classmen in Section "O". During Steve Miller Band's Swingtown the song starts with a long "Ooooooh" which is followed a quick "sucks" by surrounding sections, then section "O" responds with a "Fuck You" then all sections reply with an "Eat Shit." Despite attempts by administration to rid the stadium of this chant in order to provide a more family-friendly atmosphere, profanities still abound at certain points during the game.

"Jump Around": History & Controversy

Another tradition at UW Football games is the "Jump Around" where fans dance to the House of Pain song of the same name. This takes place between the third and fourth quarters. The "Jump Around" tradition started on Saturday, October 10, 1998, at the Badger's Homecoming game against the Purdue Boilermakers After no offensive points in the third quarter, and en route to their second 6-0 start of the modern football era, one of the Badger's marketing agents, who was in charge of sound, piped the song through the loudspeakers. It stirred up fans and players and has become a tradition of the last decade.

However on September 6, 2003 (the Badger's first home game of the season), with construction of the skyboxes surrounding the stadium, UW officials decided to cancel the "Jump Around" tradition that had been a staple for 5 years. Stadium security and the local police department had been informed of this decision, but no notification had been given to the fans. As the fourth quarter began and students realized there had been no "Jump Around," they became upset. Some students jumped around even without the requisite music. Then an entire section sat down in protest, a majority directed their middle finger at the sound booth, and a chant of "Fuck the sound guy" began. Chanting and booing continued through the majority of the fourth quarter. With 6 minutes 29 seconds to go in the game, Lee Evans scored on a 99-yard play and led the Badgers to a victory, thrilling the crowd.

When news surfaced on Monday, September 8, that this event was not a technical or human malfunction, but rather a decision by campus officials, the students launched a protest. Petitions circulated and students pushed back against administration. Structural engineers confirmed that the stadium would suffer no structural damage caused by the vibrations created by jumping. Two days later, Chancellor John D. Wiley announced that the "Jump Around" tradition would resume.

Other uses

Drum Corps International has used the stadium as the site for its world championships in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1999, 2002, and 2006.

The stadium is also used by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association for its state football championships.

The Green Bay Packers have played 12 exhibition games at Camp Randall, which has a larger seating capacity than the Packers' home stadium, Lambeau Field. The series began in 1986, shortly after the Chicago Bears began to use nearby University of Wisconsin-Platteville as a training camp site. The most recent pre-season Packers game at Camp Randall was in 1999.

Camp Randall has also hosted a number of major concerts, including: Pink Floyd (May 20, 1988 & July 3, 1994), Genesis (June 9, 1992), U2 (September 13, 1992 & June 25, 1997) & The Rolling Stones (August 26, 1994 & October 6, 1997)

The University of Wisconsin men's and women's ice hockey teams each played an outdoor hockey game at Camp Randall Stadium on February 6, 2010 as part of the Culver's Camp Randall Hockey Classic. The Wisconsin women defeated Bemidji State 6-1, while the Badger men beat Michigan 3-2.

The Camp Randall Complex

The Camp Randall athletic complex also includes three other facilities.

The Field House was home to the UW basketball teams until January 1998, when they moved into the Kohl Center. It is still home to Wisconsin's wrestling and women's volleyball teams.

The Dave McClain Athletic Facility, an indoor football practice facility, was built to honor the late Badgers football coach, Dave McClain. In addition to the indoor practice field, it also houses locker rooms for football, men's and women's track, and softball. Strength and conditioning, sports medicine and academic services also have facilities in the building. This facility is also home to the annual University of Wisconsin - Madison Naval ROTC Drill Competition held on Halloween weekend. The Naval ROTC Drill Teams also use the facility in preparation for the event.

The Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center ("The Shell") features a 200 meter indoor track surrounding several facilities for intramural sports. The indoor track facilities are used by the UW track teams during their indoor seasons. The Shell also houses a practice ice sheet and the locker room for the women's ice hockey team.

External links

• Camp Randall on UWBadgers.com
• Camp Randall on Ballparks.com
• The Fieldhouse on UWBadgers.com
• McClain Facility on UWBadgers.com
• "The Shell" on UWBadgers.com
• University of Wisconsin–Madison Athletic Department Collection
• Aeriel View of Camp Randall Stadium

Events and tenants
Preceded by wooden stadium on present site	Host of the Wisconsin Badgers 1917 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by Grant Field Cotton Bowl Citrus Bowl Ralph Wilson Stadium Gillette Stadium	Host of the Drum Corps International World Championships 1985 – 1987 1992 1999 2002 2006	Succeeded by Arrowhead Stadium Veterans Memorial Stadium Byrd Stadium Citrus Bowl Rose Bowl Stadium