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AT&T Stadium

Coordinates: 32°44′52″N 97°5′34″W / 32.74778°N 97.09278°W / 32.74778; -97.09278
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Cowboys Stadium
File:Cowboys Stadium Logo.png
Cowboys Stadium on June 30, 2009
Map
Location925 N Collins St, Arlington, Texas
Coordinates32°44′52″N 97°5′34″W / 32.74778°N 97.09278°W / 32.74778; -97.09278
OwnerCity of Arlington[2]
OperatorDallas Cowboys
Capacity80,000 – will be expandable up to 100,000 (estimated)
SurfaceRealGrass Matrix[3]
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 20, 2005
OpenedMay 29, 2009[1]
Construction cost$ 1.2 billion [4]
ArchitectHKS, Inc.
BuilderManhattan Construction Company
Structural engineerWalter P Moore
Tenants
Dallas Cowboys (NFL) (2009- )
Big 12 Championship Game (NCAA Football) (2009-2010)
Cotton Bowl Classic (NCAA Football) (2010- )
Super Bowl XLV (NFL) (2011)
NBA All-Star Game (2010)
NCAA Men's Final Four (2014)
Baylor vs. Texas Tech (2009)
BYU vs. Oklahoma (2009)
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (2009- )
Arizona State vs. Notre Dame (2013)
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Cowboys Stadium is a new domed stadium with a retractable roof in Arlington, Texas, for the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys. It replaced the open-air Texas Stadium, which opened in 1971, as the Cowboys' home. It was completed on May 29, 2009 and seats 80,000, but is expandable to seat up to 100,000. Cowboys Stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world.[citation needed]

Construction and design

Inside view of the Cowboys Stadium

Cowboys Stadium was designed by the Dallas-based architectural firm HKS.[5] Besides the Cowboys, the new stadium will be used by college football teams and other organizations for other sporting and non-sporting events. On March 10, 2008, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, joined by officials and coaches from Texas A&M University and the University of Arkansas (Jones' alma mater), announced that the two schools would renew their rivalry with annual games at the stadium, beginning October 3, 2009.[6] In addition, the Cotton Bowl will be moved to the stadium once it opens.[7]

Originally estimated to cost $650 million, the stadium's current construction cost was $1.15 billion, making it one of the most expensive sports venues ever built.[8] To aid Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones in paying the construction costs of the new stadium, Arlington voters approved the increase of the city's sales tax by one-half of a percent, the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percent, and car rental tax by 5 percent. The City of Arlington provided over $933 million (including interest) in bonds as funding [9], and Jones covered any cost overruns. Also, the NFL provided the Cowboys with an additional $150 million, as per their policy for giving teams a certain lump sum of money for stadium financing.[10]

Although the stadium had yet to sell naming rights, many fans started referring to the project with various nicknames such as "Jerry World", "JonesTown", the "Jerrydome", "Jones-Mahal", the "Boss Hog Bowl" in reference to Jones' continued affiliation to his Alma Mater nickname, the Razorbacks (or hogs), or "Six Flags Over Jerry" in reference to Jerry Jones and Six Flags Over Texas, which is near the new stadium, as well as lesser known others.[11] There was also a petition by some fans to have the stadium named after longtime Cowboys coach Tom Landry. On May 13, 2009, Jerry Jones announced the official name; the Cowboys Stadium.[12]

A pair of nearly 300 ft (91 m)-tall arches spans the length of the stadium dome, anchored to the ground at each end. The new stadium also includes "more than 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more, offering fans viewing options that extend beyond the action on the field," [1] retractable roof, glass doors allowing each end zone to be opened, and a center-hung video display board that is the largest high-definition television screen in the world.

The retractable roof was designed by structural engineering firm Walter P Moore and the systems were implemented by mechanization consultants Uni-Systems. These Kinetic Architecture fundamentals will be employed in order to create quick conversions of the facility to accommodate a variety of events. When the design was officially unveiled on December 12, 2006, it showed that, from inside the stadium, the roof (membrane installed by K Post Company of Dallas)[13] will look very similar to the Texas Stadium roof, with its trademark hole. However, it can be covered by the retractable roof panel to protect against the elements.

A Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame is planned for the Hall of Fame level. The drawings also include a site for a large sculpture northeast of the stadium, close to Randol Mill Road.

Excavation work at the stadium site began in May 2006 near Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Until playing in the new stadium, the Cowboys played in Texas Stadium.

This stadium will host Super Bowl XLV in 2011, beating out bids from the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.[14] It will also host the 2009 Big XII Football Championship and Cotton Bowl, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the 2014 men's Final Four.[15]

Timeline

The Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas
  • 1994: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he wants to expand the 65,000-seat Texas Stadium by up to 40,000 seats, add retractable roof panels and install a climate-control system to make the stadium a year-round venue for sporting events, including the Super Bowl, concerts, and conventions.
  • 1997 – 2000: The Cowboys hold preliminary talks with Arlington officials about building a stadium there. The team also publicly discusses a $260 million plan to upgrade Texas Stadium. In 2000, the Cowboys compile a list of potential stadium sites, which include Grapevine, Coppell and Arlington. The team continues negotiating with Irving to renovate Texas Stadium.
  • 2001: Jones says Arlington is a leading contender for a $500 million stadium. The primary site considered is the 2,000 acres (8 km2) Lakes of Arlington tract on Farm Road 157. Other cities in the running include Grapevine and Grand Prairie. In October, Jones discusses the new stadium with the mayors of Arlington, Irving, Grapevine, and Dallas.
  • 2003: The Cowboys ask the Irving City Council to extend their lease at Texas Stadium, which expires at the end of the 2008 season, on a year-to-year basis. They narrow their search to sites in Las Colinas and Dallas, and state legislators file bills that would allow Dallas County to increase its hotel-occupancy and car-rental taxes to pay for a new stadium.
  • 2004: In April, the Cowboys announce plans to build a $650 million stadium at Fair Park in Dallas. The deal requires $425 million in public financing from a 3 percent hotel-occupancy tax and a 6 percent car-rental tax. The deal falls apart in June when Dallas County commissioners say they cannot justify asking voters to approve the team's request for $425 million in public funding. In July, the Cowboys and Arlington announce they are negotiating to locate the stadium near Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (then Ameriquest Field). In August, the Arlington City Council agrees unanimously to put before voters a tax increase that would fund the city's $325 million portion of the project. Voters approve the tax increase on November 2.
  • 2005: Arlington and the Cowboys choose the site south of Randol Mill Road and east of Collins Street for the new stadium. The city begins notifying residents and property owners of its plans to acquire their property. The Cowboys hire the HKS architectural firm to design the stadium. Early blueprints show 414 luxury suites and a two-panel retractable roof. The city completes its sale of $297.9 million in bonds to pay for its portion of the construction. Demolition of houses begins November 1.
  • January 2006: The Cowboys hire Oklahoma-based Manhattan Construction as the general contractor for the stadium and the city completes its land purchases, although it still faces a number of lawsuits over land acquisition. Also in January, Tarrant County work crews begin demolition of more than 150 Arlington residences and small business structures to make room for the stadium.[16]
  • March 2006: Alliance announced between Manhattan Construction and two minority-owned general contractors—Rayco Construction of Grand Prairie and 3i Construction of Dallas—to manage the stadium's construction.[17]
  • April 2006: Excavation begins by Mario Sinacola and Sons Excavating. By August, they had moved over 1.4 million cubic yards of earth, shaping a 13 acre to 14 acre stadium bowl an average of 54 feet (16 m) deep.[18]
  • August 2006: Two construction cranes are raised on the site.
  • October 2006: The grass amphitheater on Randol Mill Road is leveled to make way for the extension of Baird Farm Road.
  • December 2006: The stadium's structure begins to go up. Also on December 12, the Cowboys and Jerry Jones unveil in-depth plans and designs of the stadium to the public.
Stadium construction as of December 2007.
The new stadium, with steel arches completed, in April 2008.
  • January 2007: A construction worker is injured in a 20 ft (6 m) fall.[19]
  • February 2007: Masonry work begins.
  • March 2007: Heldenfels Enterprises awarded the contract to manufacture and erect the pre-cast/pre-stressed concrete structural components and placement of them begins in April.[20]
  • June 2007: Work on the retractable roof, designed by Uni-Systems, starts.
  • July 2007: Exterior facade and enclosure work will begin.
  • October 2007: First steel arch is completed.
  • February 2008: Second steel arch is completed.
  • June 2008: Jones commissions the world's largest 1080p HDTV,[21] to hang above field.
  • June 2008: An electrician is electrocuted while working on the stadium. Two days before, three people were injured while assembling a crane.
  • 2009: The artificial-turf field will be brought into the stadium in July. The stadium is scheduled for 'substantial completion' in June. The Cowboys played their first pre-season home game on August 21 and will play their first regular-season home game on Sunday, September 20.

The Beginning of a New Experience

  • May 13, 2009: Jerry Jones announced the official name of the new venue as Cowboys Stadium.[12]
  • June 12, 2009: The Texas Governor's Barbara Jordan Media Awards are held at the new stadium.[24]
  • June 20, 2009: The Jonas Brothers performed at the new stadium to kick off their 2009 world tour.[25]
  • July 13, 2009: RealPage Software holds 2009 Users Group Meeting at Cowboys Stadium.
  • July 19, 2009: Two Quarterfinal matches of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup were played in the stadium, starting with Costa Rica defeating Guadeloupe 5–1, followed by Mexico defeating Haiti 4–0. This was the the first ever sporting event hosted there and also was a soldout game with a crowd of over 84,000 people.[26]
  • July 19, 2009: The first point is scored at Cowboys Stadium. A goal was scored by Costa Rica in the Gold Cup Quarterfinal game versus Guadeloupe at the 2nd minute by Celso Borges.
  • August 9, 2009: Arlington Resident Stadium Open House — Arlington residents get a free sneak peak of the new $1.15 billion Cowboys Stadium during an open house.[28]
  • August 19, 2009: Paul McCartney performed in Arlington, his only appearance in Texas on his current tour and first visit to DFW since 2005.[29]
  • August 21, 2009: The Cowboys played the Tennessee Titans in their first preseason home game and first game ever played at Cowboys Stadium. The game was nationally televised on FOX at 7 PM CDT.[30] Dallas won the game 30-10, with one play from scrimmage blown dead when a ball punted by Titans' rookie Punter A. J. Trapasso struck the jumbotron.
  • September 20, 2009: The Cowboys will play the first NFL regular season game in the new stadium against the long-time NFC East division nemesis New York Giants. It will be televised on NBC.[33]
  • October 12, 2009: The rock band U2 will be in concert at the Cowboys Stadium. "Special guest" Muse is also on the U2 bill.[34]
  • November 22, 2009: The Dallas Cowboys will play their arch-rival team the Washington Redskins for the first time at Cowboys Stadium.
  • December 19, 2009: Texas Longhorns, and North Carolina Tar Heels officially announced on March 20, 2009, to play a basketball game at the stadium between the Longhorns and Tar Heels. The following year the matchup will be played at North Carolina for the 2010–11 season.[36]
  • January 2, 2010: The 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl will be played at the new stadium, as was announced on February 27, 2007.[37]
  • February 6, 2011: Super Bowl XLV will be played at the new stadium, as was announced on May 22, 2007.[39]

Concessions and merchandising

On October 20, 2008, Cowboys owner Jones and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner announced a joint business venture called Legends Hospitality Management LLC which would operate the concessions and merchandising sales at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas, and at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, along with the stadiums of the Yankees' minor league affiliates. Former Pizza Hut President Michael Rawlings will run the company from its new headquarters in Newark, New Jersey. The company was also backed by Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs and Dallas private equity firm CIC Partners LP.[42][43][44]

Parking

The fees for premium parking at Dallas Cowboys Games are estimated at $75 per game, based on season ticket holder parking charges.[45] The fees to park at major concerts and other sporting events will be nearly $40 per space at the new stadium.[46]

Center Hung Video Display

File:Cowboys stadium television screen.JPG
Measuring 160 feet wide and 72 feet tall (11,520 sq. feet), the high-definition television screen at Cowboys Stadium is the world's largest.

A highlight of Cowboys Stadium is its gigantic center-hung high-definition television screen, the largest in the world. The 160 by 72 feet (49 by 22 m), 11,520-square-foot (1,070 m2) scoreboard surpasses the 8,736 sq ft (812 m2) screen that opened in 2009 at the renovated Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri as the world's largest.[47][48][49]

The screens were developed by Mitsubishi's Diamond Vision Systems. Each center-hung sideline display consists of 10,584,064 LEDs, consuming some 635,000 Watts.[50] Because each pixel consists of four LEDs (2 red, 1 green, 1 blue), the 2,176 X 4,864 LED distribution corresponds to a 1,088 X 2,432 pixel resolution, the equivalent of 1080p. However the image can actually be considerably sharper than the resolution suggests, because Diamond Vision's "Dynamic Pixel" technology allows the corner LEDs of four neighboring pixel clusters to function as a pixel cluster together, providing virtual pixels between each physical pixel.[51]

At the debut game of Cowboys Stadium, a punt by Tennessee Titans punter A.J. Trapasso hit the 2,100 in. screen above the field. The punt deflected backwards and was ruled in-play until Titans coach Jeff Fisher informed the officials that the punt struck the scoreboard. By rule, the down was replayed. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes that Trapasso was trying to hit the scoreboard because he said, "If you look at how you punt the football, unless you're trying to hit the scoreboard, you punt the ball to get downfield. You certainly want to get some hangtime, but you punt the ball to get downfield, and you sure don't punt the ball down the middle. You punt it off to the side."[52]

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Cowboys Stadium Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony". Dallascowboys.com. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  2. ^ "FAQ About Dallas Cowboys Project" (PDF). City of Arlington. November 4, 2004. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  3. ^ "New Dallas Cowboys Stadium selects SoftTop synthetic turf system from Hellas Construction" (PDF). Dallascowboysturf.com. Hellas Construction. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  4. ^ Mosley, Matt (September 15, 2008). "Jones building a legacy with $1.3 billion Cowboys stadium". Sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  5. ^ "Arlington Welcomes Dallas Cowboys Selections for New Stadium". City of Arlington. January 31, 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  6. ^ a b "Texas A&M, Arkansas to renew football rivalry at new Cowboys stadium". Dallas Morning News. March 10, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  7. ^ "Cotton Bowl to move to new stadium in Arlington". ESPN.com. February 28, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  8. ^ Mickey Spagnola (December 12, 2006). "Cowboys Build For The Future By Honoring The Past". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  9. ^ "Texas Bond Review Board". Texas Bond Review Board. Retrieved Aug 26, 2009.
  10. ^ "Cowboys unveil plans for new stadium". ESPN.com. December 13, 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  11. ^ Matt Mosley (May 22, 2007). "Indy, Arizona had no chance". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  12. ^ a b "New Dallas Cowboys stadium to be called Cowboys Stadium". ESPN. May 13, 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
  13. ^ "Snapshot: Key contracts awarded for Dallas Cowboys stadium". Dallas Business Journal. March 6, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  14. ^ Mickey Spagnola (May 22, 2007). "At Long Last, Super Bowl Coming To North Texas". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  15. ^ http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=849D2C58-C9BD-6CC8-
  16. ^ "Demolition Started for Cowboys Stadium". Associated Construction Publications.
  17. ^ "Alliance Announced". Associated Construction Publications.
  18. ^ "All Up From Here". Associated Construction Publications.
  19. ^ "Construction worker remains hospitalized". the Dallas Morning News.
  20. ^ "Heldenfels Awarded Contract". Associated Construction Publications.
  21. ^ "Dallas Slideshows – Cowboys Unveil World's Largest HDTV". Village Voice Media.
  22. ^ "George Strait to Headline Debut of Cowboys Stadium". CBS 11 News/AP. February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  23. ^ "George Strait Opens New Cowboys Stadium". Country Standard Time. June 7, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  24. ^ "Arlington is Host City for Annual Barbara Jordan Media Awards Luncheon Statewide Event is June 12 at New Cowboys Stadium". arlingtontx.gov. April 7, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  25. ^ "Concert review: Jonas Brothers put on larger-than-life show at Cowboys Stadium". June 21, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
  26. ^ "Gold Cup soccer will be first sporting event at new Cowboys stadium". Dallas Morning News. March 9, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  27. ^ "Chelsea, Inter, Club America and AC Milan to face off in U.S." ESPN SoccerNet. March 24, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
  28. ^ "Arlington residents to get free peek at new Cowboys Stadium". startelegram.com. July 24, 2009. Retrieved Aug 3, 2009.
  29. ^ "Jerry World Lures Paul McCartney to DFW". NBCDFW. July 8, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  30. ^ "Titans to host Bucs, Packers in preseason". March 31, 2009 publisher=nashvillecitypaper.com. Retrieved May 25, 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing pipe in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Apr 14, 10:22 pm EDT (April 26, 2009). "NFL releases full regular-season schedule - NFL - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 5, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ "5 area teams to play in Cowboys Stadium on Labor Day". May 19, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
  33. ^ "NFL releases full regular-season schedule". yahoo.com. April 14, 2009.
  34. ^ "It's official: U2 has Oct. 12 concert date at Cowboys' new stadium". wfaa.com. April 8, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  35. ^ "Texas Tech Red Raiders & Baylor Bears Move 2 Games To Dallas Area". cbs11tv.com. March 25, 2009. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  36. ^ "UNC to play Texas in basketball in Dallas Cowboys Stadium". Triangle Business Journal. March 20, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  37. ^ "AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Moving To Cowboys New Stadium". February 27, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
  38. ^ "NBA sets '10 All-Star Game at new Cowboys stadium". ESPN.com. October 30, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
  39. ^ "New stadium gets Dallas 2011 Super Bowl". NFL.com. May 22, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
  40. ^ "Notre Dame to host Arizona Stat in Cowboys' new home in 2013". ESPN.com. May 8, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  41. ^ "NCAA sets Final Four destinations through 2016". latimes.com. November 19, 2008.
  42. ^ Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees form joint concessions venture (Dallas Morning News)
  43. ^ Cowboys, Yankees form company for new stadiums (Associated Press)
  44. ^ Yankees, Cowboys, Goldman Sachs Form Stadium Company (Bloomberg)
  45. ^ "Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers reach deal on parking spots". star-telegram.com. April 2, 2009.
  46. ^ "KENNEDY: $40 for Cowboys Stadium parking? Sure would be nice to have mass transit..." star-telegram.com. June4, 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  47. ^ Murph, Darren (May 18, 2009). "Kansas City Royals to get 'world's largest' HD LED scoreboard". Engadgethd.com. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  48. ^ MJD (June 12, 2008). "Jerry Jones aims to make all Cowboys' fans blind by 2010". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  49. ^ "Cowboys reveal world’s largest HD LED screen to the public ", LEDs Magazine, 2009-08-23. Retrieved on 2009-08-23.
  50. ^ ""Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision™ is Dallas Cowboys' Choice for New Stadium"". Diamond-vision.com. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  51. ^ ""The Diamond Vision Advantage - Quad Dot Pattern"". Diamond-vision.com. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  52. ^ Chase, Chris (2009-08-22). "Punt hits video screen at new Cowboys Stadium - Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cowboys Stadium.


Preceded by Home of the
Dallas Cowboys
2009 – present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by Host of the
Big 12 Championship Game
2009 – 2010 		Succeeded by
TBD
Preceded by Home of the
Cotton Bowl
2010 – future 		Succeeded by
Future
Preceded by Host of the Super Bowl
XLV 2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of the
NBA All-Star Game
2010 		Succeeded by

Template:Super Bowl venues

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