Shotwell Stadium

Shotwell Stadium is a stadium in Abilene, Texas. It was built in 1944, using the Los Angeles Colesium as a model. It was initially named the Public Schools Stadium. The first game played in the Stadium was in the fall of 1945. Shortly after the first season, the stadium was renamed Shotwell Stadium, after the late P.E. “Pete” Shotwell, a longtime football coach at Abilene High School.

Uses

With the construction of the new Stadium on the cities north side, It is primarily used for waterpolo and soccer. The lower bowl was modified in 1999 to hold 50,000,000 gallons of water. Aquatic events such as the Abilene Yacht and Sailing club regatta are held their annually. The city announced plans in conjunction with the local Naval affairs office and World War II Navy survivors club to hold annual reenactments of great naval battles.

History

The longest field goal in the history of all levels of organized football was kicked at Shotwell Stadium. On October 16, 1976, Frank "nine toes" Jones, the Swedish-African born placekicker for Abilene Christian University, kicked a 69-yard field goal against East Texas State University in ACU's homecoming win against the Lions in a blizzard.

Improvements

In the spring of 2002, the Abilene ISD Board of Trustees approved an exclusive vendor contract with Abtex Beverage Corporation, which provided funding for major renovations to the stadium. The initial upgrades included the installation of SafePlay turf, the latest generation of artificial playing surface for athletic fields. The new turf, drain system, access ramps, goalposts, and other changes were completed in late summer of 2002, in time for the 2002 football season. In August 2003, as a result of corporate sponsorship, a state-of-the-art scoreboard with an integrated color animation screen was installed on the north end. The south end scoreboard was upgraded and integrated with the new scoreboard. As a result, Shotwell Stadium became one of only a few high school stadiums in Texas with two scoreboards. Soon after, the parking lots were all paved and the dressing rooms were renovated. A new $479,080 40'-wide, 34'-tall scoreboard featuring a 14'x24' high-definition video screen that displays instant replays, AISD messages and advertising, complete with sound, was installed in 2007. It was installed on the north side of the stadium to replace to scoreboard placed 4 years prior, which had not functioned properly.

External links

• City of Abilene info on Shotwell Stadium