Archbold Stadium
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2011) |
 | |
 | |
| Location | Irving Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°2′10″N 76°8′11″W / 43.03611°N 76.13639°W |
| Owner | Syracuse University |
| Operator | Syracuse University |
| Capacity | 23,000 (original)[1] 40,001 (maximum) 26,000 (final) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 1, 1905 |
| Opened | September 25, 1907 |
| Closed | November 11, 1978 |
| Demolished | 1979 |
| Tenants | |
| Syracuse Orangemen | |
Archbold Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Syracuse, New York. It opened in 1907 and was home to the Syracuse University Orangemen[2] football team prior to the Carrier Dome opening in 1980. It was the third concrete football stadium built in the United States.
History
The stadium was named for John D. Archbold, who donated $600,000 for the project. He was also responsible for funding towards the building of Archbold Gymnasium, located just to the east overlooking the stadium.
The stadium was occasionally used to stage Syracuse Stars minor league baseball games, such as in 1920 while the Stars were awaiting the completion of Star Park.
Description
The 800' x 475' stadium was oval-shaped, with a track (originally dirt) and a natural grass football field. The west end zone, the stadium's main entrance, was marked by a grand castle-like façade with turrets framing the gateway arch. There was originally a wooden roof over the central section of the south grandstands for the reserved seating.
Grandstand expansion
In the 1950s, the stadium was expanded to the north and south, bringing the capacity up to 40,000. However, by the 1970s, stricter fire codes forced a reduction in capacity to 26,000.
This proved to be the stadium's undoing. By the mid-1970s, Syracuse faced the prospect of being demoted to Division I-AA unless it got a more modern stadium, and quickly. It was closed following the 1978 season, to be razed for the building of the Carrier Dome, which occupies Archbold's former footprint.
Final game
In the final game at Archbold Stadium, on November 11, 1978, the Orangemen defeated nationally ranked Navy, 20-17.
During its history, Syracuse compiled a 265-112-20 record at Archbold.
Notes
- ^ http://syrguide.com/guide/2013/03/27/archbold-stadium/
- ^ The school did not adopt its current nickname of "Orange" until 2004.
External links
- Archbold Stadium - Syracuse University Archives
- Stefan, Robert (2013, March 27), "A History of Archbold Stadium"
- Reid, Robert J. (2010, June 10). "A memorable season in college football: A look back at 1959".
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Oval
|
Home of Syracuse Orange football 1905 – 1978 |
Succeeded by |
| Professional | |
|---|---|
| College | |
| Venues | |
| Historic teams | |
| Historic venues | |
| Other/ related | |
- Sports venues in Syracuse, New York
- Defunct college football venues
- Demolished sports venues in New York (state)
- Syracuse Orange football
- Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States
- Syracuse Orange sports venues
- 1907 establishments in New York (state)
- Sports venues completed in 1907
- 1978 disestablishments in New York (state)
- Sports venues demolished in 1979
- American football venues in New York (state)
- College track and field venues in the United States
- Athletics (track and field) venues in New York (state)
- Defunct athletics (track and field) venues in the United States