AT&T Stadium

Cowboys Stadium

JerryWorld
File:Cowboys Stadium Logo.png Cowboys Stadium on June 30, 2009
Location	925 N Collins St, Arlington, Texas
Coordinates	32°44′52″N 97°5′34″W
Owner	City of Arlington
Operator	Dallas Cowboys
Capacity	80,000 – will be expandable up to 100,000 (estimated)
Surface	RealGrass Matrix
Construction
Broke ground	September 20, 2005
Opened	May 27, 2009
Construction cost	$ 1.2 billion
Architect	HKS, Inc.
Builder	Manhattan Construction Company
Structural engineer	Walter 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, has the world's largest column-free interior, and the largest video screen hung from 20 yard line to 20 yard line. The facility can also be used for a variety of other activities outside of his main purpose (professional football) such as concerts, religious ceremonies, basketball games, college football and high school football contests, soccer matches, Motorcross races, and rodeos similar to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The stadium is very similar to the Roman Colosseum and in recent history, the Houston Astrodome due to adjustable seating and being multipurpose.

Construction and design

Inside view of Cowboys Stadium (note the scoreboard over the field)

Cowboys Stadium was designed by the Dallas-based architectural firm HKS. 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. In addition, the Cotton Bowl will be moved to the stadium once it opens.

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. 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 0.5 cent, the hotel occupancy tax by 2 cents, and car rental tax by 5 cents. The City of Arlington provided over $933 million (including interest) in bonds as funding , 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.

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 "Death Star", 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. 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.

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) 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. 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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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, 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.

• May 27, 2009: Completed and opened to the public. Ribbon cutting ceremony includes Cowboys players (including Rayfield Wright, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Darryl Johnston, Preston Pearson and Chad Hennings), North Texas mayors and various media personalities. Event was produced by CorporateMagic.

• June 6, 2009: Country music star George Strait along with Reba McEntire headlined the first event in the new stadium. Opening acts included Blake Shelton and Lee Ann Womack who had replaced Julianne Hough at the last minute due to strep throat.

• June 12, 2009: The Texas Governor's Barbara Jordan Media Awards were held at the new stadium.

• June 20, 2009: The Jonas Brothers performed at the new stadium to kick off their 2009 world tour.

• 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.

• 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.

• July 26, 2009: As a part of the World Football Challenge, England's Chelsea played against Mexico's América. Chelsea won the match by a score of 2–0.

• 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.

• August 19, 2009: Paul McCartney performed in Arlington, his only appearance in Texas on his current tour and first visit to DFW since 2005.

• 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. 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 after repeatedly striking the jumbotron during pregame warmups.

• September 5, 2009: The Brigham Young University Cougars and Oklahoma Sooners played the first college football game in the new stadium, with the Cougars upsetting the Sooners, 14-13.

• September 7, 2009: The annual Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series, played on Labor Day, featured five area high school football teams (Euless Trinity, Colleyville Heritage, Irving MacArthur, Mansfield Timberview and Mansfield Summit) as well as Bingham High School from South Jordan, Utah, Klein Oak (extreme north Harris County, Texas), and Notre Dame Prep from Sherman Oaks, California. The first game between Euless Trinity and Bingham began at 11:30 AM EST and was televised on FSN, as were all of the following games. Those games featured Klein Oak vs. Notre Dame Prep at 2:30 PM, Colleyville Heritage vs. Irving MacArthur at 5:00 PM, and the last game, Mansfield Timberview vs. Mansfield Summit at 7:30PM. The results of the games were: Euless Trinity over Bingham (UT) 42-21 , Colleyville Heritage over Irving MacArthur 28-6 , Mansfield Timberview over rival Mansfield Summit 30-19 , and in the nightcap, Notre Dame Prep over Klein Oak, 37-7 .

• 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.

• October 3, 2009: The Texas A&M Aggies and Arkansas Razorbacks will revive their rivalry, beginning with a 10-year series of games at the stadium with options for 4-year extensions thereafter, as was announced on March 10, 2008.

• October 4, 2009: The 4th Annual Diwali Mela will be held at the new Cowboys Stadium; it was organized by the DFWICS, Dallas Fort Worth Indian Cultural Society. Kailash Kher & Kailasa will be performing as a part of the Diwali Mela celebration and is also one of his stops during his tour.

• October 12, 2009: The rock band U2 will be in concert at the Cowboys Stadium. "Special guest" Muse is also on the U2 bill.

• November 22, 2009: The Dallas Cowboys will play their arch-rivals, the Washington Redskins, for the first time at Cowboys Stadium.

• November 28, 2009: The Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Baylor Bears will meet at Cowboys Stadium. The 2010 game will be played at the Cotton Bowl on October 9, 2010 during the State Fair of Texas.

• December 19, 2009: The Texas Longhorns and North Carolina Tar Heels, as was officially announced on March 20, 2009, will play a basketball game at the stadium. The following year the matchup will be played at North Carolina.

• January 2, 2010: The 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl will be played at the new stadium as was announced on February 27, 2007.

• February 14, 2010: The 2010 NBA All-Star Game will be held in the stadium.

• February 6, 2011: Super Bowl XLV will be played at the new stadium, as was announced on May 22, 2007.

• October 5, 2013: Notre Dame and Arizona State will face off at Cowboys Stadium.

• 2014: The 2014 NCAA Final Four will be held at the new stadium.

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.

Parking

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

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.

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. 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.

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."

External links

• Official Website of the Cowboys Stadium
• Stadiums of the NFL
• City of Arlington Cowboys Complex Project Information
• Video of stadium being built, by Rare Footage Films