Fisher Stadium

Last updated
Fisher Stadium
Fisher
Fisher Stadium.jpg
Fisher Stadium, September 2006
Fisher Stadium
Former namesFisher Field
Lafayette Stadium
Location218 Hamilton Street
Easton, Pennsylvania 18042
Coordinates 40°42′3″N75°12′38″W / 40.70083°N 75.21056°W / 40.70083; -75.21056
Owner Lafayette College
Operator Lafayette College
Capacity 13,132
Record attendance21,000 vs. Lehigh, 1948
Surface FieldTurf (2006–present)
Natural grass (1926–2005)
Construction
Broke groundSummer 1925
OpenedSeptember 25, 1926
Construction cost $445,000
($7.66 million in 2023 dollars [1] )
ArchitectEdwards-Dunn Co. [2]
Tenants
Lafayette Leopards (NCAA) (1926–present)

Fisher Stadium is a 13,132-seat multi-purpose stadium in Easton, Pennsylvania. The stadium is home to the Lafayette College Leopards football team. It opened in 1926 as Fisher Field.

Contents

During 2006 and 2007, Fisher Field underwent a $33-million renovation. It reopened in time for the 2006 college football season complete with new seating, a JumboTron, a new press box, FieldTurf, and field lighting. Construction of a Football Varsity House beyond the western endzone commenced in Fall 2006 and was completed before the 2007 season.

History

Fisher Stadium's scoreboard following Lafayette College's victory over Lehigh University in the 142nd edition of "The Rivalry" in 2006. The series between the two colleges, which are 17 miles (27 km) away from each other in the Lehigh Valley, is the most-played rivalry in college football history with 158 meetings since 1884. Lafayette2006PLchampsboard.JPG
Fisher Stadium's scoreboard following Lafayette College's victory over Lehigh University in the 142nd edition of "The Rivalry" in 2006. The series between the two colleges, which are 17 miles (27 km) away from each other in the Lehigh Valley, is the most-played rivalry in college football history with 158 meetings since 1884.

Erected in 1926, Fisher Field was named for Thomas Fisher, Lafayette College Class of 1888, who almost single-handedly raised the $445,000 needed for construction through fund-raising efforts and a sizable personal contribution.

The first football game played in the 18,000-seat structure came on September 25, 1926, with a 35-0 Leopard victory over Muhlenberg College.

In 1973, during the construction of Allan P. Kirby Field House, more than 4,500 seats were removed from the north stands to make room for the structure.

A $33 million renovation in 2006 and 2007 brought new spectator seating throughout the venue, including chair back seating in select areas, and additional visitor-side seating. A state-of-the-art FieldTurf surface, lights, and a press box were installed, and improved restroom and vending areas were also included. A 19-by-35 foot video matrix board, located in the northwest corner of the stadium, provides the Lafayette Sports Network telecast of the game and features "in-house" entertainment for Leopard fans.

The facility seats 13,132, with additional seating for 2,075 added for the Nov. 18 meeting with Lehigh University, which raised the capacity to 15,207.

The Leopards posted their inaugural victory at Fisher Field on November 11, 2006, when Lafayette defeated Georgetown, 45-14. Lafayette wide receiver Joe Ort set the single-game school record with 274 yards receiving in that contest.

On September 1, 2007, Lafayette opened its season hosting the first ever night football game at Fisher Stadium. Lafayette defeated Marist College of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 49-10. [3]

Jim Finnen was the public-address announcer at Fisher Field for 50 years. He retired in 2014. [4]

The Rivalry

When Lafayette College is host for The Rivalry with Lehigh University every other year, more than 3,500 temporary seats are erected to accommodate the sellout crowd of 17,000. These temporary seats are left standing during the week for use at the Phillipsburg-Easton game. Thus the total number of seats for the high school football game vary from year to year.

To commemorate the 150th edition of The Rivalry, the 2014 contest, a Lafayette home game, was held at Yankee Stadium.

Hosting the Easton-Phillipsburg game

Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium acts as neutral site for the traditional high school football rivalry between Easton Area High School in Easton and Phillipsburg High School of Phillipsburg, New Jersey. In 2006, the game between the two teams was televised nationally on ESPN2 as part of the High School Showcase . Easton won that game 21-7, the 100th meeting of these two cross-state rivals.

Fisher Stadium at Lafayette College.jpg
Fisher Stadium, November 2019

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice Stadium (Rice University)</span> Stadium at Rice University in Houston

Rice Stadium is an American football stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. It has been the home of the Rice Owls football team since its completion in 1950, and hosted John F. Kennedy's "We choose to go to the Moon" speech in 1962 and Super Bowl VIII in early 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium</span> American football stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the south central United States, located on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commonly known as H. A. Chapman Stadium, it is the home field for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the American Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan-Hare Stadium</span> Stadium in Auburn, AL, US

Jordan-Hare Stadium is an American football stadium in Auburn, Alabama on the campus Auburn University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Auburn Tigers football team. The stadium is named for Ralph "Shug" Jordan, who owns the most wins in school history, and Cliff Hare, a member of Auburn's first football team as well as Dean of the Auburn University School of Chemistry and President of the Southern Conference. On November 19, 2005, the playing field at the stadium was named in honor of former Auburn coach and athletic director Pat Dye. The venue is now known as Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The stadium reached its current seating capacity of 88,043 with the 2023 expansion and is the 12th largest stadium in the NCAA and the 21st largest in the world. For years, it has been a fixture on lists of best gameday atmospheres and most intimidating places to play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milan Puskar Stadium</span> American football stadium in West Virginia, US

Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium is an American football stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia, on the campus of West Virginia University. It opened in 1980 and serves as the home field for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team. On the day the stadium opened, at an opening ceremony, John Denver touched down on the field in a helicopter, performed the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads," and then immediately departed by helicopter. The facility is named for Milan Puskar, a Morgantown resident and founder of Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. who donated $20 million to the university in 2004. The playing surface retains the stadium's original name of Mountaineer Field, which was also the name of WVU's previous football stadium. The stadium’s design was inspired by Jack Trice Stadium, which opened a few years earlier at Iowa State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aggie Memorial Stadium</span> New Mexico stadium

Aggie Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in the southwestern United States, located on the campus of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It is the home field of the New Mexico State Aggies of Conference USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium</span> Stadium in Colorado, U.S. (1968–2018)

Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium was an outdoor college football stadium in the western United States, located in Fort Collins, Colorado. It was the home field of the Colorado State Rams of the Mountain West Conference from 1968 through 2016; the team moved in 2017 to the new on-campus Colorado State Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centennial Bank Stadium</span>

Centennial Bank Stadium is a football stadium located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on the campus of Arkansas State University that is home to the Arkansas State Red Wolves football team. The stadium opened in 1974 as Indian Stadium named after the old nickname of the school, the Indians, until the 2007 season when it was renamed ASU Stadium. The venue was renamed Liberty Bank Stadium in September 2012 after Liberty Bank of Arkansas donated approximately $5 million to the university. In 2013, Liberty Bank was bought by Home BancShares, whose trade name is Centennial Bank. Since 2015, the stadium has a seating capacity of 30,406.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldo Stadium</span> Sports stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Waldo Stadium is a stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is primarily used for football, and has been the home of Western Michigan University Broncos football in rudimentary form since 1914, and as a complete stadium since 1939. It currently has a capacity of 30,200 spectators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodman Stadium</span> Stadium in Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania

Goodman Stadium is Lehigh University's 16,000-seat stadium located on its Goodman Campus in Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1988, replacing Taylor Stadium, which stood in the main academic campus from 1914 until 1987. The former Taylor Stadium site now holds the Rauch Business Center, the Zoellner Arts Center, and a parking garage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham Field</span>

Nottingham Field is an 8,533-seat multi-purpose stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. It is home to the Northern Colorado Bears football and track and field programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillipsburg High School (New Jersey)</span> High school in Warren County, New Jersey, US

Phillipsburg High School is a comprehensive, four-year public high school located in Phillipsburg, in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Because of the town's proximity to the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania the school's nickname is the "Stateliners." The school was first established in 1871. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easton Area High School</span> Public high school in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States

Easton Area High School is a large four-year public high school located in Easton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania. It is part of the Easton Area School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roos Field</span>

Roos Field is an outdoor college football stadium in the northwest United States, on the campus of Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, southwest of Spokane. It is the home venue of the Eastern Washington Eagles of the Big Sky Conference in Division I (FCS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strawberry Stadium</span> Louisiana stadium

Strawberry Stadium is a 7,408-seat football/soccer stadium in Hammond, Louisiana. It is home to the Southeastern Louisiana University Lions American football team. The stadium also hosts St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School football, previously hosted Hammond High School football, and has been the site of numerous play-off games involving other schools from Tangipahoa Parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rivalry (Lafayette–Lehigh)</span> American college football rivalry

The Rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Lafayette Leopards football team of Lafayette College and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team of Lehigh University. It is the most-played football rivalry in the nation and is the longest uninterrupted rivalry game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Leopards</span> Collegiate sports club in the United States

The Lafayette Leopards represent the 23 Division I varsity athletic teams of Lafayette College and compete in the Patriot League. There are 11 men's teams, 11 women's teams, and one co-ed team. The club teams also compete as the Leopards. Though not a varsity sport, crew and ice hockey are very competitive at Lafayette and play in intercollegiate club leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saluki Stadium</span> Stadium in Illinois, USA

Saluki Stadium is a stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. It is primarily utilized by the Southern Illinois Salukis football team.

DU Stadium, sometimes referred to as Hilltop Stadium, was a stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. Built 98 years ago in 1926, the crescent-shaped main grandstand design on the west sideline was based on other similar-sized stadiums from the same time period, Brown Stadium and Cornell's Schoellkopf Field, both in the Ivy League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Leopards football</span> American football team of Lafayette College

The Lafayette Leopards football program represents Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania in college football. One of the oldest college football programs in the United States, Lafayette currently plays in the Patriot League at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.

The 1926 Lafayette Leopards football team was an American football team that represented Lafayette College as an independent during the 1926 college football season. In its third season under head coach Herb McCracken, Lafayette compiled a 9–0 record and shut out five of nine opponents. Halfback Frank Kirkleski was the team captain.

References

  1. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. "Stadium Work Progresses". The Lafayette. September 23, 1925.
  3. Lafayette Leopards 2007 Gameday Central http://goleopards.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/lafa-fb-07-gameday.html
  4. "Jim Finnen reflects on a half-century behind the microphone at Lafayette College".

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Fisher Stadium at Wikimedia Commons