Alumni Memorial Field

Last updated
Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium
Alumni Memorial Field
2008-0831-VMI-AlumniMemorialField.jpg
Alumni Memorial Field
LocationNorth Main Street
Lexington, Virginia 24450
Coordinates 37°47′20″N79°26′6″W / 37.78889°N 79.43500°W / 37.78889; -79.43500 Coordinates: 37°47′20″N79°26′6″W / 37.78889°N 79.43500°W / 37.78889; -79.43500
Owner Virginia Military Institute
OperatorVirginia Military Institute
Capacity 10,000
Surface Bermuda Grass
Construction
Opened1962
Renovated2006
Construction cost$250,000
Architect HOK Sport (renovations)
Tenants
VMI Keydets football
VMI Keydets track and field

Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It opened in 1962. It is home to the Virginia Military Institute Keydets football team.

Contents

History

Alumni Memorial Field was built and completed in 1962. The cost was approximately $250,000, funded by the General Assembly of Virginia and VMI Alumni Association. [1] Fiberglass seating was installed in 1974.

In 2006, many improvements were made to the stadium. A new scoreboard with a jumbotron was added, along with new concourses, restrooms, and locker rooms. It totaled for a cost of $15 million.

Features

After renovation to the stadium in 2006, Alumni Memorial Stadium features permanent ticket booths, new concourses, restrooms, and locker rooms. It has a capacity of 10,000, with 54 rows at 173 feet (53 m) high. The playing surface is Bermuda Grass.

Tradition

Before every VMI home game, the VMI Corps of Cadets marches from their barracks onto the field while the VMI Regimental Band plays "Shenandoah", along with a cannon called "Little John" firing at the start and end of the game and after every VMI score. [1]

Record crowds

Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium during a game between VMI and Samford in October 2019 Foster Stadium VMI.jpg
Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium during a game between VMI and Samford in October 2019

On September 15, 1973, VMI fell to Navy 37–8 in the largest crowd in Alumni Memorial Field history, with an attendance of 10,000. Just three years earlier on October 31, 1970, before 2,400 spectators, VMI fell heavily to Davidson 55–21 in the smallest crowd in Alumni Memorial Field history. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Cameron Hall (arena)

Cameron Hall is a 5,029–seat multi-purpose arena in Lexington, Virginia. It was built in 1981 and is home to the Virginia Military Institute Keydets basketball team. Although mainly used for basketball, the arena also holds VMI's commencement every May, as well as other large-scale events. It was named after brothers Bruce and Daniel Cameron, VMI Class of 1938 and 1942, respectively.

VMI Keydets football Football program representing the Virginia Military Institute

The VMI Keydets football team represents the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. The Keydets compete in the Southern Conference of the NCAA Division I FCS, and are coached by Scott Wachenheim, named head coach on December 14, 2014. VMI plays their home contests at 10,000-seat Alumni Memorial Field, as they have since 1962.

Gray–Minor Stadium is a 1,400-seat facility home to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Keydets baseball team in Lexington, Virginia. It is named after Elmon T. Gray and Gil Minor, graduates of VMI in 1946 and 1963, respectively.

Patchin Field is a 1,000 seat facility that is home to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Keydets men's and women's soccer teams, along with being the practice facility for the VMI lacrosse team. Patchin Field is built over top of Woods Creek, along with VMI's baseball facility, Gray–Minor Stadium. Paulette Hall contains locker rooms for VMI baseball, lacrosse, and men's and women's soccer. Patchin Field is named after Herb Patchin, an athletic trainer at VMI for thirty-four years.

The 2010 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 120th football season, which dates back to 1891. In his 3rd year at VMI, the Keydets were led by head coach Sparky Woods, who became the VMI's 30th all-time football coach in 2008. VMI plays its home games at Alumni Memorial Field, as they have since 1962.

The 2011 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute during the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big South Conference. The 2011 season was the Keydets 121st season overall, and their 9th in the Big South. They finished with a 2–9 overall record and 2–4 in the Big South under 4th year head coach Sparky Woods. They played their games at Alumni Memorial Field, as they have since 1962.

The 2009 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute during the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 119th all-time football season which started in 1891. They competed in the Big South Conference, and they were led by 2nd year head coach Sparky Woods, who was appointed VMI's 30th head coach in 2008. VMI played its home games at Alumni Memorial Field, as they still do ever since 1962.

VMI Keydets baseball

The VMI Keydets baseball team represents the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. The team is a member of the Southern Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. VMI's first baseball team was fielded in 1866. The team plays its home games at Gray–Minor Stadium in Lexington, Virginia. The Keydets are coached by Jonathan Hadra.

The 2013 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth year head coach Sparky Woods and played their home games at Alumni Memorial Field. They are a member of the Big South Conference. 2013 was VMI's final year as a member of the Big South, as they will move to the Southern Conference in 2014.

The 2014 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 124th football season, as the Keydets were led by seventh year head coach Sparky Woods. They played their home games at 10,000-seat Alumni Memorial Field, as they have since 1962. This was VMI's first season as a member of the Southern Conference, following an eleven-year stint in the Big South.

VMI–William & Mary football rivalry

The VMI–William & Mary football rivalry between the VMI Keydets and the William & Mary Tribe is a match-up between two historic public universities, the Virginia Military Institute and the College of William and Mary, in the state of Virginia. While the rivalry has lost intensity since William & Mary departed from the Southern Conference in 1977, the Tribe and Keydets maintain the series through frequent non-conference match-ups. The series is the second-longest for William & Mary, and the longest for VMI at 88 games. The football series began in 1905 and has been played a total of 88 times as of 2011.

Richmond–VMI football rivalry

The Richmond–VMI football rivalry is a college football rivalry played between the VMI Keydets and the Richmond Spiders, representing the Virginia Military Institute and University of Richmond, respectively. The series began in 1893, two years after VMI fielded its first football team in 1891, and three years after Richmond's first football team was formed in 1890.

The 2015 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 125th football season and the Keydets were led by first year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, as they have since 1962. This was VMI's second season as a member of the Southern Conference, following 11 seasons in the Big South Conference, which followed 78 years in the Southern Conference. They finished the season 2–9, 1–6 in SoCon play to finish in last place.

The 2016 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 126th football season and the Keydets were led by second year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, as they have since 1962. This was VMI's third season as a member of the Southern Conference, after playing for 11 seasons in the Big South Conference. VMI was also a charter member of the Southern Conference, from 1921 through 2003. They finished the season 3–8, 1–7 in SoCon play to finish in a tie for eighth place.

The 2017 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 127th football season. The Keydets were led by third-year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. This was VMI's fourth season as a member of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 0–11, 0–8 in SoCon play to finish in last place. This was VMI's fourth winless season and the first time they had gone winless since 2004.

The 2018 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 128th football season. The Keydets were led by fourth-year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. They were a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). They finished the season 1–10, 0–8 in SoCon play to finish in last place.

2018–19 VMI Keydets basketball team American college basketball season

The 2018–19 VMI Keydets basketball team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Keydets were led by fourth-year head coach Dan Earl and played their home games out of Cameron Hall in Lexington, Virginia, their home since 1981, as members of the Southern Conference. The Keydets finished the season 11–21, 4–14 in SoCon play to finish in a three-way tie for eighth place. As the No. 8 seed in the SoCon Tournament, they defeated Western Carolina in the first round before losing to top-seeded Wofford in the quarterfinals.

The 2019 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 129th football season. The Keydets were led by fifth-year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. They were a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). They finished the season 5–7, 4–4 in SoCon play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. Their 5 wins were the most achieved in a single season since finishing 6–6 in 2003.

The 2020 VMI Keydets football team represents the Virginia Military Institute in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It is VMI's 130th football season. The Keydets are led by sixth-year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They play their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. They are a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon).

References

  1. 1 2 "Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium - Home of VMI Keydets Football - VMIKeydets.com - The Official Site of Virginia Military Institute Athletics". VMIKeydets.com. 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  2. "2010 VMI Football Record Book" (PDF). Vmikeydets.com. Retrieved 2015-07-26.