Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium

Last updated
Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium
Benson Stadium.png
Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium
Location4301 Broadway Street
San Antonio, Texas 78209
Coordinates 29°28′02.9″N98°28′12″W / 29.467472°N 98.47000°W / 29.467472; -98.47000
Owner University of the Incarnate Word
Operator University of the Incarnate Word
Capacity 3,000 (2008–2009)
6,000 (2010–present)
Record attendance6,498
November 17, 2016
vs. Houston Baptist
Surface FieldTurf Classic HD
Construction
Broke groundJanuary 17, 2008 [1]
OpenedSeptember 1, 2008
Expanded2010 (Added 3,000 seats to present 6,000 capacity) [2]
Tenants
University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals (NCAA)

Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium is a stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is the home field for the men's and women's soccer, track and field, and American football teams of the University of the Incarnate Word. The stadium currently seats 6,000 people. It is named after Tom Benson and his wife Gayle. Record stadium attendance of 6,498 was recorded in a game vs Houston Baptist on November 17, 2016. [3]

Contents

History

Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium officially opened on campus on September 1, 2008. A special grand opening ceremony was held when the Bensons, along with more than 2,000 Cardinals fans and athletes declared the facility ready for action. Benson and his family long have been ardent supporters of Incarnate Word and provided the necessary funds to start up the University's football program. A San Antonian himself, Benson was the owner of professional football's New Orleans Saints until his passing in 2018.

Renovations

Benson Stadium now has permanent seating for 6,000 spectators after the 2010 addition of the north bleachers. Atop the original south seating areas are six suites while the north side stands have two press boxes for media and game operations, including a permanent home for KUIW Internet Radio and UIWTV. In May 2018, the original Hellas Matrix artificial playing surface was replaced with FieldTurf's Classic HD surface. [4]

Features

An eight-lane, Sport Track 300 surface track surrounds the field and is an all-weather surface in nature. Accompanying the track are also three jumping pits. Located behind the west endzone is the stadium's Daktronics scoreboard which has a 20 feet (6.1 m) by 10 feet (3.0 m) video screen where Cardinals fans get the latest information about their team as well as a viewing of the game itself.

Adjoining the football field is the Benson Fieldhouse. A 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) facility housing a weight room, athletic training facility, locker rooms, team meeting areas and coaches offices.


Attendance records

RankAttendanceDateGame Result
16,498November 17, 2016Incarnate Word 28, Houston Baptist 26
26,325August 29, 2009Incarnate Word 42, Monterrey Tech 39
35,746November 5, 2016Incarnate Word 10, Southeastern Louisiana 30
45,667October 15, 2011Incarnate Word 38, Texas A&M–Kingsville 41
55,643November 3, 2018Incarnate Word 43, 21 Sam Houston State 26
65,412September 25, 2010Incarnate Word 9, 5 Texas A&M–Kingsville 37
75,323September 30, 2017Incarnate Word 20, Abilene Christian 45
85,322October 8, 2016Incarnate Word 48, 2 Sam Houston State 63
95,229September 5, 2015Incarnate Word 18, Texas A&M–Kingsville 16
105,001October 14, 2017Incarnate Word 33, Lamar 24
114,999October 28, 2017Incarnate Word 31, Nicholls State 38
124,798September 24, 2016Incarnate Word 35, 24 McNeese State 42
134,755September 22, 2012Incarnate Word 0, 25 West Texas A&M 24
144,652November 11, 2017Incarnate Word 10, 3 Central Arkansas 56
154,558October 25, 2014Incarnate Word 21, 11 McNeese State 41
164,522September 1, 2012Incarnate Word 19, Texas College 12
174,430November 16, 2017Incarnate Word 28, Prairie View A&M 42
184,402November 14, 2015Incarnate Word 21, Lamar 28
194,400September 3, 2016Incarnate Word 22, Texas A&M–Kingsville 31
204,122November 16, 2013Incarnate Word 0, Angelo State 7

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Benson</span> American businessman and pro sports executive

Thomas Milton Benson Jr. was an American businessman, philanthropist and sports franchise owner. He was the owner of several automobile dealerships before buying the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) in 1985 and the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanford Stadium</span> College stadium in California, USA

Stanford Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium on the west coast of the United States, located on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California. It is the home of the Stanford Cardinal and hosts the university's commencement exercises. Opened 103 years ago in 1921 as a football and track and field stadium, it was an earthen horseshoe with wooden bleacher seating and flooring upon a steel frame. Its original seating capacity was 60,000, which grew to 89,000 by 1927 as a nearly enclosed bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faurot Field</span> Stadium in Columbia, MO, USA

Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium is an outdoor sports stadium in Columbia, Missouri, United States, on the campus of the University of Missouri. It is primarily used for football and serves as the home field for the Missouri Tigers' program. It is the third-largest sports facility by seating capacity in the state of Missouri, behind The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. In 1972, Memorial Stadium's playing surface was named Faurot Field in honor of longtime coach Don Faurot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Stadium (Tarleton State)</span>

Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Stephenville, Texas. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Tarleton State University Texans football team. It opened in 1951 and has been renovated several times since then; currently seating 24,000 people. In 2004, the playing surface was changed from natural grass to synthetic turf. The stadium is also the home of the Stephenville High School Yellow Jackets football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incarnate Word Cardinals football</span> American college football team

The Incarnate Word Cardinals football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) located in San Antonio, Texas. The program began in 2009 and originally competed in NCAA Division II as members of the Lone Star Conference. In 2013, the school moved to Division I. For the 2013 season, UIW competed as a member of the Southland Conference for all sports except football. Football competed with an 11-game schedule as an Independent. UIW began playing Southland football in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at the 6,000 seat Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yulman Stadium</span> Football stadium at Tulane University

Yulman Stadium is the on-campus venue for football at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. It currently has a capacity of 30,000 spectators, with 4,500 premium seats in two fan clubs – the Westfeldt Terrace and the Jill H. and Avram A. Glazer Family Club. The stadium's first game and grand opening was the 2014 season's home opener against its former Southern Conference and Southeastern Conference foe Georgia Tech on September 6, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allan Saxe Field</span> Sports stadium in Arlington, Texas

Allan Saxe Field is the home of the UTA Mavericks softball team located in Arlington, Texas. As a result of a complete reconstruction in 2014–15, the stadium currently has a capacity of 622. Prior to the renovation, the softball facility had a seating capacity of 250. Adjacent to Clay Gould Ballpark, the stadium is located at the intersection of W. Park Row Drive and Fielder Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team</span> American college football season

The 2014 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals played their first season in the Southland Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Larry Kennan. Home games were played at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium. They finished the season 2–9, 2–6 in Southland play to finish in ninth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar Softball Complex</span>

The Lamar Softball Complex, built in 2014–15 on the campus of Lamar University, is the home stadium for the Division I (NCAA) Lamar Lady Cardinals softball team. The stadium is located next to the Lamar Soccer Complex. The initial home game was played in the partially completed stadium with temporary spectator seating on March 6, 2015 against the Houston Baptist Huskies softball team. The current grandstands were built following the 2014–15 season's conclusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals played their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They were led by first year head coach Eric Morris. They finished the season 6–5, 6–2 in Southland play to win a share of the Southland Conference championship. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Montana State. The Cardinals were set to play the Iowa State Cyclones during the first weekend in December, but the game was cancelled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team</span> American college football season

The 2019 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals played their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They were led by second-year head coach Eric Morris. They finished the season 5–7, 4–5 in Southland play to finish in a tie for 6th place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Texas Southern Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 2019 Texas Southern Tigers football team represented Texas Southern University a member of the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led first-year head coach Clarence McKinney, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 0–11 with a mark of 0–7 in conference play, placing last out of five teams in the SWAC's West Division. Texas Southern played home games at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals played their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They were led by third-year head coach Eric Morris. On August 13 Incarnate Word announced they would postpone all competition for the Fall 2020 and instead opted for a Spring 2021 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Bearkats were led by seventh-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team</span> American college football season

The 2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals played their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They were led by fourth-year head coach Eric Morris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals played their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They were led by first-year head coach G. J. Kinne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Houston Christian Huskies football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 Houston Christian Huskies football team represented Houston Christian University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Vic Shealy the Huskies compiled an overall record of 2–9. The Huskies tied for seventh place with Lamar in conference play with a 1–5 conference record. The Huskies played home games at Husky Stadium in Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 McNeese Cowboys football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Gary Goff, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, placing sixth in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team</span> American college football season

The 2023 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals played their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They were led by first-year head coach Clint Killough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team</span> American college football season

The 2024 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represent the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals play their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They are led by second-year head coach Clint Killough.

References

  1. "2009 Football Media Guide" (PDF).
  2. "Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium". Archived from the original on 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
  3. "Football vs Houston Baptist on 11/17/2016 - Box Score".
  4. "Methodist Healthcare System and Metropolitan Methodist Hospital Commit to Second-Largest Gift in UIW Athletics History". 5 March 2018.