![]() The stadium from the South end zone, December 2011 | |
Former names | State Fair Stadium (1924–1981) |
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Location | Shreveport, Louisiana |
Coordinates | 32°28′32″N93°47′31″W / 32.47556°N 93.79194°W |
Owner | City of Shreveport |
Capacity | 50,000 |
Surface | Field Turf |
Construction | |
Opened | 1924 |
Renovated | 1930, 1934, 1950, 1973, late 1990s, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2014 |
Architect | Samuel G. Weiner |
Tenants | |
Red River State Fair Classic (NCAA) (1924–89, 1999, 2001–2003, 2010–13, 2015–16) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (1928–2012; alternate) Shreveport Steamer (WFL) (1974–75) Independence Bowl (NCAA) (1976–present) Shreveport Steamer (AFA) (1978–81) Shreveport Americans (AFA) (1982–83) Shreveport Pirates (CFL) (1994–95) Shreveport Knights (RFL) (1999) Shreveport Rafters FC (NPSL) (2018) |
Independence Stadium is a stadium owned by the city of Shreveport, Louisiana and is the home of the Independence Bowl.
Formerly known as State Fair Stadium and Fairgrounds Stadium, it is the site of the annual Independence Bowl post-season college football game, initially (1976) the Bicentennial Bowl. Before that, it was the home venue of the Shreveport Steamer of the short-lived World Football League (1974–75). It also served as a neutral site for the annual Arkansas–LSU football rivalry from 1924 to 1936. The 1924 game featured a silver football trophy as part of the dedication ceremonies for the new stadium. [1]
The stadium is also host to numerous high school football games and soccer matches, since many schools in Shreveport lack an on-campus facility. Independence Stadium also hosted the LHSAA state football championship games in 2005 after the Louisiana Superdome suffered heavy damage from Hurricane Katrina.
From 1978 to 1983, Independence Stadium was home to the city's two teams in the American Football Association, the Shreveport Steamer (with naming rights purchased from the defunct WFL team) and the Shreveport Americans. It hosted the AFA's first championship game, 1978's American Bowl I, which the Steamer won 17–14 over the San Antonio Charros. [2]
In 1994–95, Independence Stadium was home to the Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League, which was attempting U.S. expansion at the time.
In 2001, Independence Stadium hosted the inaugural year of the annual Port City Classic—an NCAA college football competition featuring Southern University of Baton Rouge—in an effort to revive the old State Fair Classic game. The classic spun-off separately from the fair the following year and became an early September game. [3] Eventually it also hosted a contest between Louisiana Tech University of Ruston and Grambling State University of Grambling.
Independence Stadium was considered as a possible playing site for the New Orleans Saints during the 2005 NFL season due to Hurricane Katrina, but Shreveport eventually lost out to the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. However, Independence Stadium eventually was chosen to host the Saints' first preseason home game for the 2006 season while the Louisiana Superdome prepared for its grand re-opening. Field Turf was installed as the stadium's playing surface in 2010. It had been natural grass before that from the opening of the stadium.
In 2010, a Texas University Interscholastic League playoff game was played featuring Mesquite Horn high school and the technical host Longview. Longview won, 28–14. The first time Texas teams met in Louisiana for a playoff game was in 2006 when Texas High School from Texarkana topped Dallas Highland Park with quarterback Ryan Mallett. That game also was hosted at Independence Stadium.
The stadium also hosts concerts and other events. The south end zone of the stadium borders Interstate 20.
The Independence Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually each December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Independence Bowl was named because it was inaugurated in 1976, the year of the United States Bicentennial. The bowl's current title sponsor is Radiance Technologies, per an agreement announced for the 2020–2025 editions. Only one prior edition of the bowl, in 2013, has not used Independence Bowl branding.
The New Orleans Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2001. It is normally held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans; when the Superdome and the rest of the city suffered damage due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the game was temporarily moved to Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, and given the name New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette. Since 2006, the bowl has been sponsored by R+L Carriers and officially known as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The game was previously sponsored by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from 2002 to 2004 and was officially called the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl.
The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).
The Bayou Classic is an annual college football classic rivalry game between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars, first held under that name in 1974 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, although the series itself actually began in 1932. A trophy is awarded to the winning school.
Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the campus of Louisiana State University. It is the home stadium of the LSU Tigers football team. Prior to 1924, LSU played its home games at State Field, which was located on the old LSU campus in Downtown Baton Rouge.
The LSU Tigers football program, also known as the Fighting Tigers, represents Louisiana State University in college football. The Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The 2006 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2006–2007. The team was coached by Les Miles. It played its home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The team won a bid to play in the Bowl Championship Series Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, playing No. 11 Notre Dame on January 3, 2007.
The Arkansas–LSU football rivalry, formally known as the Battle for the Boot but more recently sometimes informally called the Battle for the Golden Boot, is an American college football rivalry between the Razorbacks of the University of Arkansas and Tigers of Louisiana State University. The first game between the Razorbacks and Tigers was played in 1901. With the admission of Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1992, the rivalry became an annual game between these members of the SEC Western Division. "The Boot" trophy was first awarded to the game's winner in 1996.
The 2005 season was the New Orleans Saints' 39th in the National Football League.
The Louisiana Superdome was used as a "shelter of last resort" for those in New Orleans unable to evacuate from the city when Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005.
Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29, 2005 and caused extensive damage to the Louisiana Superdome. As a result, the National Football League (NFL)'s New Orleans Saints were unable to play any home games at the Superdome for the entire 2005 NFL regular season. The dome was also used as a storm shelter for people who were unable to evacuate the city before the storm.
The Southern Jaguars and Lady Jaguars represent Southern University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Southern University's 13 athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football Championship Subdivision.
The Pelican Bowl is a defunct, Louisiana-based NCAA Division II bowl game that was intended to match the overall champions or top-seeded co-champions from the then-new Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the long-established Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) to determine the black college football national championship in the United States between 1972 and 1975. The game was won by the SWAC opponent in all three editions of the bowl. Due to low attendance, the game folded following the 1975 contest; the concept would be revived from 1991 to 1999 with the Heritage Bowl and again in 2015 with the Celebration Bowl.
The Red River State Fair Classic was an American college football game played annually in Shreveport, Louisiana, at Independence Stadium—formerly called State Fair Stadium—during the State Fair of Louisiana. It traced its historical lineage from a series of 167 games played over the 106 football seasons between 1911 and 2016. By having first paired historically black colleges and universities in 1915, the contest held the distinction of being the oldest documented annual black college football classic, edging out the Turkey Day Classic by nine years and the similar Texas State Fair Classic by ten years.
The 2017 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Ed Orgeron after he led the Tigers as interim head coach for the final eight games of 2016. They finished the season 9–4, 6–2 in SEC play to finish in third place in the Western Division. They were invited to the Citrus Bowl where they lost to Notre Dame.
The 1975 Grambling Tigers football team represented Grambling State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1975 NCAA Division II football season. In its 33rd season under head coach Eddie Robinson, Grambling compiled a 10–2 record, initially tied for the SWAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 324 to 153 on the field. The team was recognized as the 1975 black college football national co-champion and was ranked No. 4 by the Associated Press and No. 2 by the United Press International in the final 1975 NCAA College Division football rankings.
The 2020 Southern Jaguars football team represented Southern University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Jaguars were led by eighth-year head coach Dawson Odums and played their home games at Ace W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as members of the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
The 2022 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Brian Kelly.
The 2023 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University (LSU) in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by Brian Kelly in his second year as LSU's head coach.