Maverick Stadium

Last updated

Maverick Stadium
(The Mav)
Maverick Stadium Press Box and Suites.jpg
Maverick Stadium press box and suites
Maverick Stadium
Location Arlington, Texas
Coordinates 32°43′45.14″N97°7′34.90″W / 32.7292056°N 97.1263611°W / 32.7292056; -97.1263611
Owner University of Texas at Arlington
OperatorUniversity of Texas at Arlington Athletic Department
Capacity 12,000
Record attendance18,033 vs. North Texas September 6, 1980 (1980-09-06)
Surface FieldTurf
Construction
Built1979–1980
OpenedSeptember 6, 1980 (1980-09-06)
RenovatedPlaying surface and track 2009, locker rooms 2011 (2011), PA 2012 (2012)
Construction cost $7 million
General contractorWalker Construction Co.
Tenants
University of Texas at Arlington Track and Field
Website
www.uta.edu/campus-ops/maverick-stadium/index.php

Maverick Stadium is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose stadium on the western edge of University of Texas at Arlington campus.

Contents

It hosts the university's track and field teams and is also leased by the Pantego Christian Academy for their football team. It usually serves as the site of 1–3 high school football playoff games every year.

The stadium previously served as UTA's home football stadium until the university dropped its program after the final game of the 1985 season.

The stadium can host football and soccer games, track and field meets, as well as many varied festivals and special events, including the annual Texas Scottish Festival and Highland Games, Special Olympics and Bed Races, an annual UTA tradition in the fall. [1] [2]

Features

Maverick Stadium's west grandstands and main entrance, viewed from the south parking lot. Maverick Stadium west stands.jpg
Maverick Stadium's west grandstands and main entrance, viewed from the south parking lot.

Maverick Stadium is composed of five major components, the playing field and track, west stands, east stands, the press box above the west stands and the locker rooms and support space underneath the west stands. The Gilstrap Athletic Center is a stand-alone building directly adjacent to the locker room section, directly north of the west stands. It had housed the entire UTA Athletic Offices, until College Park Center was built in 2012 and most of the Athletic Department moved to the new arena. It does connect to both the locker room and playing field.

The playing surface consists of FieldTurf artificial playing field and can be easily configured for soccer or football games. The field is circled by a 400-meter Polytan USA track surface.

The west stands have a seating capacity of approximately 8,000, of which 1,831 are chair-back seats in the center section. The east can sit approximately 4,500. Architectural plans were designed for eventual capacity to reach 26,000 by expanding both ends of each section from its current terminus at the 15-yard lines to just past the end zones.

Underneath the west stands are the locker rooms, a full-sized, 3,700-square-foot weight room, [3] equipment storage, other support functions and medical and training facilities, which include a hydrotherapy area, taping stations, treatment room and rehabilitation room. A reception room for formal events is also located in this area and can be accessed through the west entrance.

The playing field, installed in 2009, and the east stands, where the visitors sit. Maverick Stadium east stands.jpg
The playing field, installed in 2009, and the east stands, where the visitors sit.

The press box is a three-story structure. The first level is an outdoor film deck while the top two contain space for radio and television broadcasts, print media, coach booths and suites. The press box has a 168-person capacity.

There are five light poles in the stadium, four of which flood the field and the other on the field event venues on the northern side of the stadium. They are a mercury vapor with a total lighting capacity of 90 foot candles.

Fans primarily enter Maverick Stadium from the south, where a seven-window ticket booth faces out onto a 677-space parking lot. The home entrance is to the west of the booth, while the visitors entrance is to the east. There is also a seven-window ticket booth and entrance on the east side of the stadium directly behind the east stands.

Facilities for steeplechase and all field events are provided within the stadium. Javelin, shot put, and discuss areas are located north of the track and playing field, while the long jump, triple jump and pole vault pits are just south. The high jump area is between the field and track on the north end of Maverick Stadium.

There's a large, open grass field on the north side as well that had served as the practice field for the football team.

History

Single-game crowds
DateOpponentAttendanceResult
September 6, 1980 North Texas 18,03314–31
October 9, 1982 North Texas 9,4873–17
September 8, 1984 West Texas A&M 9,36727–19
September 22, 1984 Texas State 9,04848–13
October 6, 1984 Stephen F. Austin State 8,89421–27
September 11, 1982 Sam Houston State 8,51963–10
November 21, 1981 Lamar* 8,43731–7
October 27, 1984 Arkansas State^ 8,27621–51
October 2, 1982 Louisiana Tech 8,14914–17
September 17, 1983 Louisiana-Monroe 7,33810–16
^ Homecoming
* Clinched SLC championship
Maverick Stadium's ticket booth Maverick Stadium Ticket Booth.jpg
Maverick Stadium's ticket booth

When UTA began playing football as a four-year institution in 1959, they played their games in Memorial Stadium. The on-campus venue, coupled with successful football seasons, consistently saw the Stadium at or over the 10,022 capacity. After the 1969 season, UTA left Memorial Stadium, though local high school teams would still play there for several more years. The venue was demolished in winter 1973 to make way for the current Maverick Activities Center.

UTA averaged around 9,000 in attendance from 1966 to 1969. However, the university viewed Memorial Stadium as small and outdated. UTA was planning a move to the university level, the highest level of college football at that time, and decided they needed to play in a bigger venue to encourage higher-level teams to play in Arlington. This was needed to move up as the NCAA required half the schedule be against university-level competition. Along with the urging of Arlington City Hall, who just bought Turnpike Stadium from Tarrant County, the Mavericks began playing their home games at a multi-purpose, off-campus stadium built primarily for baseball, though it could be converted for football use, in 1970.

When the Washington Senators moved from Washington D.C. to Arlington and changed their name to the Texas Rangers, they became the primary tenants of the stadium. This created conflicts between the franchise and the University. One notable example was when the Rangers exercised a clause giving them control over the stadium 24 hours before and after home games. UTA had to play their 1974 home opener at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, about 25 miles away from campus. UTA would occasionally have to play in other venues as well, such as Cravens Field, a facility in North Arlington that is owned and operated by the Arlington Independent School District.

Finally, after renovations were announced that the now-renamed Arlington Stadium would become a permanent baseball facility, the UTA football team eventually moved their home games to Cravens Field from 1977 to 1979. UTA's all-time home record at Arlington Stadium was a measly 11–18, a winning percentage of .379 (compared to .670 at Memorial Stadium), while they were 8–6 at Cravens.

The UTA Athletic Department knew that Turnpike Stadium and Cravens Field weren't long-term homes. They were working on a way to move the UTA football program into their own facility on campus. Preliminary approval for Maverick Stadium was issued by the UT System Board of Regents in November 1977. This cleared the way for planning to begin and the Regents approved the final plans in October 1978. After bids were approved later that year, construction began early in 1979 on the site of the football practice fields on the west side of campus.[ citation needed ]

Yearly attendance
SeasonAverageHigh
19808,06218,033
19816,5228,437
19827,5889,487
19835,5547,338
19847,4969,367
19855,6007,205

After more than a decade, the first on-campus football game was played as the University of North Texas opened the venue in front of a record crowd of 18,033, an eventual 31–14 loss for UTA. It also was the first ESPN college football broadcast, as the fledgling network had just begun operations. [4] Due to the NCAA's television contract, the game couldn't be shown live and was a tape-delayed broadcast.

The Mavericks finished their inaugural year at Maverick Stadium with a 1–5 home record, winning their final game against Arkansas State in front a crowd of 4,691. Despite the record attendance of the first game, Maverick Stadium averaged 8,062 fans per home game the first year.

Maverick Stadium's scoreboard located in the north end zone. Maverick Stadium scoreboard.jpg
Maverick Stadium's scoreboard located in the north end zone.

The team would do a better job defending their home turf in the following years as they compiled a record of 16–11 following the 1980 season, for a total Maverick Stadium home record of 17–16. In 1981, UTA went 4–1 there on their way to winning their final Southland Conference championship. It was also their last year participating at the NCAA's highest level of football, then known as Division I-A, as the NCAA would reclassify UTA and almost the entire Southland Conference as Division I-AA

The last home game in Maverick Stadium for UTA's football program was against Louisiana Tech on November 16, 1985. The 29–14 loss to the Bulldogs eliminated UTA from the Southland Conference championship race, the second year in a row the Bulldogs had ended UTA's championship run. The final game at the stadium was attended by 4,800 fans, the smallest of the year. UTA finished 3–2 at home in 1985.

Renovations

Since 2009, Maverick Stadium has undergone many renovations to increase the amenities for the athletes and spectators in order to keep it a desirable place to hold athletic contests and special events.

In 2009, the older artificial turf was replaced with FieldTurf. [5] The track was replaced around the same time with a Polytan USA track surface. [6] It is a standard Olympic 400-meter track with various other field event capabilities.

The Mavericks new putting green, just north of the Gilstrap Athletic Center Maverick Stadium putting green.jpg
The Mavericks new putting green, just north of the Gilstrap Athletic Center

The locker rooms received their first renovation since construction over the winter break between the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters. These included wood-finish lockers replacing the original metal lockers, new paint, fresh carpeting and partitioning of the main locker room between the baseball, softball and men's and women's track and field teams. [7] The university constructed clubhouses at Clay Gould Ballpark for the baseball team and Allan Saxe Field for the softball squad in 2015, so they no longer use Maverick Stadium's facilities and offices. [8] This leaves the university's track and field teams as the only full-time tenants in Maverick Stadium's locker rooms.

In fall 2012, the original public address system installed during the original construction was completely replaced with a new system, providing a clearer sound throughout the stadium. [9]

In fall 2015, the university added a putting green for the UTA golf team in the northwest corner of Maverick Stadium. Another light pole was added to help illuminate that portion of the field. The addition coincided with the announcement that the university would add women's golf to the sport offerings at UTA.

The following year, a $325,000 renovation to the Gilstrap Athletic Center saw the addition of a clubhouse for the golf teams. 2,000 of the 9,000-square-foot facility was devoted to the golf programs, that include lounge and meeting space, a swing analysis system, a hitting area, an indoor putting green, coaches’ offices and outdoor training areas, which include a chipping green and hitting range.

The Center also received a complete overhaul of the entrance, lobby, academic areas, renovated office spaces, meetings areas and lounge space for the Mavericks' men and women’s track teams. [10]

Maverick Stadium is considered[ by whom? ] one of the finest track and field venues in the Southwest and served as the site for the Southland Conference outdoor track meet in 1981, 1986, 1992, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2010, the Western Athletic Conference meet in 2013 and the Sun Belt Conference championships in 2017.

The men have won 11 team conference championships and five runners-up finishes since the stadium opened, along with 23 event All-Americans. It has been the site of two meets where the Mavericks won a conference championship, in 1992 and 2017. The women have won six team titles, seven runners-up and ten All-Americans. The 2001 meet was the only championship the women's team won at their home venue. [11]

Collegiate stadium records, single game

Record descriptionRecordRecord holder(s)DateOpponentFinal score
Rushing carries38 carShawn Faulkner^September 9, 1983 Western Michigan 14–21
Rushing yards202 ydsBurton Murchison^October 19, 1985 Lamar 37–17
Rushing touchdowns3 TD'sWesley Williams^
Randy Johnson
September 9, 1985
October 8, 1983
Angelo State
Wichita State
23–35
34–24
Completions27 compFred Hessen^November 21, 1981 Lamar 31–7
Passing yards367 ydsFred Hessen^November 21, 1981 Lamar 31–7
Passing touchdowns3 TDsDavid BatesOctober 19, 1985 Lamar 37–17
Receptions10 recReuben Eckels^
Marvin Walker^
October 8, 1983
October 9, 1982
Wichita State
North Texas
34–24
3–17
Receiving yards180 ydsKeith ArbonOctober 19, 1985 Lamar 37–17
Receiving touchdowns2 TDsAndre Gray
David Wood^
September 22, 1984
September 8, 1984
Texas State
West Texas A&M
48–13
27–19
Longest field goal58 ydsJeff Heath^November 6, 1982 East Carolina 24–40
Longest kickoff return100 ydsBobby Humphery^September 12, 1981 New Mexico State 26–13
Most points scored63 UTA September 11, 1982 Sam Houston State 63–10

^ Denotes non-UTA player

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlington, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. The city had a population of 394,266 in 2020, making it the second-largest city in the county after Fort Worth and the third-largest city in the metropolitan area, after Dallas and Fort Worth. Arlington is the 50th-most populous city in the United States, the seventh-most populous city in the state of Texas, and the largest city in the state that is not a county seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CEFCU Stadium</span> Stadium at San Jose State University

CEFCU ('sef-kyü) Stadium, formerly known as Spartan Stadium, is an outdoor athletic stadium on the west coast of the United States, located in the Spartan Keyes neighborhood of central San Jose, California. Owned by San José State University, the venue is the longtime home of Spartan football; it also hosts the university's commencement ceremony on Memorial Day weekend, and occasional high school football games. Known as Spartan Stadium for over eight decades, it was renamed in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Texas at Arlington</span> Public university in Arlington, Texas, US

The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university in Arlington, Texas. The university was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M University System for several decades until joining the University of Texas System in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fouts Field</span> Stadium in Texas, United States

Fouts Field was a stadium at the University of North Texas, located in Denton, Texas. Its primary use from its opening in 1952 until 2010 was as the home field for North Texas Mean Green football. Over its 59-year history, Fouts Field was the college home of players such as Joe Greene, Abner Haynes, Steve Ramsey, and Steve Anderson, who would later gain worldwide fame as pro wrestler Steve Austin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dix Stadium</span> American football stadium in Kent, Ohio

Dix Stadium is a stadium in Kent, Ohio, United States. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Kent State Golden Flashes football team. In addition, since 2016 the stadium is also home to the Kent State women's soccer team and since 2019 to the women's lacrosse team. Previously, it was home to the Kent State field hockey team from 1997 to 2004 and served as a secondary home for the KSU men's soccer team in the 1970s. It opened on September 13, 1969 and was named in 1973 after Robert C. Dix, former publisher of the Record-Courier and a member of Kent State's Board of Trustees for more than three decades. It was built as an expansion and relocation of Memorial Stadium, with all of Memorial Stadium's main seating areas used at the current stadium in a new configuration. During soccer games, the playing surface is known as Zoeller Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Stadium (Albuquerque)</span> Stadium at the University of New Mexico

University Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in the western United States, located on the south campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is the home field of New Mexico Lobos football, which competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference.

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

Cessna Stadium is a stadium on the campus of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It opened in 1946 and served as the home of the football team until the program was discontinued in 1986. It is currently home of the Wichita State Shockers track and field team. The Kansas Board of Regents approved demolition of the stadium in April 2020. Only the east stands were demolished. The rest of the stadium is supposed to be demolished after the 2024 track and field season.

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

Fortera Stadium is a stadium located on the campus of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. It opened in 1946 and is the home venue for the Austin Peay Governors football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peden Stadium</span> Football stadium on the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio

Peden Stadium, also known as Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium since August 2022, is an American football stadium on the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Situated on the banks of the Hocking River with a seated capacity of 24,000, Peden Stadium has been the home of the Ohio Bobcats Football team since 1929. An example of early 20th Century sports venues, it is the oldest college football venue in the Mid-American Conference, the third oldest in Ohio, and the 29th oldest college stadium in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UT Arlington Mavericks</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of University of Texas at Arlington

The UT Arlington Mavericks are the athletic teams that represent the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The Mavericks currently compete in the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference in 15 varsity sports. The number rose to 15 in the fall of 2017 women's golf began their first season of competition that athletic season.

The Texas–Arlington Mavericks football team represented the University of Texas at Arlington from the 1959 through 1985 season. Between 1919 through 1958, UTA competed as a junior college prior to moving to the NCAA College Division in 1959 and ultimately the University Division in 1971. UTA played its home games at multiple stadiums throughout their history with the most recent being Maverick Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Gould Ballpark</span> Sports venue in Arlington, Texas, US

Clay Gould Ballpark, the home field of the UT Arlington Mavericks, is located on the campus of The University of Texas at Arlington. The stadium has a seat capacity of 1,600. Clay Gould Ballpark is located at the intersection of West Park Row Drive and Fielder Road.

The UT Arlington Mavericks baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas, United States. The team is a member of the Western Athletic Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at Clay Gould Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. The Mavericks are coached by Clay Van Hook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies</span>

The Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma Panhandle State University, located in Goodwell, Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) for most of its sports since the 2017–18 academic year. The Aggies previously competed in the Heartland Conference of the NCAA Division II ranks from 2002–03 to 2016–17.

The UT Arlington Mavericks women's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Western Athletic Conference and representing the University of Texas at Arlington. Home games are played at College Park Center, located on the university's campus in Arlington, Texas. The team appeared in the 2005 NCAA tournament, losing to #4 seed Texas Tech in the first round, 69–49, and the 2007 NCAA tournament, dropping their first round game to #4 seed Texas A&M 58–50. The team has also made three postseason appearances in the NIT, the first in 1998 as an at-large, the second in 2009 and the most recent was another at-large bid in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium</span>

Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It is home to the Nicholls Colonels football team of the Southland Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The stadium is named in honor of former state representative John L. Guidry who was instrumental in the establishment of Francis T. Nicholls Junior College. The playing surface is named Manning Field after the Manning family because the family holds the annual Manning Passing Academy football camp at the facility. The current playing surface is GeoGreen Replicated Grass. The stadium was officially dedicated on September 16, 1972.

The Texas–Arlington Mavericks volleyball team, historically one of the most nationally prominent teams on campus, is an NCAA Division I college volleyball team rejoined the Western Athletic Conference in July 2022. Home games are played at College Park Center, located on University of Texas at Arlington's campus in Arlington. The team has appeared in eight AIAW National Tournaments, eight NCAA Tournaments and one National Invitational Volleyball Championship Tournament, collecting 12 regular seasons titles and ten conference tournament titles along the way. The Mavericks are currently in their longest national post-season drought in program history, with the last appearance coming in the 2002 season.

<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.

Memorial Stadium was a 10,022-seat stadium on the campus of The University of Texas at Arlington that served as the home site for the numerous teams that would become UT Arlington Mavericks as well as the Arlington Independent School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the University of Texas at Arlington (1965–present)</span>

In April 1965, the Texas Legislature transferred Arlington State College (ASC) from the Texas A&M University System to the University of Texas System. The following year, Maxwell Scarlett was the first African-American graduate in ASC history. In March 1967, ASC was renamed the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Jack Woolf, president of ASC and UTA since 1959, resigned in 1968 and was succeeded by Frank Harrison; Harrison was president until 1972. UTA awarded its first master's degrees in 1968, all in engineering. Reby Cary, the university's first African-American administrator, was hired the following year.

References

  1. Matula, Gunnison (May 2013). "Scottish festival to feature Highland games, dancing". TheShorthorn.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  2. staff, Carla Solorzano The Shorthorn (October 8, 2013). "Teams get dressed for Bed Races". TheShorthorn.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  3. "UTAMavs.com :: The Official Site of UT Arlington Mavericks The University of Texas at Arlington". www.UTAMavs.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  4. "TexasBob.com – Maverick Stadium – Arlington , Texas". www.TexasBob.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  5. "Maverick Stadium Receives Renovation with Installation of FieldTurf". UTAMavs.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  6. USA, Polytan. "Track Inspires New Generation at U.S. Area Youth Olympic Selection Trials". www.PRNewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  7. staff, Josh Bowe, The Shorthorn (November 3, 2010). "Maverick Stadium locker rooms to get face-lift". TheShorthorn.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ".5 million upgrade planned for softball, baseball complexes". UTAMavs.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  9. chief, Dustin Dangli, The Shorthorn editor in (November 2012). "Campus may hear static noise from Maverick Stadium sound testing". TheShorthorn.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. "UTA athletics unveil upgraded Gilstrap Athletic Center". UTAMavs.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  11. "Publications". Archived from the original on August 6, 2012.