Truman Sports Complex

Last updated

Truman Sports Complex is in Kansas City, Missouri, pictured before expansive renovations in the late 2000s, with Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium. Truman Sports Complex.jpg
Truman Sports Complex is in Kansas City, Missouri, pictured before expansive renovations in the late 2000s, with Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium.

The Truman Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility in Kansas City, Missouri. It hosts two major league sports venues: Arrowhead Stadium, hosting the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, and Kauffman Stadium, hosting Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals. The complex also hosts various other events during the rest of the year.

Contents

Overview

An A-10 Warthog flew over the complex in 2017. Truman Sports Complex Aerial.jpg
An A-10 Warthog flew over the complex in 2017.

The Truman Sports Complex was built and owned by the government of Jackson County and managed by the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority, which is a State of Missouri agency. [1] The current complex design, made by Charles Deaton, was arrived at when Deaton caught the ear of Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Jack Steadman and suggested building side-by-side stadiums for the two sports with each stadium customized to its needs. [2] The original plan called for separate side-by-side stadiums [3] with a mutual rolling roof. However, the roof was never built due to cost. [2] The complex was revolutionary in an age when new stadiums tended to be built as multiuse venues for planning and cost purposes.

The design not only made Deaton's reputation, but also made that of the architects that implemented his plans, Kivett and Myers. In 1975, the firm merged with Kansas City architect firm HNTB and went on to design stadiums like Giants Stadium, the RCA Dome, Broncos Stadium at Mile High, and Ralph Wilson Stadium. In 1983, several HNTB architects were hired by St. Louis-based architectural firm Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, forming what would later become Populous and opening their primary office in Kansas City.

The construction of the complex was undertaken by the joint venture of the Sharp, Kidde, and Webb construction firms. [4]

On October 27, 1985, the Chiefs hosted a Noon kickoff game at Arrowhead Stadium against the Denver Broncos in which Denver won, 30–10. [5] Later that night across the complex at Royals Stadium, the Royals won Game 7 of the 1985 World Series (7:30pm first pitch) against the St. Louis Cardinals. [6] [7] [8]

Kansas City began a project to renovate both Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums in 2007, following the passage of a 38 cent sales tax increase in a referendum in 2006. Improvements to Kauffman Stadium were finished in time for the MLB Opening Day in 2009, [9] and Arrowhead Stadium was completed in time for the NFL Opening Day in 2010. A separate tax referendum to raise funds to finally build the rolling roof failed. Both stadiums are being renovated by Populous. [10] [11]

With renovations, both the Royals and Chiefs have leases on the stadiums through January 31, 2031. Their previous lease which was renegotiated in 1990 had been set to expire January 31, 2015. [12]

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Arrowhead Stadium pictured in 2013 Aerial view of Arrowhead Stadium 08-31-2013.jpg
Arrowhead Stadium pictured in 2013

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, opened in the fall of 1972. George Halas called Arrowhead "the most revolutionary, futuristic sports complex I have ever seen." [2] Fans occasionally refer to the stadium as "The Sea of Red" or simply just Arrowhead. The stadium is commonly referred to as the "Home of the CHIEFS" at the beginning of every home game. [13] [14] Arrowhead has long held a reputation for being one of, if not the, loudest outdoor stadium in the NFL due to the exuberance of the Chiefs' fans. [15] In recent years, Arrowhead has competed with Lumen Field in Seattle for the loudest open-air stadium in the world, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Kansas City briefly held the record when the crowd roar reached 137.5 decibels in a Chiefs victory over the Oakland Raiders on October 13, 2013; but Seattle's 12th Man broke the record only a few weeks later at 137.8 decibels. [16] Arrowhead reclaimed the title, however, on September 29, 2014, when noise levels reached 142.2 decibels as the Chiefs defeated the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football . [17]

Kauffman Stadium

Kauffman Stadium Kauffman.jpg
Kauffman Stadium

Kauffman Stadium, home of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals, opened in early 1973 as Royals Stadium and is located adjacent to Arrowhead. The stadium's name was changed in 1993 to honor Royals founder Ewing Kauffman just months before his death. Even though the stadium is slightly older than 40 years old, it is the sixth-oldest stadium in MLB, as a result of the construction of a number of new stadiums in the 1990s. It was the only baseball-specific stadium completed from the early 1960s until the early 1990s. It is also one of eight stadiums in Major League Baseball that doesn't have a corporate-sponsored name (the others are Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, and Nationals Park).

In addition to that, the stadium was the last baseball-only park that was built in the majors (not counting temporary facilities) from 1966 to 1991 and one of the few baseball-only facilities built in the majors during the heyday of the cookie-cutter stadium era, as well as one of two such facilities (alongside Dodger Stadium) that are still active and were never converted for use as multi-purpose stadiums. Despite its status as a baseball-only park throughout its history, it is one of only two active MLB stadiums (the other being Rogers Centre) that features symmetrical outfield dimensions, commonly associated with multi-purpose stadiums.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City Royals</span> Major League Baseball franchise in Kansas City, Missouri

The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expansion franchise in 1969, and has played in four World Series, winning in 1985 and 2015, and losing in 1980 and 2014. Outside of a dominant 10-year stretch between 1976 and 1985, and a brief, albeit dominant, resurgence from 2013 to 2015, the Royals have combined for a bottom-ten all time winning percentage in MLB history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrowhead Stadium</span> NFL football stadium in Missouri, United States

Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium has been officially named GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium since March 2021, following a naming rights deal between GEHA and the Chiefs. The agreement began at the start of the 2021 season and ends in January 2031 with the expiration of the leases for the Chiefs and Royals with the stadium's owner, the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kauffman Stadium</span> Baseball stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

Kauffman Stadium, often called "The K", is a baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the ballpark to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium is named for Ewing Kauffman, the founder and first owner of the Royals. It opened in 1973 as Royals Stadium and was named for Kauffman twenty years later on July 2, 1993. Since its last major renovation in 2009, the listed seating capacity is 37,903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ewing Kauffman</span> American pharmaceutical entrepreneur (1916–1993)

Ewing Marion Kauffman was an American pharmaceutical entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Major League Baseball owner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mile High Stadium</span> Former stadium in Denver, Colorado, US

Mile High Stadium was an outdoor multi-purpose stadium located in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)</span> Former baseball and football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Municipal Stadium was an American baseball and football stadium in the central United States, located in Kansas City, Missouri. It was located at the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and E. 22nd Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank White (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1950)

Frank White Jr. is an American politician and former professional baseball player, coach, and television sports commentator. He played his entire eighteen-year career in Major League Baseball as a second baseman for the Kansas City Royals from 1973 to 1990 and was an integral member of the 1985 World Series winning team.

Kivett & Myers was a Kansas City, Missouri architecture firm that pioneered the design of modern professional sports stadiums.

Charles Utter Deaton was an American architect. He designed several athletic stadiums, and is noted for his futuristic Sculptured House that was featured in the 1973 film Sleeper. He is also noted as the designer of Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium.

Jack W. Steadman was an American football executive who served as chairman, vice president, president and general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in the Kansas City metropolitan area</span> Overview of sports in Kansas City metropolitan area

The Kansas City metropolitan area has a long history of sports, which has included national championship teams and championship title events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multi-purpose stadium</span> Stadium designed for multifunctionality over specificity

A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multifunctionality over specificity. It is used most commonly in Canada and the United States, where the two most popular outdoor team sports—Canadian football or American football and baseball—require radically different facilities. Football uses a rectangular field, while baseball is played on a diamond with a large outfield. Since Canadian football fields are larger than American ones, the design specifications for Canadian facilities are somewhat less demanding. The particular design to accommodate both is usually an oval, although some later designs use an octorad. While building stadiums in this way means that sports teams and governments can share costs, it also presents some challenges.

The following is a detailed history of the Kansas City Royals, a Major League Baseball team that began play in 1969 in Kansas City, Missouri. The team is currently in the American League Central Division. The franchise has won one wild card berth, seven division titles, four league championships, and two World Series titles.

The Chiefs–Raiders rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders. The rivalry between the Chiefs and Raiders is considered to be one of the NFL's most bitter rivalries. Since the American Football League (AFL) was established in 1960, the Chiefs and Raiders have shared the same division, first being the AFL Western Conference, and since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, the AFC West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game</span>

The 1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 44th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 24, 1973, at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, home of the Kansas City Royals of the American League. The game resulted in a 7–1 victory for the NL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game</span>

The 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 83rd edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was held on July 10, 2012, during the 2012 Major League Baseball season at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, home of the Kansas City Royals. This marked the third time the Mid-summer Classic had been played in Kansas City, with Kauffman Stadium last hosting the event in 1973, the stadium's first year of existence. The event was also held at Municipal Stadium in 1960, when the Athletics were still based there, one of two played that season. The game was televised in the United States by Fox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Kansas City Chiefs season</span> NFL team season

The 2013 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 44th in the National Football League (NFL), their 54th overall and their first under the head coach/general manager tandem of Andy Reid and John Dorsey. After their 26–16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, which was also coach Andy Reid's first visit to Philadelphia since the Eagles fired him the season prior, the Chiefs vastly improved on their 2–14 record from 2012 just three weeks into the season. However, despite starting 9–0, the Chiefs would struggle in the second half of the season, losing 5 out of their last 7 games. Despite that, they would still make the playoffs. After defeating the New York Giants 31–7 in Week 4, the Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to win two or fewer games in the previous season, and win the first four games the next. On October 13, 2013, against the Oakland Raiders, Chiefs fans broke the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium with 137.5 decibels. Seattle Seahawks fans later reclaimed the record on December 2, 2013, with a roar of 137.6 decibels. After the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Denver Broncos in Week 7, the Chiefs were the final undefeated team in the NFL. They were the first team in NFL history to earn the number one draft pick and be the last undefeated team in consecutive years.

George Toma is an American groundskeeper who specializes in working on sports facilities. Toma is one of the few surviving people to have attended every Super Bowl game, from 1967 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Labinski</span> American architect (1937–2023)

Ron Labinski was an American architect, notable for influential designs of stadiums for professional baseball and football. Focusing for much of his career on sports venues, Labinski was instrumental in establishing sports and assembly venue design as architectural specialties. Labinski's work led to the establishment of several such specialized firms in Kansas City, composed of many of Labinski's former colleagues, making Kansas City the center of sports-related design. Labinski has been described as the world's first sports venue architect.

References

  1. "Jackson County Sports Complex Authority". MO.gov. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Karl Zinke, Ahead of its time; Royal helped build first two-stadium facility.
  3. Suppes, BALLPARKS.com by Munsey and. "Arrowhead Stadium". football.ballparks.com.
  4. "Webb Spinner 1969-1970" (PDF).
  5. "Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs - October 27th, 1985". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  6. "Kansas City Royals 11, St. Louis Cardinals 0". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  7. Durso, Joseph (October 28, 1985). "Royal Rout a Bitter Ending For Cards". The New York Times. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  8. "1985 World Series: The wild and crazy complete story of the Kansas City Royals' unlikely win". Fox Sports. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  9. "Kauffman Stadium". Kansas City Royals.
  10. "Kansas City Chiefs - Chiefs Unveil The New Arrowhead". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
  11. "Kauffman Stadium". Kansas City Royals.
  12. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. Welcome to Arrowhead - Volume 1, youtube.com
  14. Welcome to Arrowhead - Thanksgiving, youtube.com
  15. "Stadiums of the NFL-Arrowhead Stadium-Kansas City Chiefs". Archived from the original on December 16, 2008.
  16. "Chiefs fans break noise record". October 13, 2013.
  17. "Kansas City Chiefs fans reclaim record for loudest crowd roar at sports stadium". Guinness World Records. October 2, 2014.

Sources

39°03′00″N94°28′56″W / 39.05000°N 94.48222°W / 39.05000; -94.48222